Desi Art Mag
2 issues a year. 17 countries. Subscription commerce for a print magazine built on Shopify.
- Industry
- Digital Publishing
- Year
- 2024
- Role
- Design and build
- Built with
- Shopify Custom BuildHorizon ThemeKlaviyo
Desi Art Mag is a print magazine dedicated to South Asian contemporary art. Published twice a year, each issue profiles artists, collectors, and cultural figures shaping the scene. No jargon. No gatekeeping. Issue #2, ‘Gatekeepers and Open Doors,’ ships to readers across 17 countries.
Desi Art Mag, in numbers.
Two storefronts, seventeen countries
- Issues a year2
- Countries shipped to, Issue #217
- Storefronts: India in INR, and global2
One dot for each country Issue #2 ships to.
The brief
Shivansh Wadhwa needed a store that could sell the magazine as both a one-time purchase and a recurring subscription. Shopify’s native checkout handles one-time orders only, so a subscription app was integrated to auto-charge every 6 months at Rs. 250 less than the single-issue price. The store runs on Shopify’s Horizon theme, with all brand colors and typography applied through :root CSS variables without touching any Liquid files. Two separate storefronts handle the global split: desiartmag.com for India (INR) and global.desiartmag.com for international readers.
The store launched in December 2024 with one active SKU and a subscription model that charges and ships automatically with each new issue.
Three pages, on a phone.
The homepage sells the issue
The hero, why the magazine exists, then the issue itself with its buy box, readers’ words and the newsletter.
Live store, October 2026
One-time or subscription
Tap Subscription and its terms open under the price; How subscription works lays the year out step by step.
Live store, October 2026
An article, on a phone
Each piece opens on its title and date, a line on what it is about and the writer’s byline, then the pictures.
Live store, October 2026
Screens
Two ways to buy one issue
The product page as it sold Issue #2: One-Time Purchase or Subscription, the subscription’s ₹250 off in a green badge, and How subscription works under the choice.
Product page, Issue #2 on its own
The issue, on the homepage
The homepage carries the buy box itself on the brand’s burgundy: the issue, its quantity, Add to cart and the same one-time or subscription choice, so a reader can buy without leaving the page.
Homepage, October 2026
Why Desi Art Mag Exists
The magazine’s voice on the homepage, an italic serif heading over plain short lines: no gatekeeping, no jargon, no art degree required.
The second storefront
global.desiartmag.com, for readers outside India: its own announcement bar on paying from abroad, Issue #2 Out Now! in the hero, and a currency picker in the header.
Global store, October 2026
The journal
Desi Art Mag Articles: pieces in Sinhala, Tamil, Hindi and English, each a card with its title and opening lines, under the same header as the shop.
Issue #2, in the gallery
The product page’s gallery opens on the issue’s cover and then its pages, so a reader sees the art before the price. A few of those pages follow.
The Cosmic Play of Gods and Robots
Mariyam Begum’s feature, its title in green over a grid of sculptures.
Building a Museum Without a Blueprint
Namrata Dewanjee on a museum in Colombo, the piece that also runs in the journal.
The art of living
A spread on Priyanca Vaishnav’s work, the title set across the painting.
Art for All
Esha Aphale’s spread, yellow type on blue beside a photograph of a gallery.
Our Story
The About page opens on the magazine itself, then How It All Started on the burgundy.
