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Multi-Brand Setup Guide

Welcome! This guide will walk you through setting up the multi-brand feature in your Maker theme. This feature allows you to create "mini-storefronts" within your Shopify store - perfect for school fundraisers, brand partnerships, or any situation where you want different areas of your store to have their own unique look and feel.

What Can You Do With Multi-Brand?​

  • Different logos for different parts of your store
  • Separate menus for each brand or category
  • Optional brand badges above your header for easy navigation
  • URL forwarding support so each mini-storefront can feel like its own site

Before You Start​

This feature is completely optional and turned off by default. Your theme will work exactly as it does now until you enable it. There are no breaking changes to worry about!

Step 1: Enable Multi-Brand (5 minutes)​

  1. In your Shopify admin, go to Online Store → Themes
  2. Click Customize on your Maker theme
  3. Click Theme settings (paintbrush icon in the sidebar)
  4. Scroll down to Multi-Brand section
  5. Check the box for "Enable multi-brand system"
  6. Click Save in the top right

That's it! The system is now active, but you won't see any changes until you set up your brands.

Step 2: Create Your Brand Metaobject Definition (10 minutes)​

Think of this as creating a template for what information each brand will have.

2.1 Access Custom Data Settings​

  1. In your Shopify admin, click Settings (bottom left)
  2. Click Custom data
  3. Click Metaobjects tab
  4. Click Add definition

2.2 Create the Brand Definition​

Fill in the following EXACTLY as shown:

Name: Brand

Then click Add fields and add these 5 fields:

Field 1: Name​

  • Type: Single line text
  • Name: name
  • Click Add

Field 2: URL (Landing Page)​

  • Type: Page
  • Name: url
  • Click Add

Field 3: Logo (Desktop)​

  • Type: File
  • Name: logo
  • Validation: Select "Images only" from dropdown
  • Click Add

Field 4: Logo (Mobile)​

  • Type: File
  • Name: logo_mobile
  • Validation: Select "Images only" from dropdown
  • Click Add

Field 5: Menu​

  • Type: Single line text
  • Name: menu
  • Description (optional): Enter the menu handle (e.g., "main-menu")
  • Click Add

Field 6: Logo Height (Desktop)​

  • Type: Number (Integer)
  • Name: logo_height
  • Description (optional): Logo height in pixels for desktop (leave empty to use theme default)
  • Click Add

Field 7: Logo Height (Mobile)​

  • Type: Number (Integer)
  • Name: logo_height_mobile
  • Description (optional): Logo height in pixels for mobile (leave empty to use theme default)
  • Click Add

2.3 Save the Definition​

Click Save in the top right corner.

✅ Checkpoint: You should now see "Brand" listed under Metaobjects.

Step 3: Create Metafield Definitions (5 minutes)​

These tell Shopify which pages, products, and collections belong to which brand.

3.1 Create Pages Metafield​

  1. Still in Settings → Custom data
  2. Click the Pages tab
  3. Click Add definition

Fill in:

  • Name: Brand
  • Namespace and key: theme.brand
  • Content type: Metaobject
  • Select metaobject: Brand
  • Click Save

3.2 Create Products Metafield​

  1. Click the Products tab
  2. Click Add definition

Fill in:

  • Name: Brand
  • Namespace and key: theme.brand
  • Content type: Metaobject
  • Select metaobject: Brand
  • Click Save

3.3 Create Collections Metafield​

  1. Click the Collections tab
  2. Click Add definition

Fill in:

  • Name: Brand
  • Namespace and key: theme.brand
  • Content type: Metaobject
  • Select metaobject: Brand
  • Click Save

✅ Checkpoint: You should have metafield definitions for Pages, Products, and Collections.

Step 4: Create Your First Brand (10 minutes)​

Let's create your first brand entry!

4.1 Create a Brand Entry​

  1. In Settings → Custom data → Metaobjects
  2. Click Brand
  3. Click Add entry

4.2 Fill in Brand Information​

Name​

Enter your brand name (e.g., "Lincoln High School Fundraiser")

URL​

Click Browse and select the landing page for this brand. This is typically:

  • A page you've created specifically for this brand
  • Or your home page if this is your main brand

Logo (Desktop)​

  1. Click Add file
  2. Upload your brand's logo (recommended size: at least 200px wide)
  3. Click Insert

Logo (Mobile)​

  1. Click Add file
  2. Upload a mobile-optimized version of your logo
  3. Tip: You can use the same logo as desktop if you don't have a separate mobile version

Enter the menu handle for this brand. To find your menu handle:

  1. Go to Online Store → Navigation
  2. Click on the menu you want to use
  3. Look at the URL - it will be something like: .../menus/main-menu
  4. The handle is the part after /menus/ (e.g., main-menu)
  5. Enter this handle in the Menu field (e.g., main-menu)

Note: You'll need to create this menu first (see next section if you haven't)

Click Save to create your brand!

4.3 Create More Brands​

Repeat step 4.2 for each additional brand you want (e.g., different schools, partner brands, etc.)

Step 5: Create Brand-Specific Menus (10 minutes per menu)​

Each brand can have its own navigation menu.

5.1 Create a New Menu​

  1. In Shopify admin, go to Online Store → Navigation
  2. Click Add menu
  3. Give it a descriptive name (e.g., "Lincoln High - Main Menu")
  4. Add your menu items:
    • Click Add menu item
    • Enter the name and link
    • Repeat for all items
  5. Click Save menu
  1. Go back to Settings → Custom data → Metaobjects → Brand
  2. Click on your brand entry
  3. In the Menu field, enter the menu handle you just noted (e.g., lincoln-high-menu)
  4. Click Save

💡 Tip: You can use the same menu handle for multiple brands if they share navigation.

Step 6: Assign Brands to Pages (5 minutes per page)​

Now let's tell Shopify which pages belong to which brand.

6.1 Assign a Brand to a Page​

  1. In Shopify admin, go to Online Store → Pages
  2. Click on a page you want to assign to a brand
  3. Scroll down to the Metafields section
  4. Find the Brand field
  5. Click the dropdown and select your brand
  6. Click Save

Repeat for all pages that should show this brand's logo and menu.

📋 Example Setup:

  • Home page → No brand assigned (uses default theme settings)
  • "Lincoln High School" page → Lincoln High brand
  • "Jefferson Middle School" page → Jefferson brand

Step 7: Assign Brands to Collections (Optional)​

If products in certain collections should show a brand:

  1. Go to Products → Collections
  2. Click on a collection
  3. Scroll to Metafields
  4. Select the Brand
  5. Click Save

How it works: All products in that collection will automatically inherit the brand when viewed.

Step 8: Assign Brands to Products (Optional)​

For individual products:

  1. Go to Products
  2. Click on a product
  3. Scroll to Metafields
  4. Select the Brand
  5. Click Save

🎯 Priority System:

  • Product brand takes precedence over collection brand
  • Collection brand takes precedence over page brand
  • Falls back to default theme settings if no brand assigned

Step 9: Enable Brand Badges (Optional)​

Show clickable brand badges above your header:

  1. Go to Online Store → Themes → Customize
  2. Click Theme settings
  3. Go to Multi-Brand section
  4. Check "Show brand badges above header"
  5. Select a color scheme for the badges
  6. Click Save

The badges will show all your brands and highlight the currently active one.

Testing Your Setup​

Test Checklist​

  • Visit a page assigned to a brand - does the correct logo show?
  • Visit a page assigned to a brand - does the correct menu show?
  • Visit a collection assigned to a brand - does it work?
  • Visit a product assigned to a brand - does it work?
  • Visit a page with no brand assigned - does it show default logo/menu?
  • Test on mobile - do mobile logos display correctly?
  • If badges are enabled - do they show and work correctly?

Common Questions​

Q: Can I use this for something other than brands?​

A: Absolutely! This works great for:

  • School fundraisers (different schools get their own mini-store)
  • Department stores (different departments have different looks)
  • Multi-brand retailers
  • Seasonal campaigns
  • Regional variations

Q: Do I need separate pages for each brand?​

A: No, but it's recommended. You can assign brands to existing pages, collections, or products. The system is flexible!

Q: What happens if I don't assign a brand to something?​

A: It uses your default theme logo and menu - exactly how your store works now.

Q: Can I disable this feature later?​

A: Yes! Just uncheck "Enable multi-brand system" in Theme settings. Your store will immediately return to normal behavior with no data lost.

Q: Can products belong to multiple brands?​

A: No, each product/page/collection can only be assigned to one brand at a time. However, the priority system means a product inherits from its collection if no product brand is set.

URL Forwarding for "Separate Sites"​

Want each brand to feel like its own website? Use URL forwarding:

Using Shopify URL Redirects​

  1. Register a domain for each brand (e.g., lincolnhigh.example.com)
  2. In Shopify admin, go to Online Store → Domains
  3. Add your domain
  4. In Online Store → Navigation, create a redirect:
    • From: / (on the forwarding domain)
    • To: /pages/your-brand-page

Each brand can now have its own domain that points to its landing page!

Troubleshooting & Debugging​

Quick Debug Test​

Add this temporary code to your page to see what's happening:

  1. Go to Online Store → Themes → Edit code
  2. Open sections/header.liquid
  3. Right after line 5 (after the brand detector render), add:
<!-- DEBUG: Multi-brand status -->
{% if settings.enable_multi_brand %}
  <div style="background: yellow; padding: 10px; text-align: center;">
    Multi-brand ENABLED | 
    Active brand: {{ active_brand.name.value | default: "NONE" }} | 
    Logo: {{ active_brand.logo.value | default: "NO LOGO" }} |
    Menu: {{ active_brand.menu.value | default: "NO MENU" }}
  </div>
{% else %}
  <div style="background: red; padding: 10px; text-align: center;">
    Multi-brand DISABLED
  </div>
{% endif %}
  1. Save and view your site

What you should see:

  • If you see the RED box: Multi-brand isn't enabled - check Theme Settings
  • If you see YELLOW box with "NONE": Brand detection isn't working
  • If you see YELLOW box with brand name but "NO LOGO": Logo isn't uploaded to brand entry
  • If you see YELLOW box with all info: Check that logo file is actually uploaded

Remove this debug code after testing!

Logo not changing?​

Check:

  • Is multi-brand enabled in Theme settings? (Run debug test above)
  • Did you assign a brand to the current page/product/collection?
  • Did you upload a logo to the brand entry?
  • Is the logo file actually showing in the brand entry when you edit it?

Check:

  • Did you assign a menu to the brand entry?
  • Is the menu published and active?

Brand badges not showing?​

Check:

  • Is "Show brand badges above header" enabled?
  • Have you created at least one brand entry?
  • Did you save your theme settings?

Wrong brand showing?​

Remember the priority:

  1. Product brand (highest priority)
  2. Collection brand
  3. Page brand
  4. Default theme settings (lowest priority)

Need Help?​

Summary​

You've successfully set up the multi-brand system! Here's what you accomplished:

✅ Enabled multi-brand functionality
✅ Created the Brand metaobject definition
✅ Created metafield definitions for pages, products, and collections
✅ Created your brand entries with logos and menus
✅ Assigned brands to your store content
✅ (Optional) Enabled brand badges

Your store now supports multiple mini-storefronts, each with its own logo and navigation. Perfect for fundraisers, partnerships, or any multi-brand scenario!