Branding a salon from start to finish
In order to hone my abilities, I created a brand for a fictitious salon that specializes in hair care for all genders and hair types. This was done for a scenario in which the new salon owner required a brand for their recently acquired business.
Goal:
Develop a brand from the ground up, including a name, website, stationery, social media presence, and product line.
Tools:
-
Adobe XD
-
Adobe Photoshop
-
Adobe Illustrator
The Name Game:
I made a list of words related to a salon and found that "Cortex" was particularly catchy. So, I combined it with other words and settled on the name "Cortex Cuts."
Cuts
Brush
Cortex
Hair
Fiber
Strand
Curls
Wave
Gel
Beauty
Colors
Style
Wave'n Cortex
Cortex Colors
Style N Cortex
Fiber & Cortex
Cortex Parlor
Cortex Cuts
Persona: I created a persona to represent the audience.
Jasmine / 27 / Marketer Boston, Massachusetts
Goals:
Needs a salon that can work with curly hair
Willing to change her hair routine
Frustrations:
Hard to find a salon that can work with her hair type
Looking for access to buy hair products
Brushing through the sketches:
I have created logo sketches that feature hair as the main design element, keeping in mind the salon's commitment to catering to all hair types.
I have chosen a simplified version of a strand of hair.
Cortex Cuts:
In the beginning of finding a design, I tried using diagonal lines to convey the action of a haircut.
Different Direction:
Taking an
organic approach:
I noticed that the diagonal didn't look quite right, so I decided to change direction and focus more on organic shapes low fidelity prototype.
For the high-quality prototype, I improved the formatting of the page. My primary concern was to ensure that the prototype was accessible and customizable for various user accounts.
Refresh
and Refine:
Mocking up the salon:
I have included mockups of several crucial sections to provide a clearer visualization of the prototype.
A salon wireframe:
For these digital wireframes, my main goal was to establish a uniform information structure and include all essential elements in each section.
Moving forward, I decided to create the stationery set. I designed a layout that was influenced by the organic vectors and flowing hair imagery.
On to the next one :
What every salon needs:
In order to accurately showcase the inventory of a salon, I designed models of hair products that include gels, conditioners, and more. Every product is formulated for a specific hair type.
I designed hair care tools for salon use, utilizing a consistent color scheme. For the scissors, I found it better to use multiple colors on the arches.
Handy tools:
Bagging the products:
I was inspired by the design of the stationery kit and used vectors to help me make my final decision. I ended up liking various color options too much to choose just one.
I selected the best social media to reach the audience effectively. I made sure to maintain brand consistency by incorporating organic shapes.
Social butterfly:
Following
the guides:
All of the content was developed
in accordance with the branding guidelines, ensuring a consistent
look and feel throughout the brand.
-
Realized how much work it
takes to build a brand. -
Satisfied to see my brand
come to life. -
Good practice using my skills to create a variety of projects.
-
It was helpful to use my fashion design skills to create merchandise.
Conclusion:
-
Learned how to manage
building a brand from scratch. -
Grew comfortable with starting
a brand from only an idea. -
It became second nature to
carry over consistency from
one project to another. -
I want to continue building a brand and seeing the idea come to life.
Knowledge Gained:
Challenges await:
I had a lot of fun working on CortexCuts, which tested my creativity and strategic abilities. I also worked on another project
that put my skills to the test.