Loree Wesley and Brandon DaSilva, owners and hair artists at JAGGER | JAMES SALON, first approached the Icon team in summer 2015 for web design and development for their up-and-coming high-end hair salon. We spent some time talking to them about the goals of their business and how those goals should be translated visually and experientially through the website. After reviewing examples of our work and of other sites that inspired them, Loree and Brandon gave us the go-ahead to begin the design.

We set to work on creating a visually stunning and sophisticated design that would invite visitors to explore the site and push them to call to make an appointment. We also made sure the design could easily scale for any device without losing its sophistication or usability. After viewing our first design draft, JAGGER | JAMES decided to partner with us for all of their web and print design needs.

JAGGER | JAMES SALON responsive website design and development, displayed on a desktop computer, tablet, and smart phone. View the site now.

The Website Design, Development, and Marketing

The design and development of the site had several goals beyond what was set forth for us by the client. The homepage of the site functions as a one-page website, so that any visitor on any device has all of the information they need without having to click to dig deeper into the site. There are pages and blog posts that deviate from the one-page design, but flow seamlessly with the rest of the site design and experience. While we wanted all of the relevant information available on the home page, we wanted to reward visitors who searched for more information.

A problem we encountered was realizing that the site’s search engine optimization could be compromised by the one-page design. The solution we implemented makes sure that each page is both displayed on the one-page layout and available as a stand-alone page — without losing any of the charm or functionality of the design. This allows for page-specific keywords and descriptions that are easily crawled by search engines without sacrificing the specificity and optimization of each page.

While we worked on developing the main site, we designed a teaser page for the SALON with the purpose of collecting opt-in email addresses of potential clients and pointing clients and fans alike to JAGGER | JAMES SALON’s active social media platforms to build hype and create connectivity. Before the official site launch, we collected over 100 email addresses and saw the SALON’s social media profiles grow in likes, followers, and interactions.

The week leading up to launch day, we worked with JAGGER | JAMES SALON to create and implement a targeted branded ad campaign to introduce their audience to each team member, give them a taste of the culture surrounding the SALON, and build hype for both the site launch and the SALON’s opening day. Each post received thousands of impressions and garnered hundreds of comments from clients clamoring for more information on when the SALON would be open for business so they could schedule their appointments.

Early on launch day, we quietly pushed the site live and sent the SALON’s email subscribers a First Look email. The response was instantaneous: before the SALON was even open for scheduling, the phones were ringing off the hook with clients. Once the announcement went live that the site was up and running and the SALON was scheduling appointments, web traffic and phone calls skyrocketed. The website saw almost 2,000 visitors, 20% of whom were driven by social media and 5% of whom engaged with the site through email sign-ups and clicking links to social media. The SALON’s success online and as a business continues with regular appointments, daily visitors, and outstanding social media interaction.

Design of Business Collateral

Business card design for Brandon, Loree, and Jill, along with a generic concierge card. The front of the card is printed with a spot varnish to highlight the gator texture.

Appointment card design, allowing the client or concierge to circle the day of the week and write in the date and time of appointment. A disclaimer also appears requesting 24 hours notice if an appointment needs to be canceled.

Tip envelope design, with room to write who the tip is for and who it’s from.

Services menu design. The front of this menu has a spot varnish highlighting the gator texture.

Letterhead and business envelope design.

Thank you card and envelope design. The back of the card is blank for a handwritten message to JAGGER | JAMES SALON clients and vendors.

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Blues Fest 2014 included an overhaul of their web design to make it fully responsive.

Every Blues Fest starts with a call to local artists to submit their artwork to be the official annual theme. In 2014, Frederick native Matt Long submitted the winning artwork.

We study the artwork and create a lively logo to match. This logo is then used on all promotional materials for Blues Fest that year.

We digitized the artwork for use on the T-shirts and advertising.

We featured the Blues Fest 2014 artwork along with our logo design for the poster, incorporating elements from the new web design as well.

In 2014, we also redesigned their website. We wanted to create an attractive, fully responsive site so that anyone could enjoy it no matter the device they’re using to view it. It needed to have a definite structure that also had elements that are easy to swap out as logos, color themes, and artwork change year to year. The is the final design as it was approved. Take a look at the live site!

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