01
Invent proof
No testimonials we wrote, no logos we did not earn, no statistic without a baseline and a period.
The method
Built with the salon.
Not at it.
Every stage below ends with something you approve. Nothing moves forward on our opinion alone, and nothing gets designed before the strategy is agreed in plain words.
01 — The five stages
What actually
happens, week by week.
Stage 01 Discover
We spend time in the salon rather than on a call. We read every review you have, interview you and two or three loyal customers, walk the nearest competitors, and audit your current identity, profile, content and enquiry handling.
You receive: an audit of the current state, an evidence gallery, and the assumptions we intend to test.
Stage 02 Define
We turn the evidence into a position: who this salon is for, what it does better than the alternatives nearby, and the language we will use everywhere. This is one page and it must be true — if you cannot recognise your salon in it, we go back.
You receive: positioning, messaging hierarchy and an approved creative brief. Nothing is designed before you sign this.
Stage 03 Design
Identity, service menu, storefront materials, photography direction, website and message templates — designed as one system and tested across every touchpoint at real sizes before approval, including on a mid-range phone.
You receive: the identity system, brand guide, templates and master files. You own all of them.
Stage 04 Activate
A ninety-day launch, not a one-day reveal. Google profile rebuilt, content calendar running, enquiry flows live, website published, campaigns pointed at genuine capacity — sequenced so your team is never overwhelmed.
You receive: a live presence and a team briefed on how to run their part of it.
Stage 05 Improve
Monthly review of visibility, enquiries, response time, bookings, reviews and repeat visits. We improve the weakest stage. We do not redesign a brand because one reel underperformed.
You receive: a monthly report in plain language, including the numbers that went the wrong way.
02 — Working principles
Six things we
will not do.
These are easier to promise than to keep, so we have written them down where you can hold us to them.
02
Promise rankings
We commit to work, standards and reporting. Anyone guaranteeing positions or revenue is guessing.
03
Hide the numbers
You see the measures that fell as well as the ones that rose.
04
Hold your accounts hostage
Every profile, file and asset is in your name and stays with you.
05
Sell you the whole system
If one layer is leaking, we fix that first. The audit exists to say which.
06
Design for our portfolio
The work has to serve your customers, not our showreel.
03 — Engagement
How we
work together.
Project or monthly retainer?
Both exist. Identity and website are projects with a defined end. Content, Google, WhatsApp and campaigns are ongoing, because they stop working the moment they stop running. Many salons start with a project and add one running layer afterwards.
How long does the first stage take?
Discovery and definition typically take three to four weeks. Design depends on scope. We give you a dated plan after the audit, not before — because scoping a salon we have not seen would be a guess.
How much of our time will this take?
Realistically: a half-day for discovery, an hour to approve positioning, two hours across design reviews, and one batch shoot day a month if you take content. We design around the fact that you are running a salon.
What happens if it is not working?
We say so in the monthly review, with the numbers, and we change the approach. We would rather tell you a layer is underperforming than quietly keep invoicing for it.