Pampered Peach

Initial Hurdles

In hindsight, this project began with some foundational issues:

• Discovery process was lacking
• No established design process
• Client didn't know what they wanted out of a new site

Initially, I followed the original brand (the colors being a peach/tan color and pale green) and assumed the site goals focused more on layout rather than branding. I created a homepage mockup with these colors, and the client approved. I designed the rest of the site in the same way. After the site was fairly close to being finished, the client determined that this design wasn't what they were going for. I was a bit frustrated, but I wanted them to be happy with the end result.

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Back to Brainstorming

The client said she wanted something that more aligned with their in-salon vibe. The salon & staff were fun and light-hearted-- as company that provided waxing services, they want their clients to feel comfortable. The client & I had some back and forth regarding what they wanted the site to look like. They sent over some reference photos, and I got to work creating a new homepage. At the next meeting, I presented the homepage, and she presented a mockup of her own (to my surprise). We had landed on essentially the same idea: bright colors, gradients, fun shapes, and photo cutouts.

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Color & Layout Adjustments

After our collaboration, I had a fairly good idea of what the client wanted. I filled out the rest of the site with this new style (a sunset-type gradient for every section & page). It was closer, but still slightly off the mark. The client didn't like how every section looks the same.  I thought it might be too much if every section had a different color and no consistency, so I suggested that each page have its own color scheme. The client loved the idea. The client determined this was the right direction. Initially I had a set color scheme for the homepage too, but the client wanted the homepage to show off the vibrancy of the rest of the site. An overview, essentially. I compromised on this part, but looking back, its not bad.

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Challenges, Compromises, and Regrets

One challenge I faced was the imagery. The client was very particular about the model’s clothing matching the background and color scheme of each page. This required extensive & time consuming photo editing, but ultimately enhanced the design.

As I was working on the waxing page specifically, I realized white text on a yellow background was not going to be legible. I tried to convince the client that a black or dark grey text would be better, but she wouldn't budge. It would be inconsistent with the rest of the site. At the time I didn't know how to defend my argument, so the site ultimately reflects the client's choice. Looking back I realize none of the pages meet accessibility standards due to the text, and it is my bigest regret.