Client Case Study

creating a unified digital identity for a multi-brand franchise portfolio

  • Client: Head to Toe Brands (HTT) | A Riverside Company

  • Industry: Beauty Franchise | Multi-brand Portfolio

project overview

Riverside Company brought together three high-potential beauty franchises under one umbrella: Head to Toe Brands (HTT). With a bold vision to become a leader in beauty franchising, HTT needed a digital presence that could unify these distinct brands while speaking directly to franchise investors.

Franchise Portfolio:

  • Bishop’s Cuts/Color

  • Frenchies Modern Nail Care

  • The Lash Lounge

HTT approached Stay In Your Lane with the need to create a cohesive brand identity and a comprehensive website, each reinforcing the other to represent the portfolio in a polished, professional light.

the goals

  1. Create a distinct brand identity that unified three different franchise concepts under one recognizable, premium aesthetic. 
  2. Develop a user-friendly, investor-focused website that clearly communicates the benefits of investing with a private equity-backed franchise group.

the challenge

  1. No existing brand structure or visual identity

  2. Compressed timeline with evolving stakeholder feedback

  3. Integration of advanced plugins requiring IT collaboration

our approach

  • Developed a custom brand guide including logo treatment, fonts, and color palette
  • Created consistent visual language to unify HTT’s sub-brands
  • Defined tone and voice to position HTT as a modern leader in beauty franchising
  • Designed polished graphic elements for digital and print materials
  • Created a detailed sitemap that broke down project epics, user stories, and specific tasks, ensuring a well-organized and strategic site architecture for both design and development alignment.
  • Prototyped UI layouts in Figma, incorporating stakeholder feedback iteratively
  • Developed a WordPress site using Avada, emphasizing clear messaging, responsiveness, and investor conversion paths
  • Integrated custom sections for each franchise brand while maintaining consistent design across the site
  • Our copywriter, director of digital, and marketing team worked closely with HTT Brands to develop clear, optimized website copy that aligned with both user needs and stakeholder vision
  • Weekly design reviews and strategic check-ins
  • Shared prototypes and brand assets for feedback and alignment
  • Partnered with HTT’s IT team to implement backend integrations and ensure technical feasibility

tools and technology

For brand concepts, UI/UX prototyping, and design collaboration

For visual assets, typography, and digital collateral

For lightweight social and presentation graphics

For CMS, flexible theming, and scalable layout structure

For content ideation, page copy, and communication support

Lexica was used for curated brand image generation, helping to visualize mood, tone, and aesthetic direction during early creative exploration.

WebAIM was used to ensure accessibility standards were met across color contrast, typography, and UI components, helping to create an inclusive experience aligned with WCAG guidelines.

results

brand

We developed a cohesive and professional brand identity aligned with HTT’s strategic vision. This included logo treatments, typography, color palette, and a consistent visual system applied across digital and print materials, enhancing brand credibility and clarity.

website

We delivered a responsive, modern website tailored to franchise development goals. The site articulates HTT’s mission and vision while guiding potential investors through clear messaging, intuitive navigation, and focused calls to action designed to convert interest into engagement.

foundational lab

We launched the engagement with a Foundational Lab to define HTT’s brand voice, positioning, and growth objectives. This alignment document became the blueprint for every design and content decision, ensuring consistency, clarity, and purpose across all project stages.

our design process

graphic design elements

type and color design

typography system & brand expression

A flexible serif and sans-serif system with clear hierarchy for headers, navigation, and body text.

Public Sans complements Cardo by grounding the brand in clarity, usability, and modernity. Designed for legibility and utility, it communicates confidence without pretense—making it ideal for UI labels, body copy, and form content. For HTT, this sans-serif represents the operational side of the brand: accessible, scalable, and system-minded. It gives structure to the brand’s digital experience while remaining visually balanced against Cardo’s expressive character.

Cardo brings a sense of heritage, sophistication, and editorial refinement to HTT Brands. As a serif font rooted in classical forms, it immediately evokes trust and authority, which is essential for a brand guiding others into entrepreneurship. Its slight calligraphic flair gives it a beauty-forward softness—ideal for headlines and storytelling moments where elegance and inspiration are key. For HTT, Cardo embodies the emotional connection between founder and brand, legacy and vision.

Together, Cardo and Public Sans create a high-functioning system that reflects both the soul and structure of HTT. Cardo evokes the aspiration and emotion of beauty and entrepreneurship, while Public Sans delivers the clarity and usability needed for a clean, scalable digital product. This pairing mirrors HTT’s dual identity: a brand rooted in beautyand built for growth.

color psychology & brand meaning

A bold yet playful color palette combining deep wine, warm blush tones, and bright pops of yellow and red.

Maroon is the signature brand anchor for HTT Brands—deep, rich, and rooted in confidence. It evokes strength, luxury, and legacy, which aligns with HTT’s role as a leader in beauty franchising. This color reflects the brand’s long-term vision and positions it as bold, established, and premium—ideal for communicating trust and professionalism in an entrepreneurial space.

White creates contrast, clarity, and elegance throughout the brand system. For HTT Brands, it signals transparency and trust—a clean canvas that elevates the rest of the palette while reinforcing the clarity of the business model. It also helps create a modern, editorial feel that’s common in beauty branding, especially when paired with imagery.

This soft neutral supports the visual system by adding warmth and balance. It feels inclusive, gentle, and sophisticated—important values for a brand that serves a diverse range of founders and beauty consumers. It pairs seamlessly with both vibrant and dark colors, creating a versatile backdrop that enhances product and portrait photography.

Yellow adds energy, momentum, and a sense of opportunity. For HTT Brands, it represents optimism and growth—both central to the brand’s promise to entrepreneurs. As a call-to-action or highlight color, it directs attention without being aggressive, reinforcing the brand’s empowering and aspirational tone.

Playful, warm, and full of personality, this pink speaks directly to HTT’s beauty roots. It brings joy and softness to the interface while also aligning with themes of creativity, self-expression, and care. As a CTA color, it encourages interaction in a way that feels human and approachable—especially for beauty-forward audiences.

This vibrant red is used sparingly for impact and urgency. It aligns with moments of passion, excitement, and bold action—perfect for promotional highlights or limited-time opportunities within the HTT franchise ecosystem. It’s a color that commands attention while still feeling cohesive within the brand’s overall story.

logos and patterns

Geometric and playful pattern system inspired by texture, symmetry, and nostalgic motifs.

A versatile logo system using bold forms and brand colors in stacked and horizontal variations.

imagery and headers

Imagery reflects warmth, inclusivity, and product care through real people and curated spaces.

Header designs feature bold imagery, layered shapes, and type treatments for branded presence.

user experience design process

research and exploration

A visual audit of competitor websites with sticky-note insights on structure, tone, and user flow.

A high-level visual site structure outlining pages, hierarchies, and key user navigation paths.

user research and ideation

User-organized content helps define intuitive structure for pages, labels, and group navigation.

Rapid layout sketches to test ideas, annotate structure, and iterate before digital design begins.

wireframes

Early grayscale wireframes that explore layout, content priority, and core navigation structure.

Final polished wireframes with brand visuals, content strategy, and full UI component styling.

first round designs

exploring early directions with feedback in focus

Our initial design concepts explored layout, typography, and tone to establish a strong visual foundation. Throughout this phase, we integrated direct client feedback to align the experience with their vision—prioritizing brand personality, franchise clarity, and usability. These early iterations laid the groundwork for a refined and scalable design system.

final designs

refined, responsive, and ready to launch

The final design system brings together HTT’s brand essence with a fully realized visual language. Every element—from typography to CTA color treatments—was fine-tuned for clarity, accessibility, and emotional resonance. The result is a cohesive digital experience that reflects HTT’s bold positioning while supporting real-world usability across the franchise network.

check out our other work for head to toe brands

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