Overview
Indigo Design was approached by celebrity makeup artist AJ Crimson and his business partner Keisha Nash-Whitaker (wife of actor/director/producer Forest Whitaker) to design and develop a Web site for their new line of luxury lip glosses. The line, Kissable Couture, is available in high-end stores such as Henri Bendel in New York and Fred Segal in LA and used by celebrities such as Menu Suvari and Kelly Preston.
Conceptual Design
The primary goal of the site design was to promote the luxury brand online, convey the “First Kiss” philosophy of the brand and to implement an e-commerce platform to sell the products. This process started with brainstorming sessions with the client to fully understand their design and functionality requirements and study their existing product and package design. The result was design templates that allowed for a hybrid site that could support elements of Flash (for movement and music) as well as XHTML/CSS (for ease of front end & back end use of the e-commerce and CMS platforms). In completing the conceptual design process, the overall architecture/structure was defined through a site map and wireframes.
Development
After the conceptual design phase, Indigo Design entered into the development phase of the project. The site templates were developed to work on their own as free-standing pages and to also be implemented into the e-commerce and CMS platforms that were ultimately chosen. The result provided a seamless front-end user experience between the normal site pages and the product pages, as well as a robust, yet user-friendly back end to manage the e-commerce and content elements.
Result
The Kissable Couture collection and Web site launched with rave reviews and has been featured glowingly in publications ranging from Vogue to Harper’s Bazaar to Essence Magazine. Site traffic and sales have been escalading rapidly, and new features like streaming video are being added regularly to enhance the user experience. We look forward to the continued success of the Kissable Couture team as they make their mark in the cosmetics industry.
Visit KissableCouture.com
Indigo Design has done a wonderful job at creating artistic and accessible Web sites for BLT Restaurant Group. They are able to convey the overall experience of the BLT Restaurants through exceptional design. Visiting the Web site is almost like visiting one of our restaurants!
-Laurent Tourondel • Chef/Owner, BLT Restaurant Group
Overview
When Chef Propritaire Laurent Tourondel was honing his new restaurant concept in New York City, he approached Indigo Design for assistance with everything from branding and logo consulting and design to Web and print design. Tourondel, the talent behind the critically acclaimed Cello Restaurant in Manhattan, wanted to present his adaptation of the American Steakhouse, elevating it with his signature style and all-around finesse. The result was the Modern American Steakhouse: BLT Steak.
© Photography by Quentin Bacon
Logo & Print Design
Taking into account the long-term vision of Tourondel’s BLT concepts, the “BLT” segment of the logo design had to be ready for alternative restaurant concepts. Through a series of brainstorm sessions and artistic mockups, Indigo Design considered logo/font treatments that could be applied to a wide variety of colors, media, etc. that would represent his restaurant & hospitality endeavors. This logo concept was then applied to the various collateral and promotional and marketing pieces.
© Photography by Quentin Bacon
Web Design
With the branding and photography completed, the main Web design objective involved translating the look, feel and experience of the physical restaurant and food. This included concentrating on powerful imagery while displaying limited text to convey the visceral elements of the BLT experience. This strategy was used to bring out the casual atmosphere yet sophistication of the establishment and cuisine.
Development
With the design component completed, Indigo Design investigated the various technologies to utilize in the site build. The compact, self-contained element discovered in the design phase, mixed with the client requirement of background music allowed for the use of Flash as the primary technology. Understanding the need for quick site loading and easy content management, Indigo developed to site to maximize speed and ease of use.
© Photography by Quentin Bacon
Result
Based on the overall success of BLT Steak, Indigo Design has continued to work with Tourondel and his BLT Restaurant group on his myriad follow up restaurants. These include: BLT Fish, BLT Prime, BLT Burger, BLT Fish Shack, and BLT Market (with partner The Ritz-Carlton Hotel). As BLT Steak (now 7 locations) continues to expand nationwide, we look forward to helping Tourondel and his team conquer the restaurant industry.
Visit bltrestaurants.com
Indigo Design has created a distinctive, energy-infused site for the Meatpacking’s Red Market salon. The overall atmosphere and experience of the salon is presented throughout the site and the information is clearly and concisely navigable. The website conveys the logic and objectives of the salon in a most creative way.
Overview
Created by David Cotteblanche and Reynald Ricard, Red Market offers an exclusive salon experience unlike any other. The constantly changing environment features art exhibits, music by a line-up of local DJs, one-of-a-kind denim robes by designer Denis Henaud, and Wi-Fi internet access.
David and Reynald have been friends since 1992 the two found themselves in NYC, working for Frederic FEKKAI. While working for Frederique Fekkai, David and Reynald took on clients in the evening, after work, at David’s studio apartment. Right away, they saw a real market for late night clientele. In September of 2004, they grabbed the opportunity to rent a small studio loft in on Little West 12th, in the heart of the growing Meat Packing District it generated a lot of attention for the duo, and a few months later Red Market Salon opened in its current location on 32 Gansevoort Street on June 21, 2005.
Logo & Print Design
With the title “Red Market†in mind, due to the salon’s location in the now bustling nightlife scene of what was once the area of the city known for meatpacking. We embraced these concepts of the color red of the old district, the Meatpacking district’s current nightlife fame, and the late, late hour. We used these key concepts throughout not only the website but the print design as well. The advertising events, schedules and stylist-client notes we were sure to reflect the strong concepts existing in the website, that are the foundation to the salon’s singularity.
The salon also required flexibility within the products section to allow for the ability to constantly update products based on availability and product client relationships.
Web Design
The primary goal of the site design was to communicate the unique day and night aspect of the salon, conveying its upbeat contemporary atmosphere and illustrating the professional, creative hairstyle concepts that are developed there on a regular basis. What transpired were two modes for the site with different background rhythms and themes; the day version, bright with calm lounge beats and the night version, dark with a more upbeat trance reflecting the vibe of Meatpacking nightlife.
Development
After recognizing and completing the design objectives, Indigo Design then determined which technologies could achieve the objectives most effectively. Due to the need for music and movement over a clear navigation outlined in the design phase, Flash was used as the primary technology. Identifying the diverse clientele and variant technology skills and patience levels, the need for quick site loading and easy content management was identified as crucial to the success of the site. Indigo provided a site that delivers information to clients quickly, clearly and easily.
Result
Evaluating from the mass press and media attention as well as the indisputable clientele growth the salon has received, the overall success of Red Market is clear. Indigo Design continues to work with Red Market updating the website and providing them with further logo and print designs.
Visit redmarketnyc.com
