I’m reaching out to collaborate on a full redesign of our salon websites into one cohesive, high-end digital experience that represents both of our Gainesville locations:
Mode Salon East — a Davines salon focusing on slow beauty and science-driven haircare.
Mode Aveda — an Aveda Lifestyle Salon centered around plant-powered color, rituals, and spa services.
Our current websites — themodesalon.com and modeatbutler.com — each serve their purpose, but we’re ready for a unified platform that elevates our online presence, improves SEO, and delivers a luxury brand experience that matches the standard of service we provide in person.
Overall Vision
The homepage should introduce Mode Salon as the parent brand, allowing visitors to choose between two distinct experiences — Mode Salon (Davines) and Mode Aveda (Aveda Lifestyle).Each brand should have its own dedicated microsite with:
About Us page
Staff page
Services & starting prices
Gallery (auto-populated from our social media)
Reviews (auto-updating and scrubbed to exclude negative feedback)
Online booking (integrated with Vagaro)
Social media links
Additionally, we’d like to include a combined Careers page for stylists, estheticians, and nail techs who are interested in joining either location. The page should include a short pitch about working with Mode, a simple contact form, and perhaps links to any open positions or training opportunities.
Technical & Functional Requirements
SEO Optimization:Every page must be structured and tagged for strong search visibility (meta titles, schema, JSON-LD). The goal is to rank under terms like Aveda salon Gainesville, Davines salon Gainesville, best salon Gainesville, etc.
Dynamic Photo Integration:A serverless instagram Photos proxy that automatically pulls new images from each location’s Google Business profile, keeping galleries fresh without manual uploads.
Reviews Integration:Automatically fetch and display Vagaro or Google reviews through a proxy that:
Sanitizes text for consistency and layout
Excludes negative reviews (below 4 stars) to maintain brand tone
Updates automatically every few hours or daily
CMS / Admin Interface:A simple WYSIWYG backend (e.g., Sanity, Strapi, or a lightweight custom CMS) allowing internal staff to edit copy, upload photos, update services, and manage staff bios.
Design Aesthetic:The look should draw inspiration from Aveda.com — clean, earthy, and luxurious. Use an Aveda-inspired palette (deep ink, cream, sage, and neutral tones) and high-end imagery that evokes wellness and sophistication.
User Experience Enhancements:
Subtle parallax effects and scroll-based animations for a cinematic feel.
Mobile-first responsive design, optimized for speed and Core Web Vitals.
ADA-compliant typography and color contrast.
Clear calls to action for booking, joining the team, and contacting us.
Hosting & Framework:Ideally built using Next.js on Vercel for speed, SEO, and the ability to run serverless functions for the photo/review proxies. However, we’re open to other frameworks if they maintain similar performance and flexibility.
Deliverables
A single domain (themodesalon.com) hosting both brands, each with a unique microsite.
Home page: dual-brand introduction and location selector.
Mode Salon (Davines) microsite with independent booking, photos, and reviews.
Mode Aveda (Aveda Lifestyle) microsite with its own booking, photos, and reviews.
Careers page for prospective stylists, estheticians, and nail techs.
SEO-ready build with schema markup, image alt tags, and optimized meta data.
Integrated review and gallery automation.
WYSIWYG content management for future updates.
Desired Tone & Feel
Think modern boutique luxury — grounded, natural, and aspirational. The site should feel like a calm, elevated retreat that invites guests to explore, book, or even apply to join our team. We want visitors to experience the refined energy of Mode from the moment they land on the homepage.
Reference Sites:
www.themodesalon.com (current Davines site)
www.modeatbutler.com (current Aveda site)
www.aveda.com (for aesthetic direction)
Thank you for taking the time to review this. I’m looking for a designer who understands both technical precision and visual storytelling, with the ability to create something that feels timeless, intuitive, and unmistakably Mode.
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