Starfall Studio Between Ritual and Research

Bailey came to us knowing exactly who she was. That's rarer than it sounds. She's a licensed esthetician and cosmetology instructor who takes the science seriously. The formulations, the methods, the results. She also has a personal aesthetic that looks nothing like the industry default. For her, those things were never in conflict. They were the whole picture. Starfall Studio needed to carry both: the precision and education behind every treatment, and the version of Bailey you actually meet when you walk in. Our job was to build an identity that held all of it, without softening any of it.

Industry

Personal Care

Service

Services

Brand Strategy

Brand Identity

Verbal Identity

Print Collateral

Storefront window with the logo 'Poppy and Co.' and a flower design, reflecting a bicycle, street scene, and people passing by outside.
A white and burgundy outdoor sign for Poppy and Co., a modern hair salon, placed on a sidewalk next to potted plants.
Brand guidelines booklet with pages showing story, vision, tone of voice, wordmark, primary type, color palette, icon, visual overview, and photographs, all set on a patterned background.

The Tension

The esthetics industry has a well-worn visual language. Floral line art, script logos, soft palettes. It reads as approachable and clean, and it makes sense for the category. It also makes everyone look the same.

Bailey wasn't interested in looking like everyone else. She came with a clear vision: dark, atmospheric, rooted in ritual. And a practice built on science, education, and client choice. The challenge was designing something that honored both without creating confusion around her credibility.

The esthetics client often associates polish with safety and trust. So how do you build a brand that feels bold and genuinely personal while still communicating real expertise? That was the tension. And it made for a more interesting problem to solve.

A decorative sign with the text 'POPPY' on a brick wall, surrounded by green ivy plants.
A maroon and green floral-patterned silk scarf hanging on a gold rod against a pink textured wall, with a small part of a green plant visible at the bottom right corner.
A white coffee mug with a black floral design on it, placed on a flat surface against a dark background.
A red bag with yellow handles leaning against a beige concrete wall with green plants on top. The bag has yellow text that reads 'DEEP COLOR GLOSS TRIM' and a small yellow logo of a flower near the top right corner.

The Expression

The Starfall Studio identity draws inspiration from old-school movie title cards and block printing traditions. Bold, graphic, and typographically commanding. The wordmark is set in a gothic display face with real presence and weight. A serpentine S monogram gives the brand a distinctive mark that feels personal to Bailey and unlike anything else in the esthetics space.

The star mark came directly from her. She came in with a specific request: a falling star. Rather than fitting it into a predictable form, we built the identity around it. It became a visual anchor that feels celestial and editorial at once, and it's entirely hers.

The palette is deep black and charcoal with soft lavender accents. Atmospheric. Candlelit, almost. Business cards, service menus, print collateral throughout. All of it holds that same intentionality. The verbal identity matches the visual: science-based esthetics guided by intention, education, and choice. No fluff. Just a practitioner who knows exactly what she's doing, and a brand built to prove it.

A hair salon interior with clients getting hair services, large mirrors, salon chairs, a chandelier, and a red ceiling.
Two smartphones displaying an Instagram profile of a hair salon with photos of women with styled hair, and the main photo showing a woman with long, wavy blonde hair.
Hand holding a red trucker hat with gold embroidery that says 'POPPA AND CO.' in a living room with a beige chair, a potted plant, a glass table, and a large wall art piece.
A young woman with light brown hair and hoop earrings looking over her shoulder, wearing a beige T-shirt with red text and standing against a wooden wall.
A young woman with long, wavy hair and gold jewelry posing outdoors against a wooden fence background. She is wearing a beige t-shirt with red text reading "Fair You Can Live Now" and light-colored pants.
A person tying the waist of a pink apron with a dark flower design on it.
Person dressed in a beige sweater and white pants holding a purple tote bag with green handles, standing on a cobblestone street wearing black and white sneakers.