Feminine Branding & Website Design
Today I am sharing three project examples where the branding and website design have a more feminine feel, all at various levels. In two of these cases, there is a strategic balance between the feminine and masculine design elements, bringing the overall feel of the brand and site into a better balance. In the third example, the brand and website exude a nearly all-feminine energy. In every instance, it was important to find the right balance of softness to prevent a "cutesy" aesthetic.
Amy Havins mobile view loading image and homepage
Amy Havins Branding & Squarespace Blog
This rebrand and design for Amy Havins is truly a favorite for many reasons. It beautifully blends a feminine and classic feel, perfectly capturing the essence we aimed for. After successfully growing her blog for over 12 years, Dallas Wardrobe, Amy wanted to refresh her brand and update her website to AmyHavins.com. Her style and content are feminine, timeless, and high-quality, with just a touch of fun and whimsy. In the world of content creators, Amy stands out as a breath of fresh air, staying true to her classic style while consistently sharing what genuinely resonates with both her and her audience.
The soft pink accents and thoughtful use of a script font beautifully complement the classic serif logo. The clean lines of a sans-serif font in the header menu and paragraph text maintain a balanced, modern look. Serif fonts have small decorative strokes, while sans-serif fonts lack the added letter accents, leaning more contemporary and clean in style. Finding the right logo font was essential, as it needed to capture the classic vibe without being overly ornate. The deep navy color balances the soft pink accents, adding sophistication and grounding the design with a more masculine feel—helping to avoid the "cutesy" effect that could have emerged without these thoughtful design elements.
Amy and her team have done an incredible job maintaining the site’s design aesthetic while continuing to add fresh content and grow the blog. They’ve stayed true to the clean, simple design, which is a topic for another blog post and something I wish more content creators would consider. As a member of Amy's community and a user of the site, I really appreciate the functionality and simplicity of the content layout. Many blogs can get cluttered with too much information, leading to a poor user experience and overwhelm. Take a look for yourself here, and if her style resonates with you, give her a follow.
Winston’s Collection homepage
Winston’s Collection Shopify Site
I had the pleasure of working with Catherine Jewett, the owner of Winston’s Collection, when she needed to add new products to her existing Shopify store. With a strong logo and loyal following already in place, my focus was on seamlessly integrating the new product offerings while giving the site a subtle glow-up, all while maintaining its original brand recognition. I personally love the challenge of elevating an existing concept as much as I enjoy building a brand from the ground up. Winston’s Collection, with its gorgeous vintage and freshly lacquered furniture and vibrant hand-knotted rugs, caters largely to a female audience. The site needed some adjustments to let these beautiful pieces truly shine.
To complement the bright green logo, I chose soft blues and greens as accent colors, which helped balance the various pops of color throughout the site. The bright white background was crucial in allowing the imagery to take center stage, directing the site visitor’s attention to the products. This is especially important when designing a site with bold product visuals—too many elements can overwhelm the user, making the products hard to focus on, which defeats the purpose of converting visitors into paying customers.
For the font choices, we used a similar combination to the one mentioned earlier, blending a more decorative serif font with a simple sans-serif option for the paragraph text and pricing. Unlike Amy’s site, this serif font has a more feminine touch, which worked perfectly for Winston’s Collection while still maintaining a timeless feel. Had we gone with a more overtly feminine color palette, this particular serif font might have been too much, but it struck the right balance here. If you haven’t gathered it yet, balance is key. The magic happens when you find that perfect combination to bring the brand and website to life.
Check out the site here to see how this all comes together. Since the redesign, Winston’s Collection has expanded their selection to include an amazing range of gorgeous fabrics. As the business grows, the site continues to evolve with it, supporting new offerings without feeling disjointed. When website design is executed well, it should effortlessly accommodate future additions, making it easy to evolve without losing the integrity of the original vision. Winston’s Collection ships across the United States and is always getting fresh inventory. Give them a follow on Instagram to be inspired and see what Catherine and team have brought in most recently.
Sparkle Salon & Boutique homepage
Sparkle Salon & Boutique Branding & Square Website
The final example I’m sharing is a project that leans fully feminine, with just a subtle touch of masculinity in the form of a minimally used sans-serif heading font. Amanda Beard, owner of Sparkle Salon & Boutique, approached me for a complete rebrand and a more organized website. She had grown her salon from nails and hair to include a small retail store and e-commerce website. The transformation is beautiful—take a look at the before and after to see the significant difference our efforts made in aligning the site with a more organic brand feel that matches Amanda’s personality and the overall salon/shop experience.
Before: Dark and Heavy
After: Feminine and Airy
From the lighter color palette to the script accent font in the logo, this rebrand truly captures a more authentic representation of Amanda and her business. With a mostly female target audience, the previous branding and site felt dark and heavy. The new brand aligns much more with Amanda’s personality and the overall salon experience, with a feminine touch and a nod to her love for travel. There’s also a hint of boho whimsy woven in. We struck the right balance with the script font in the logo, complemented by serif and sans-serif fonts. A word of caution when using script fonts: readability is key. It's something to always carefully consider, aiming for a perfect balance in their usage.
One of the biggest challenges in this project was sticking with Square. While it was the right platform choice for the client, the design constraints of the builder always present its own set of challenges. However, in the end, we were able to meet all of Amanda’s goals, resulting in a fresh brand identity and a website that she can continue to grow. Check out Amanda’s site here and shop small! A few personal favorites include these washcloths, this pillowcase, and my ride-or-die dry shampoo.
I hope this article offered you some insight into the branding process and how I bring it to life on a website. Achieving the right balance is just the beginning of what we aim to accomplish in every project. I often say "we" instead of "I" because branding is a COLLABORATIVE effort between me as the designer and the client. The initial groundwork is a team effort to transform each vision into reality. Of course, the branding and design process involves much more, including understanding color meanings and finding the perfect tones.
If you need guidance with your branding or website design, don't hesitate to reach out. I'd love to connect and explore how we can work together to bring your vision to life.
