Case Study
The Business
The Mission
For decades, curls have been treated by hair stylists as the ultimate challenge. Curly girls are often turned away from salons for being “too difficult”, “too time-consuming”, and — worst of all — “too different”.
Local Franklin, Tennessee hair salon owner, Johnna Bates, set out to change that. She is passionate about driving change and empowerment for curly girls everywhere. Her brainchild, KurlPro Academy, teaches revolutionary cutting and styling techniques that consistently deliver successful results based on the client’s coil type, head shape, and curl journey.
Our Work
To bring Johnna’s passion project to life, KurlPro enlisted Huckleberry Branding’s help with its brand identity design, marketing materials, and website. See below for the results
The Brand
Logo Design
KurlPro needed a strong, empowering brand identity that fostered the boldness and confidence it set out to instill in hair salons and stylists everywhere. The logo itself was designed to be clean and modern, but with secondary brand elements to support the brand’s more technical educational components in a visually-appealing way.
Brand Identity System
We helped curate the brand’s key messaging, including articulating its mission, vision, and core values, as well as developing its tagline, brand story, and value propositions among its target audiences. We also designed a complete brand identity system, including sub-marks, monograms, a certification stamp, and a library of icons to represent different hair helix types.
Brand Guide
Finally, we compiled the brand’s key components in a robust brand guide. the brand guide included documentation on the brand essentials, such as color codes and typography, as well as a few additional usage rules related to the monogram, hair icons, sub-marks. Our design team also created a suite of patterns, a photo artboard, and mockups of the brand design in context to illustrate exactly how the brand components should come together as one when representing the brand.
The Collateral
Training Materials
From pop-up banners to course booklets and course certificates, KurlPro needed training collateral that matched the professional caliber of its curriculum. We designed a complete suite of print materials that stylists would be proud to display, use, and earn. Each piece, from the workbooks used during hands-on academy sessions to the certification documents given to graduates, carries the same boldness and precision that defines the KurlPro brand.
Marketing Materials
Reaching the right stylists means showing up in the right places with the right message. We extended KurlPro’s brand identity into a range of marketing materials designed to drive awareness and grow enrollment across print and digital channels. Every piece reinforces the same core idea: that curls aren’t a challenge to fear, but an opportunity to own, and that KurlPro is the path to getting there.
The Design System
With brand identity, training collateral, and marketing materials all in play, consistency became critical. We brought KurlPro’s design elements together into a cohesive system, with typography, color, iconography, and layout all operating as a unified framework. Whether a stylist is picking up a course booklet at an academy session or browsing KurlPro’s social feed, the brand experience is immediately recognizable and unmistakably on-point.
The Website
Look & Feel
The KurlPro site was designed to match the brand: bold, modern, and welcoming. Built to serve both experienced stylists ready to level up and newcomers just discovering what KurlPro can do for their career, the design had to feel approachable without sacrificing the authority a professional training platform demands. Clean layouts, strong typography, and confident use of the brand palette give the site an immediate sense of credibility.
Platform & Functionality
The site was built to support KurlPro’s growth, with features that make it easy for Johnna’s team to manage content and for prospective students to take action. Academy registration, in-salon training inquiries, and email capture all work together to move curious visitors toward enrollment, while keeping day-to-day site management simple without needing a developer for every update.
Story & Messaging
A great website doesn’t just look good, it tells the right story to the right people. We brought KurlPro’s brand voice to life across the site’s content, translating its mission, methods, and social proof into a clear, compelling narrative. Stylist testimonials, program details, and well-placed calls to action all work together to give prospective students exactly what they need to say yes.