Case study · Web design + brand platform

Two platforms, one 50-year legacy.

A 50-year-old hair house with international salons, a renowned Academy, and a philanthropic foundation needed a digital home as refined as its brand. We built two — one for the School, one for the Foundation — sharing a single visual universe.

ClientRob Peetoom — School + Foundation
IndustryEducation, beauty, philanthropy
EngagementWeb design, IA, brand platform, content
Timeline18 weeks to dual launch
MarketsNetherlands · New York · global
Project at a glance

A platform that bridges craft and cause.

2
Distinct platforms launched
School + Foundation
50yr
Legacy preserved through digital architecture
4
Tiered curriculum levels surfaced
1
Shared component library
The challenge

A craft house with two missions, no single home.

Rob Peetoom is two things at once: a globally respected hair Academy with a 50-year tradition, and a Foundation that takes that craft and uses it to change lives. Both stories deserved to be told in full. Neither was getting that on the existing web presence.

The brand brief was specific: respect the legacy, make the Academy aspirational to prospective students, and make the Foundation tangible to philanthropic partners — without diluting either.

We proposed a dual-platform approach: two independent sites sharing one design system. Different audiences, different conversion goals, identical brand integrity.

The approach

Three pillars, two platforms.

We split the work into three concurrent pillars that fed both sites: education on the School platform, impact on the Foundation platform, and execution shared across the two.

01

Professional Education Platform

A digital hub that reflects 50 years of technical excellence and a unique brand philosophy.

  • Tiered curriculaFrom New Talent to Master Stylist — full two-year training cycles surfaced clearly.
  • Philosophy-driven designHair as expression of personality, lifestyle, and charisma — codified across every page.
  • Signature modulesSignature Cuts and Hair Spa Rituals — aligned to the original 2004 Academy standards.
02

Philanthropic Foundation Platform

A dedicated space for the Foundation's mission: life-changing opportunities through vocational training.

  • Education for LifeFull scholarships, professional tools, and training for disadvantaged youth.
  • Comprehensive supportTraining, accommodation, meals, and financial aid — made tangible to partners.
  • Impact storytellingSelf-confidence and self-determined futures, framed through real graduate journeys.
03

Strategic Digital Execution

Two distinct sites, one coherent universe. Refined, Zen, and unmistakably Peetoom.

  • Aesthetic continuityMinimalist architecture, sanctuary-feel typography, identical content rhythms.
  • Optimized journeysSeamless flow between technical modules and the broader social mission.
  • Global connectionMapping graduates to international salons in the Netherlands and New York.
School platform

Two-year arc, four tiers, one philosophy.

The School site needed to make a multi-year commitment feel inevitable. We mapped every tier of the program onto a single visual arc — from first day to Master Stylist — so prospective students could see themselves in the journey.

TIER 01

New Talent

Foundation cycle for emerging stylists. Cuts, color, blow-dry fundamentals.

Year 1
TIER 02

Stylist

Day-to-day floor mastery. Client communication, consultation flow, signature techniques.

Year 1–2
TIER 03

Senior Stylist

Advanced specialization including Signature Cuts and Hair Spa Rituals.

Year 2
TIER 04

Master Stylist

Capstone tier — independent client books, mentorship, and global standards alignment.

Year 2+
The sequence

From audit to dual launch in 18 weeks.

We collapsed what would normally be a year-long platform engagement into a tightly sequenced 18-week build. Two staging environments, one shared design system, and a handover process that left the Peetoom team owning everything.

PHASE 01

Brand + content audit

Audited 50 years of brand assets, three regional websites, and the Academy curriculum. Identified the dual-mandate split as the core architecture.

Weeks 1–3
PHASE 02

Information architecture

Designed parallel sitemaps for School and Foundation that mirror each other in structure but diverge in voice. Two staging environments stood up.

Weeks 3–6
PHASE 03

Design + build

Refined typography, generous whitespace, and editorial photography rhythm. Component library shared across both sites with controlled variance.

Weeks 5–14
PHASE 04

Launch + handover

Soft launch on staging with prospective student + foundation partner walkthroughs. Full content governance handed to the in-house team.

Weeks 14–18
By developing dedicated digital platforms for the School and Foundation, Durant elevated our presence as a leader in both vocational education and social responsibility. A 50-year legacy now has a sustainable digital home.
RP
Rob Peetoom team
School + Foundation
What was shipped

Tangible deliverables.

Two production-ready platforms, governed by one design system. The Peetoom team owns and operates everything.

Two staging platforms

School and Foundation sites built on a shared design system with separate content models.

Tiered curriculum interface

From New Talent to Master Stylist — entire two-year arc visible at a glance.

Signature module spotlights

Dedicated treatments for Signature Cuts, Hair Spa Rituals, and the 2004 Academy lineage.

Foundation impact framework

Education for Life storytelling — donors and partners see exactly what their support produces.

Component library

Shared between platforms with intentional voice divergence — fast to extend, slow to drift.

Editorial photography direction

Refined, Zen-inspired imagery direction documented for in-house creative continuity.

3 web platform slots open for Q2

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