Logics' newly redesigned Web site, logicshair.com, is an artist's playground with a decidedly different feel than other professional brand sites. The company chose to forgo conventional drop-down menus, subtext navigation and administrative log-ins for stylists in favor of a Flash-animated Web site that is a creative exploration of Logics' color and hair technology by means of the Expressionist, Pop Art and Cubist art movements.
 FROM TOP: The home page of logicshair .com; the pop-art representation of Logics events. |
"It's definitely not your typical Web site," says Laney Cross, customer relationship manager at Logics. "We wanted to convey sophistication, beauty and flow. Our stylists consider what they do a true art form."
The Web site launched in July in tandem with the reinvention of the Logics brand. The intent was to create a separate identity from Matrix, its sister company under the L'Oréal umbrella. "Matrix is a very popular salon brand that appeals to everyone and anyone, but Logics has a smaller cult following," Cross says. "We're becoming a stand-alone unit, and the site has to correlate with that stage."
To appeal to this audience, Logics is striving to convey a more creative image with its Web site. Visitors are welcomed by a futuristic-looking home page that melds vibrant model head shots and flickers of every color on the visible spectrum, then directs to three headlined sections. The Uncensored Creativity link takes users to a rotating 3-D wheel of icons: a map of the United States that morphs into a salon locator; two editorial covers that lead to press coverage and Logics' own magazine for stylists; and a Logics bottle that goes to a page listing professional products. The Visionary Composer link displays brief bios of Logics stylists. But the most creative section is Modern Design Culture, a mural of Pop Art-inspired sketches that features descriptions of such Logics-sponsored events as Miami Fashion Week and the Salvador Dalí exhibit at The Museum of Modern Art in New York City. "This section is about the culture of Logics, and we want to reignite the passion of the stylists who have been so loyal to the company," Cross says.
Rejuvenating Logics' relationship with its stylists is the biggest priority of the new Web site, which is why the majority of the content is geared toward haircolor professionals already familiar with the brand. "Logics haircare is just over a year old, and we don't want to turn away consumers," Cross says, "but because of the nature of the product, which is the only pure-tone color out there, Logics is first and foremost a color business. Right now we have to keep our strong, original base."
One of the challenges of Flash animation is that it requires more patience and exploration from visitors, but strategically, Cross stresses, that's not the point. "We don't want it to be clear cut," she says. "We want people to play and discover." So far, the feedback is positive. The median time spent on the site has gone up to nearly five minutes.
Logics continues to look for points of differentiation. In January, Surrealism will replace the three current art motifs. The company also plans to add more content, including video, artists' blogs and a salon marketing section with downloadable logos and resources. "We want to be different, and we want to be ahead of the game," Cross says. "We're a small brand, but if that comes with a little risk, it's a risk we're willing to take." —G.B.