Selected work — Beauty & Creative
Makeup by Dot & Dabs
An Auckland hair-and-makeup artist whose editorial work deserved a stage, not a template. We let the portfolio lead — a quiet, image-first site that gets out of the way and puts the craft on a pedestal.
The challenge — 01
Image-led portfolio built to win the booking
Dot & Dabs is an Auckland hair-and-makeup artist whose editorial work is genuinely striking — and whose booking decision is almost entirely visual. A prospective client chooses on look and feel in seconds. A generic template flattened that work into thumbnails and buried the one thing that converts: the craft itself.
The approach — 02
How we crossed the gap
What we did
Let the portfolio lead
We designed the site to get out of the way. Image-first layouts, generous space, and typography that frames the work without competing with it — every decision in service of the photography carrying the visitor toward an enquiry.
Art direction as strategy
The look isn't decoration; it's positioning. In a feed of templated sameness, a considered, editorial presence signals the calibre of work a client can expect — and quietly justifies the rate before a word is exchanged.
A portfolio system, not a one-off
We built a structure the work can grow into — new shoots slot in without a redesign, so the site keeps pace with the portfolio instead of ageing against it.
The outcome — 03
Proof over promises
- →A quiet, image-led site that puts the craft on a pedestal
- →Editorial art direction that signals calibre before the enquiry
- →A portfolio system built to grow with the work
What we shipped
- Web design
- Art direction
- Portfolio system
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