Outgrowing the brand

Francesca’s was built for younger girls. But its customers had grown more style-aware and were drifting toward brands like Madewell and Asos. A new look alone wouldn’t fix that. The brand needed a new personality, and the site needed to deliver it at every step of shopping, without alienating parents.

Stylish, not intimidating

I designed a brand direction that balanced trend-forward style with approachability. It had a brighter palette, editorial photography, and a more confident tone. It tested well across audiences.

Shopping like a magazine

Working with Phenomenon’s strategists, I carried the brand into the site by taking cues from fashion magazines. I designed an editorial layer that suggested product pairings instead of pushing promotions, so shopping felt like advice from an older sister, not a sales pitch.

In user testing, the editorial layer was one of the favorite parts of the new site. I also redesigned the checkout, and we tested several flows with users to find the simplest path to purchase.

Result

The redesign never launched after the client’s priorities shifted, but the direction held up where it counted. It tested well with both girls and parents.