Stoned Cold Nails
When sisters Savannah (Stoned Cold Nails) and Jolie (Pure Chaos Nails) Aponoves opened their Corktown salon, they set out to redefine the nail experience in Detroit. With nearly a decade of industry expertise and backgrounds in fashion and service, they created a space that rejects shortcuts and embraces modern, body-safe techniques while treating nails as a powerful form of self-expression.
Backtalk stepped in to shape that vision into a brand system with structure and longevity. Through refined identity, clarified positioning, and a website that captures both ambition and attitude, we helped transform Stoned Cold Nails into more than a salon — positioning it as both a Corktown destination and a cultural force in Detroit.
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Problem
Stoned Cold Nails had the reputation and loyal following, but not the infrastructure to back it up. Their bold personality and technical expertise weren’t fully captured in their brand or online presence, creating a gap between the experience inside the salon and how the business showed up publicly. Without sharper positioning and a polished platform, they risked plateauing as a neighborhood favorite instead of growing into a recognized cultural brand.
Solution
Backtalk transformed that raw momentum into a system built for scale. We refined the identity, clarified the voice, and designed a digital home that communicates both credibility and edge. The result: a brand that feels as intentional as the work behind it, positioning Stoned Cold Nails as not just a salon, but a destination at the intersection of beauty, fashion, and culture.
Brand Development
In collaboration with Morgan McPeak (morganmcpeak.com), we reimagined the salon’s visual identity while honoring its original aesthetic, crafting a system of refreshed logos, clear type hierarchy, and a versatile visual language that carries across digital and physical touchpoints. We defined what ‘creating chaos’ truly means — not rebellion, but disciplined artistry with edge — and shaped a brand voice that’s playful and unapologetic, perfectly capturing the spirit of Sav’s team.
Web Design + Development
Built in-house on Squarespace, the site pairs clean, modern design with intuitive navigation to give new and returning clients an immediate sense of what makes Stoned Cold Nails unique. Our copywriting highlights the salon’s technical expertise — from safe removal practices to EMA-based acrylics — while showcasing the bold, expressive personality that sets the brand apart.
Project Notes
This project pushed us to bridge the gap between beauty industry branding and cultural positioning. Unlike traditional salon work, the challenge here was balancing technical expertise with a voice and visual identity bold enough to resonate as fashion and culture, not just service.
We learned how to translate a founder’s raw creative energy into a system that still feels unpolished in the right ways, while giving the brand the structure it needs to grow. The process underscored that good brand development isn’t about taming personality — it’s about amplifying it with just enough discipline to last.
Services
Brand Development
Web Design + Development
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Working with Backtalk was such a positive experience. I knew I wanted to work with local women who would understand the edge of my brand, and they totally nailed it. Marissa and Delainie took everything I had in my head and turned it into something cohesive and cool, without losing what made it feel like me. Thank you to everyone on their team who touched this project—it all came together perfectly. Couldn’t recommend them more. Girls rule!
