Introduction

In the rapidly evolving landscape of immersive experiences, standing out requires more than just captivating installations—it demands a brand that resonates deeply with its audience. At IKONO, we recognized the need to redefine our identity, not just to keep pace with our expansion, but to ensure our brand experience matched the emotional depth and artistic ambition of our spaces.

This is the story of a nine-month strategic transformation, where I led the research, engagement, and brand-building process, culminating in a new identity that elevates IKONO as a world-class immersive brand.

A Deep Dive into IKONO’s Brand & Culture

Before engaging Traina as our creative agency, I led an extensive discovery and strategy phase to define exactly what the IKONO brand should become. This phase was crucial in ensuring that the creative execution was built on a rock-solid strategic foundation.

Discovery & Research: Defining IKONO’s Essence

Conducted deep-dive interviews with IKONO’s founders to uncover the brand’s origins, future vision, and cultural DNA.
Ran cross-departmental collaboration sessions, engaging marketing, operations, product, and design teams to align internal perspectives on brand identity and culture.
Led an extensive competitive and industry analysis, positioning IKONO within the experiential entertainment market.
Conducted customer persona mapping based on user behaviors, motivations, and engagement trends.
Reviewed all existing brand assets, messaging, and digital touchpoints, identifying inconsistencies and areas for strategic refinement.
Created an internal brand documentation framework, ensuring alignment across marketing, experience design, and customer communications.

Agency Selection & Collaboration

Conducted evaluations of multiple global agencies, assessing creative capabilities, cultural fit, and strategic alignment with IKONO’s vision.
Shortlisted and engaged Traina, aligning their expertise with IKONO’s brand and business objectives.
Created an in-depth agency brief, defining brand goals, competitive positioning, and visual identity requirements.
Defined key success metrics, ensuring the project delivered measurable impact.
Established project governance and communication frameworks, ensuring all stakeholders were aligned throughout the rebranding process.
Led executive reporting and internal brand training, ensuring leadership and teams understood the brand transformation’s significance.

Strategic Collaboration & Creative Execution

With a strong strategic foundation in place, we moved into the creative execution phase with Traina. Their team visited IKONO’s locations in Budapest and Barcelona, immersing themselves in the physical experiences to translate them into a bold new brand identity.

Key creative components included:

Bento System – Inspired by the spatial flow of IKONO’s locations, a modular design system was created, using distinct shapes as visual portals into IKONO’s immersive worlds.
Pattern Library – Taking inspiration from IKONO’s installations, we developed a flexible system of patterns and textures, allowing the brand to maintain visual cohesion while celebrating artistic diversity.
Digital Experience – We redefined IKONO’s website and digital assets, ensuring an engaging, mobile-first experience that reflects the playfulness and creativity of the brand.

For a detailed look into the creative process and outcomes, visit Traina's showcase of the IKONO project.

Brand Rollout & Implementation

Following the completion of the creative execution, I led an additional three-month rollout phase, ensuring the seamless integration of the new brand identity across all global markets and business functions. This involved working closely with the marketing team and senior leadership to implement the new strategy effectively.

Design Language System (DLS) & Digital Integration

Developed and project-managed a Digital Brand Guide (Design Language System) to house all brand assets and ensure cohesive implementation.
Standardized the visual identity, messaging, and creative execution across digital channels, internal documentation, and customer-facing materials.
Provided structured onboarding and training to marketing and creative teams on how to scale the new brand digitally and across all IKONO locations.

Physical Spaces & Uniforms

Developed a comprehensive physical brand experience strategy, ensuring the new identity was reflected in signage, installations, and space aesthetics.

Overhauled staff uniforms and employee-facing brand assets, reinforcing a consistent and immersive brand presence in all venues.
Worked with local teams to implement brand elements across different regional markets, ensuring cultural relevance and adherence to guidelines.

Culture & HR Alignment

Collaborated with the HR team to roll out a new cultural framework, aligning internal values with the brand’s external evolution.
Developed an Employee Brand Guide, outlining the mission, vision, and values, and ensuring alignment between brand messaging and employee experience.
Introduced internal training programs and cultural onboarding sessions, helping employees embody the brand in their daily work and interactions with customers.

Marketing Strategy & Execution

Assisted the newly appointed Head of Marketing in shaping the 2024 Marketing Strategy, ensuring alignment with brand positioning and business growth objectives.
Created a brand rollout execution plan, outlining each individual brand change requirement, asset deployment timeline, and integration checkpoints.
Provided ongoing consultation and leadership to the marketing and creative teams, offering strategic guidance on campaign execution and operational branding.

Brand Activation & Impact

170% Year-over-Year Revenue Growth: The rebrand strengthened IKONO’s market position, leading to a massive increase in revenue and customer engagement.
Global Expansion: With a strong brand foundation in place, IKONO successfully launched three new locations post-rebrand, with further expansion in the pipeline.
Cultural & Brand Alignment: Through internal training, governance frameworks, and a structured rollout, the new brand was seamlessly adopted across the organization, ensuring long-term consistency.

Final Thoughts

The IKONO rebranding project was more than a visual refresh—it was a holistic transformation of the brand, culture, and strategic positioning. By combining deep research, strategic vision, and creative execution, we successfully elevated IKONO into a globally recognized immersive brand.

Project skills

Strategic brand transformation
Cross-functional leadership & project management
Market positioning & competitive analysis
Creative direction & agency collaboration
Customer experience & digital branding

Looking to scale your brand with a data-driven, experience-led transformation? Let’s connect.

Rebranding IKONO - Immersive Experiences Shaped by You