Brand platform and online hypermarket identity

imarket.by is one of the oldest online hypermarkets in Belarus. Here you can find everything from a TV set to a hoover, from a toaster to a smartphone. Millions of items, nationwide delivery, its own warehouses and ten years of experience.

In 2022, imarket.by was at a crossroads. The online hypermarket, once associated with low prices and fast delivery, was gradually losing recognition. The team faced growing competition – marketplaces, aggregators, federal networks with huge media budgets. At the same time, the website hadn’t been updated for a long time, customer service had hardly developed, and there was no focus or voice in communication. Customers didn’t understand why they would come here when the selection and prices were about the same everywhere else.

We started with a simple question: why do people buy tech online, and what makes the process so inconvenient. The answer turned out to be banal but important – most people don’t want to spend half a day researching models, reading reviews and dubious advice from consultants. People want it to be easy, fast, and error-free. No nerves. No tricks. Simple — buy what you need and get it without surprises.

This is what the new brand positioning grew out of. imarket has become not a shop window, but a helper. Not just an online shop, but a service that takes care of everything complicated and leaves only the simple things to the client. Now the brand speaks to the customer in a human way, helps him choose, suggests alternatives, explains – without pressure and intrusiveness. He is on the phone, even when everything is fine, and especially when something has gone wrong. This is an online hypermarket that you can trust: it will not just deliver the goods, but will make the purchase understandable, pleasant and safe.

We didn’t reinvent the image. We simply reinforced what the brand already had — its calmness, honesty and common sense. Instead of screaming promotions and chasing discounts — care, empathy and confidence. Instead of complicated slogans – one simple thought:

No pressure. No tricks. No extras.

Once we had defined what imarket should be in terms of meaning, what was left was to turn it into a form — clear, friendly and memorable. The visual style had to speak to people in the same language as the brand: simple, clear and to the point. No arrogance, no clichés, no unnecessary pathos.

We started with the logo. We gave up complicated symbols and sterile solutions. Instead — a laconic name with soft plastic letters, which immediately associates with something own, comfortable, informal. This is not a logo that «hangs on the meeting wall». This is a logo that works on packaging, on Telegram, on a cheque, on a delivery machine. It’s easy to read, scales well, and doesn’t try to please everyone — it just works.

With colour we have done thoughtfully. The main accent is warm orange. It’s bright, vibrant, energetic, but not aggressive. It is the colour of friendliness and action. We chose it for a reason: it refers to the former imarket logo, which also had an orange dot above the «i» and the letter «a» — we kept this touch as a sign of continuity and recognition.

So we kept the connection to the story, but updated it for the new chapter. We added a palette of complementary shades to it — saturated but not acidic. They work as accents and help to build expressive but not garish layouts.

It’s not just an icon or a sticker. It is a mediator between the brand and the customer. He can joke, he can cheer up, he can explain what’s wrong with your order.

We made it as simple as possible in form — so that it can be easily transformed, come to life in any story and always remain ‘yours’. It’s friendly, a little ironic, not perfect — and that’s what the brand is all about. It doesn’t teach you how to live, it helps you to live.

Pictograms became another important brand language. We moved away from impersonal stock icons and developed our own visual language. These pictograms don’t just denote functions – they talk. Through them, the brand explains where delivery is, where instalments are, where points are. They are deliberately simple, but not primitive, and thanks to this they are easily integrated into the text, help to set accents, make the message alive. They work as visual signs of attention — light, warm, and at the right moment – witty. Their task is not to decorate, but to help us understand.

From the shape of the character we derived a style-forming element – repetitions of a rounded silhouette, which add up to a rhythm. This motif can be easily scaled, adapted and turned into a background, a frame, a pattern. It lives on landing pages, in presentations, on branded packaging and even on the sides of cars. It doesn’t need to be explained, it simply weaves itself into the visual context and makes any message ‘your own’. It’s like handwriting that can’t be confused.

This element works on the same principle as the brand itself: it doesn’t impose, it helps. It helps to differentiate. It helps you recognise. It helps not to get lost in the flow of similar offers.

So visual style has become an extension of positioning. It doesn’t shout or decorate for the sake of decorating. It speaks, shows, supports. It makes the buying process easier and more pleasant. This is exactly what we wanted to achieve.