Brand roll-out for a classifieds platform’s marketing communications
Avito is the world’s largest classified with 300M+ monthly visits. At the time of this project (early 2022), it was part of OLX Group.
I was hired during a major brand identity refresh to translate the new brand into day-to-day marketing communications at scale — from guidelines and a design system to hundreds of layouts and motion assets across verticals (Brand, Services, Goods, Work, Real Estate, Auto).
Highlights
Turned a new identity into a scalable design system for 12+ brand communities. Built guidelines, 3D and motion asset bank, and an auto-layout template library for managers.
+15–20%
engagement across tracked vertical communities
+10–15%
retention rate by unique commenters
+2,800
new professional members in brand communities
Measured vs 4-week pre-rollout baseline. Figures reflect conservative averages across tracked communities over the first 8–12 weeks post-rollout.
Scale
12+ brand communities
300M+ monthly website visitors
SimilarWeb traffic & engagement data. Available on the link.
SimilarWeb website rankings in predefined industry (Classifieds).
Challenge & goals
The legacy look was outdated and didn’t differentiate verticals. Marketing managers needed a fast, self-serve way to publish on brand communities. We set four targets:
1. Unify communications under the new identity.
2. Differentiate each vertical while staying visually consistent.
3. Grow engagement & retention in vertical communities.
4. Speed up production for managers via reusable templates.
Role & scope
Team & stakeholders
Managers
Art Director
Brand Manager
Process
Weekly planning
Research inputs
Concepts
Design
System, components
Templates
Internal reviews
Delivery
Publish
Measure & iterate
Weekly with the Marketing communication team.
Insights
Communities engage better with immediate vertical cues (palette, iconography, topics).
Motion & 3D reliably improve thumb-stop; value compounds when assets are reusable.
Managers need self-serve kits to react to news/promos in hours, not days.
Design system & guidelines
Scaled the brand’s new visual identity into a design system: tokenized vertical palettes, type scales, grids, iconography, tone-of-voice snippets, and photo style.
Gathered practical guidelines (do/don’t, usage patterns, accessibility).
Shipped an auto-layout template library (banners, carousels, stories, avatars, data cards, event covers) so managers could publish without a designer hand-off.
Outputs
Clear, actionable guidelines
Consistent quality across in-house teams and agencies.
Motion presets
Delivered motion banners for feature explainers and promos.
Reusable 3D asset bank
I created a large 3D asset bank and evolved it into an illustration system.
User generated content (UGC)
I was responsible for redesigning one of the most engaging content formats on the platform. Changed and upgraded visual style, improving the layouts and coming up with new ideas.
Community stickers
To involve realtors in the Real Estate community, I came up with a sticker pack. Helped with copy and gave ideas, drew icons to support phrases.
Vertically differentiated visuals
Each vertical community was differentiated by color and a specific illustration set while remaining visually consistent.
Measurable outcomes
(first months live)
Engagement: +15–20% across tracked vertical Telegram and VK communities.
Retention: +10–15% uplift where tracked.
Community growth: +2,800 new profiled professionals joined vertical communities.
Ops speed: community managers publish independently using approved templates.
Consistency at scale: unified brand across 12+ channels with clear vertical differentiation.
Engagement +15–20%
Median ER per post
Retention +10–15%
Unique commenters
+2,800 professionals
Across vertical groups
Figures reflect conservative averages across tracked communities; exact values available under NDA.
What сhanged for the business
A repeatable design system (tokens → templates → motion), not one-off campaigns.
Faster cycle time from brief to post; more calendar coverage without burning the design team.
Stronger recognition of verticals inside one brand—clearer navigation for users and partners.
