How We Refreshed Ozon Travel: A Travel Service Rebrand That Transformed Cluttered Banners into Clear Choices

Reading time: 6 minutes

Client

We have been collaborating with Ozon and its business units since 2022, delivering projects across various domains during this time.

Ozon Travel is a service for purchasing air and rail tickets, hotel bookings, and tour packages. Initially operating as a separate resource, it was fully integrated into the Ozon ecosystem in 2023. It is now also a standalone application, launched post-rebrand, which partially utilises our visual assets.

Challenge

When Ozon Travel moved 'under the wing' of the main brand, the question of its identity arose. The client wanted to preserve the brand’s logo, icon, and colour palette.

Therefore, our key objectives were:

To retain the brand’s recognisable constants (logo, brand colours)
While simultaneously creating clear positioning, an effective tagline, and a visual system that communicates with users through a language of trust and simplicity.

Solution

We started with a fundamental question: what does a person truly want to see when they visit a travel service?

This led to our positioning hypothesis:
Ozon Travel offers a clear choice for rail and air tickets, hotels, and tours.

Visually, this translates to order and sequence: no 'visual shouting', only neat information blocks where everything is clearly organised.

Execution

We proceeded step-by-step, with each stage playing a specific role.

Analysis

Step 1

Together with the Client, we first analysed the market and competitors, gathered trends, and mapped the audience journey via a Customer Journey Map (CJM). This was not a perfunctory step; it was crucial to understand precisely how users make decisions, what frustrates them, and what helps them. Additionally, the Ozon team had prepared their own analytics, which they primarily relied on for decision-making.
Insight Generation

Step 2
Post-analysis, it became clear the audience fell into three key groups:
- Experienced travellers
- Ozon ecosystem users
- Hesitant travellers
We segmented them to test if we could find a common need. We succeeded: everyone needs a service that is calm and understandable, free from 'visual noise'.
Positioning and Visual Hypotheses

Step 3

Based on the insights, we developed several positioning hypotheses. Together with the Client, we finalised the core message: Ozon Travel — Value and Convenience

This positioning reflects both business goals and genuine customer expectations.

Testing

Step 4

The Client tested all positioning hypotheses and visual concepts with a focus group. This is a key tenet of the product-led approach: every decision must be data-driven, not based on intuition. Testing confirmed that the audience responded better to calm, concise visuals and a clear value proposition.
Visual System

Step 5
We built a unified visual system to ensure every Ozon Travel message appears cohesive and recognisable. This included:
- Refinements to the icon and logo (to improve readability in the UI and on marketplaces)
- A colour palette based on Ozon’s brand colours, but enhanced with soft shades and gradients for the travel theme
- Principles for banner construction: dividing the layout into logical text and graphic sections, where the emphasis can shift based on the objective
- Guidelines for promotional and special project banners, ensuring they stand out without conflicting with the core identity
Icons

Step 6
We progressed methodically:
- Carefully discussed all references and the palette (icons needed to harmonise without blending into the core brand colours)
- Established the logic with several sample icons (determining suitable perspectives, lighting, textures, and materials)
- Scaled this logic across all other icon types

"In the icon graphics, we were careful not to contradict the positioning. We avoided overly modern or trendy textures and complex shapes. 'Value and Convenience' had to be reflected in the icons as well."

Виктория Лымарь

Director of Branding and Design at Sichkar Group

Results

+1 000 000

unique users see Ozon Travel banners every month
The service gained unified positioning and a visual system that aids, rather than hinders, users
Banners and marketing materials now appear calm and restrained, yet are instantly recognisable as part of Ozon Travel

Project Team

The Ozon Travel Team

Client
Ekaterina Sichkar

founder of the creative agency SICHKAR GROUP
Valeria Kuzma

CEO of SICHKAR GROUP
Yana Belousova

Creative & Strategy Director
Anastasia Romanova

Branding and Design Manager
Viktoria Lymar

Head of Branding & Design
Anna Stefkina

Senior Designer
Vladislav Skorobogatov

Senior Designer
Ekaterina Filippova

Designer
Anton Kiryaziev

Designer
Anastasia Prokuratova

Designer

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