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An experience overhaul for a MENA-based online car marketplace

An experience overhaul for a MENA-based online car marketplace

CarSwitch sought Ideate Innovation to unify brand identity and enhance market presence.

CarSwitch sought Ideate Innovation to unify brand identity and enhance market presence.

A collage of six marketing graphics focused on car buying, selling, and leasing services.
A collage of six marketing graphics focused on car buying, selling, and leasing services.

  • Client

    CarSwitch

    Industry

    Startups

  • Location

    UAE

    Budget

    $10,000

  • Services offered

    Experience Design Brand Strategy Physical Branding Design Systems

  • Client

    CarSwitch

    Industry

    Startups

  • Location

    UAE

    Budget

    $10,000

  • Services offered

    Experience Design Brand Strategy Physical Branding Design Systems

The Challenge

A new logo is not a new brand. CarSwitch, one of the UAE's leading online car marketplaces, found this out midway through a rebrand that another agency had left unfinished. All it had been handed was a logo, a colour palette and a few basic shapes, while its web and mobile products still looked and behaved like the old CarSwitch. Users were meeting two brands at once, and neither built the trust a car buyer needs before one of their biggest purchases. With a relaunch and a move into a new market on the horizon, CarSwitch needed more than a design refresh. It needed a partner who could finish the brand, carry it through every product, and do it without stalling the team building what came next.

The Challenge

A new logo is not a new brand. CarSwitch, one of the UAE's leading online car marketplaces, found this out midway through a rebrand that another agency had left unfinished. All it had been handed was a logo, a colour palette and a few basic shapes, while its web and mobile products still looked and behaved like the old CarSwitch. Users were meeting two brands at once, and neither built the trust a car buyer needs before one of their biggest purchases. With a relaunch and a move into a new market on the horizon, CarSwitch needed more than a design refresh. It needed a partner who could finish the brand, carry it through every product, and do it without stalling the team building what came next.

The Work

Clients feedback

Ideate seamlessly rebranded our logo, brand guidelines, and product UI—delivering remarkable creativity, tight team integration, and exceptional results on schedule.

The Work

Clients feedback

Ideate seamlessly rebranded our logo, brand guidelines, and product UI—delivering remarkable creativity, tight team integration, and exceptional results on schedule.

Building the Brand Behind the Logo

We started with very little. A logo, a palette and a few shapes are ingredients, not an identity, so we built the rest. Through co-creative workshops with the CarSwitch team and dozens of iterations, we developed a complete brand book covering logo usage, colour, typography, iconography, imagery guidelines and taglines.

Because the client was in the room for every decision, the identity reflects how CarSwitch wants to show up, not just how it looks. Product, marketing and design teams now have one reference to work from, and a look that sets CarSwitch apart in a crowded category.

Relaunching Web and Mobile While the Roadmap Kept Moving

With the visual direction locked, we applied it across web and mobile. The complication was timing. CarSwitch was relaunching its brand and entering a new market at once, so new user experiences were being built while existing interfaces were being redesigned.

We designed a way of working that let both happen in parallel. Our designers refreshed the interfaces while the CarSwitch team kept shipping new features. Shared tracking sheets, hundreds of Figma comments, weekly prototype demos and a healthy obsession with corner radii kept everyone aligned. Both products launched on time.

Giving SafeSwitch the Visibility It Deserved

After launch, CarSwitch spotted a gap. SafeSwitch, its premium offering, bundles convenient features at a small price, but not enough customers were signing up. Rather than guess, we studied user flows and heat maps in the mobile app to find where people were engaged and where SafeSwitch could be introduced naturally.

We then prototyped and tested several interface versions, weighing what users needed against what the business wanted, to find the placement and presentation that worked for both.

Building the Brand Behind the Logo

We started with very little. A logo, a palette and a few shapes are ingredients, not an identity, so we built the rest. Through co-creative workshops with the CarSwitch team and dozens of iterations, we developed a complete brand book covering logo usage, colour, typography, iconography, imagery guidelines and taglines.

Because the client was in the room for every decision, the identity reflects how CarSwitch wants to show up, not just how it looks. Product, marketing and design teams now have one reference to work from, and a look that sets CarSwitch apart in a crowded category.

Relaunching Web and Mobile While the Roadmap Kept Moving

With the visual direction locked, we applied it across web and mobile. The complication was timing. CarSwitch was relaunching its brand and entering a new market at once, so new user experiences were being built while existing interfaces were being redesigned.

We designed a way of working that let both happen in parallel. Our designers refreshed the interfaces while the CarSwitch team kept shipping new features. Shared tracking sheets, hundreds of Figma comments, weekly prototype demos and a healthy obsession with corner radii kept everyone aligned. Both products launched on time.

Giving SafeSwitch the Visibility It Deserved

After launch, CarSwitch spotted a gap. SafeSwitch, its premium offering, bundles convenient features at a small price, but not enough customers were signing up. Rather than guess, we studied user flows and heat maps in the mobile app to find where people were engaged and where SafeSwitch could be introduced naturally.

We then prototyped and tested several interface versions, weighing what users needed against what the business wanted, to find the placement and presentation that worked for both.

The Outcome

The Outcome

CarSwitch now shows up as one coherent brand at every touchpoint, from the brand book to its web and mobile products. Users get a consistent experience, and the brand has gained the recognition and loyalty that a crowded marketplace demands. The redesigned products have also driven higher user engagement, stronger conversion rates and longer interactions. Just as importantly, the identity now lives in a complete system rather than a logo and a palette. As CarSwitch expands into new markets and launches new features, it can grow without losing its voice.

CarSwitch now shows up as one coherent brand at every touchpoint, from the brand book to its web and mobile products. Users get a consistent experience, and the brand has gained the recognition and loyalty that a crowded marketplace demands. The redesigned products have also driven higher user engagement, stronger conversion rates and longer interactions. Just as importantly, the identity now lives in a complete system rather than a logo and a palette. As CarSwitch expands into new markets and launches new features, it can grow without losing its voice.