Naming, strategy, design and brand book for a sports-tech startup

Technology has been at the forefront of professional sports for some time, providing instant feedback and data insights. ikonik was born to offer this technology and insights to amateur sportsmen and women playing small-sided sports such as 5-a-side football, netball and basketball. AI technology tracks, learns and predicts player behaviour and movements and instantly create a highlights reel and rich data post-match, that can be viewed, analysed and shared with friends instantly via an app. They required a name, brand strategy and visual identity that would allow them to go to market.

Working with the team, we ran a series of workshops to define the brand strategy, defining the product truths, promise, purpose and brand expression which ultimately, after several options, led to the name ikonik and the strapline Everyday Legends. Linking this all together was the creative proposition which inspired the creative development, 'Feel like a legend in your sporting world'. The brand would become synonymous with the fun, competitiveness and fitness goals a social sport participant has.

After several routes, we settled on a bold style that uses a visual interpretation of the tracking software to put the player front and centre, grid lines that define the sectors of the court or field (in a subtle nod to how the tech works) and bold, clear typography that was set in Helvetica Now Display for maximum impact. The tone of voice challenges the audience to become ikonik and compare themselves to their sporting heroes via live replays, normally reserved for those heroes.