Platinumlist, an entertainment and events discovery and cultural platform in the Middle East, has revealed details about the comprehensive rebrand of its platform in line with the company’s global expansion plans as well as the demands of the booming events industry in the MENA region.
The objective of the rebrand – which repositions Platinumlist as a cultural portal rather than just a ticketing platform – was to reflect the diversity and international scale of Platinumlist’s offerings, address its fragmented brand identity, improve brand recognition, and create a more streamlined experience for both users and B2B partners.
“The decision to rebrand the platform was driven by several factors, including the company’s expansion across the globe,” said Cosmin Ivan, CEO at Platinumlist.
“This growth presented challenges, as the previous brand identity no longer fully reflected the global and diverse nature of the company’s offerings. The prior design was fragmented across different products, which sometimes made brand recognition more challenging for users and B2B partners,” Ivan added.
Goals and rollout of the Platinumlist rebrand
The rebrand’s short-term goals include improving user experience (UX), launching a unified design system, enabling faster and more consistent communication, introducing dark mode and creating a more expressive brand tone.
It’s mid-term goals include scaling the new design system across multiple languages and markets, redesigning the app, launching a membership programme and digital wallet, as well as expanding into new markets.
In a statement shared with Campaign Middle East, Ivan said, “We have a large and loyal audience, and the main purpose of our rebrand is not to ‘capture’ markets, but to better reflect and connect with our existing community. As the market leader, we’re not aiming to take market share through heavy TV or radio spending.”
He added, “Our focus is primarily on our owned channels — CRM, social media, PR, and other direct communications — supported by a small mix of digital activity. We believe these channels allow us to engage our audience more personally and efficiently, without over-investing in high-cost media such as TV.”
Since its founding in 2009, Platinumlist has expanded from a single event type to successfully ticketing more than 100,000 events with 20 diverse categories in nine markets in the GCC and MENA and around the world. The redesigned platform takes cognizance of this expansion and intends to make the discovery and booking of tickets much quicker and more convenient.
Stakeholders involved in the rebrand
As such, the fresh visual identity – centred around the concept of a ‘portal’ – created in partnership with design studio Kidults, represents the platform as an entry point to new experiences and emotions.
A significant aspect of the redesign is its focus on regional and cultural inclusivity. Platinumlist collaborated with UAE and Saudi-based type designers to develop a new Arabic typographic system and an adapted logo that aligns with the Latin version, creating a flexible and regionally inclusive design system.
In line with the rebrand’s objectives, the redesigned interface features a cleaner, bolder visual system, improved UX patterns, and dark mode is currently in development to further enhance user experience in various lighting conditions, such as at concerts or cinemas.
“Platinumlist came to us with a bold ambition – to go beyond selling tickets and become a true cultural portal,” said Mike Shishkin, Creative Director at Kidults.
“It wasn’t just about a new look, but about rethinking the brand’s role, story, and the entire product experience. We worked closely with the Platinumlist on brand strategy, visual identity, UI and content tools. And we’re proud to be a part of transforming ticket sales into inspiration,” Shishkin added.
The redesign is part of a shift that includes the rollout of a unified design system across all brand materials. This in intended to ensure faster delivery, better consistency and a more human and expressive tone in all communications. The company has also integrated user feedback tools into its process to drive more research-informed product development.
The success of the rebrand will be measured through brand perception surveys and polls with Platinumlist audiences. The brand is also rolling out a series of product and tech updates alongside the rebrand, aiming to improve the user experience and, ultimately, increase its conversion rate, which will also be measured.
CREDITS:
Client: Platinumlist
Design studio: Kidults
