Multi-Brand Unification: 50 Outlets, 1 Design System
5Public is a rapidly growing network of 50 regional media outlets across Russia. Each outlet operated independently with its own logo, visual language, and content templates. As the network scaled, this fragmentation became a bottleneck.
The client had three goals:
- Build a unified visual identity across all 50 publications
- Make it scalable for non-designers and professionals alike
- Preserve the local identity of each city-based channel
They had tried solving this internally, but without shared design standards, alignment was impossible.
Strategy & Concept Development
We started with research across the entire 5Public ecosystem:
- Audit of all existing visual assets from different regions
- Competitive analysis of media brands with a national-local split
- Stakeholder interviews to understand team workflows and platform limitations
From this emerged a clear vision: a modular brand system where each local outlet retains its uniqueness but fits into a broader, instantly recognizable identity.
The Core Branding Solution
The main breakthrough was the logo system. Rather than replacing each outlet’s local character, we amplified it using map-based identifiers — each city’s outline became part of its official logo.
We paired this with:
- A consistent font and layout system
- A color-coding scheme for regional identity organization
- Simplified logo variants and watermark versions for cross-platform use
Guidelines & Templates for Scale
Design systems are only as good as their documentation. We built an ecosystem of guides and toolkits for daily use:
- Full visual style guide — typography, colors, logo rules, and layout ratios
- Social media templates (15+ categories) — daily posts, news, carousels, and event coverage
- Low-quality imagery instructions — a frequent challenge in fast-moving local news
- Cross-platform assets — optimized for desktop and mobile, including Telegram and VK formats
We focused on enabling non-designers — local editors, marketers, and journalists — to work quickly and confidently inside a unified visual language.
Infrastructure for Growth
A crucial part of brand unification is backend clarity:
- 50 individual logo kits organized by city
- Google Drive asset library categorized by region and format
- Flexible templates allowing rapid adaptation with or without a designer
- Media kit template for sponsors and partners
This system reduced bottlenecks, cut duplicate requests, and enabled instant onboarding of new regions or staff.
Results
- A unified yet flexible brand identity for 50 media channels
- Consistent look-and-feel across VK, Telegram, and internal documents
- Templates used daily by both professional designers and local content teams
- Full rebrand rolled out across all cities in under 2 months
- Streamlined external communications with a ready-to-use media kit
The client now has a scalable visual system that supports daily content creation, partnership outreach, and continued network expansion.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you unify branding across 50+ outlets without losing local identity?
We use modular visual elements — in 5Public's case, city map outlines integrated into each local logo — so every outlet is recognizable as part of the network while keeping its own character.
Can non-designers use brand templates effectively?
Yes. We built all 15+ template categories for use in Figma and Canva with step-by-step documentation, so local editors and journalists can produce on-brand content without design skills.
How long does a full rebrand for a media network take?
We completed 5Public's rebrand in under 2 months — including 50 unique logos, a media kit, social templates, and full brand guidelines.
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