AIMA | Andy Koch Design

AIMA required a highly technical and creative eye to oversee their brands launch into the USA and the rest of the world

Optimising China's second largest e-mobility brand to go global

Creative Direction

Logo Works

Typography Design

Brand Strategy

Research & Findings

Conceptual Design

Brand Deployment

Client

Location

Agency

AIMA

Shandong, China

Rob Janoff Agency

Role

AIMA Technology, China's second-largest e-mobility company, was on the cusp of an exciting journey – global expansion. But before taking their innovative e-bikes and e-scooters to the world, starting with the USA, AIMA required brand optimisation. Their existing image, while successful in China with its vast network of 10,000 retail outlets, needed to be balanced with a more internationally appealing aesthetic.

This is where I came in, as part of a dynamic team tasked with rebranding AIMA for a global audience. The Chinese e-mobility market is a battleground, and AIMA, despite its dominance, needed to stand out. Our mission? Craft a brand that resonated with a young, international crowd seeking eco-friendly ways to navigate the world. This meant achieving a trifecta of design goals: creating a logo that was harmonious and elegant, boosting brand recall for easy recognition, and incorporating a sense of style and innovation to resonate with the tech-savvy, fashion-forward young generation.

Our team delved into the world of e-mobility, meticulously analyzing the landscape across China, the US, and Europe. This deep market research allowed us to pinpoint key opportunities and propose design directions that perfectly aligned with AIMA's strategic goals. Interestingly, the foundation for our exploration was already there – AIMA's existing double "AA" motif, a symbol entrenched in the brand since 2016. We meticulously refined this symbol, focusing on achieving balance and clarity while preserving the brand's core values.

Following client approval, we transformed the design into a comprehensive brand identity. A meticulous style guide was created to ensure consistent application of the newly designed logo across all communication channels. This ensured that the logo, the brand's new visual ambassador, would be effectively presented in every customer interaction.

The rebranding aimed to bridge the gap between AIMA's established identity and its ambitious global aspirations. We achieved this by making subtle adjustments to the logo's contrast and form. This ensured that AIMA's core values of "love, fashion, and artistic cycling" remained at the forefront, while simultaneously strengthening the brand's image as fashionable, technological, and internationally relevant.

For existing customers, we maintained a sense of familiarity by keeping the familiar "AA" structure and standard colors. For a global audience, we employed subtle refinements like rounding font edges and adjusting letter angles. These seemingly minor changes significantly enhanced the logo's overall harmony, beauty, and global appeal.

This project was a testament to the power of collaboration and strategic design. By working together, we were able to propel AIMA's brand towards a successful global future, ensuring their e-bikes and e-scooters would be turning heads not just in China, but around the world.