Branding and Positioning for Coinpay — the Central Asian Crypto Exchange

Solutions

Research

We divided our work on the project into several stages: positioning, corporate identity creation, and landing page design. Our team believes that branding should be based on data and market context, so each stage was accompanied by research.

For Coinpay, we had to take into account the specifics of the global and local markets at the same time. Therefore, we studied:

• Uzbek fintech industry’s approach to branding: naming and logos, visual style, color schemes, key meanings;

• CEX exchanges’ approach to branding: naming and logos, visual style, color schemes, key meanings;

Positioning

We noticed that local fintech projects actively reference history, territory, and culture. This led us to the following hypothesis: citizens of Uzbekistan pay special attention to a product’s origin. Therefore, the Coinpay brand needed to include recognizable local markers.

The Generis team used the three circles technique: we compared the key advantages of Coinpay, limitations at the start, the positioning of competitors, and our hypotheses regarding user pain points in the context of the location.

As a result, we were able to derive two positioning hypotheses:

• A simple and understandable exchange for everyone.
• The key crypto exchange in Central Asia.

We picked the second option. 

Now, Coinpay is the driver of the development of the fintech sector in the entire region and the key crypto exchange in Central Asia.

Coinpay develops the fintech sector of Uzbekistan and the region of Central Asia, integrates new technologies into it, and also helps to build financial relations between countries.

The mission is to strengthen the brand of Uzbekistan as a driver of fintech development in the region and a technological state on the world stage.

The positioning hypothesis is based on the following pillars:

• innovation
• focus on the future
• pride in one’s origin, culture, and history
• visionary, leadership
• massiveness, technology
• legality

This brand vision opens up the project’s potential for scaling through integration into various spheres of life: acquiring, salary payments, tech projects support, grants, cooperation with educational institutions, blockchainization of government processes, sponsorship of educational programs in the field of blockchain, investment, financial literacy, and so on.

Corporate identity

Colors

The color scheme is the first marker of locality. To make it easier for users to identify the product as “theirs,” we based the palette on references to colors often used in key architectural monuments of Uzbekistan.

Logo

Since the name Coinpay has the word “coin” in it, we decided to use it in the logo and studied the history of the country’s coins. This is how we discovered the unusual shape of the Sogdians’ coins (an ancient civilization that inhabited the territory of modern Uzbekistan, and, in particular, the coins of the Ikhshids Shishpir and Varkhuman, whose mint was located in Samarkand). These coins had a square cutout inside, which had the potential to become a recognizable element for the logo.

We were able to combine the traditions of the past with the technologies of the future: digital assets are the money of the new generation, and Coinpay is an exchange that continues the financial traditions of the region and becomes a Web3 mint and a guide to the fintech future. 

Font

The font had to be minimally distracting. We had to select an option that could be universally used in media. It had to be neutral, readable, and without unnecessary details. That’s how we selected Ubuntu.

Scaling

The logo’s most recognizable element was the diamond. We scaled it into a full-fledged pattern that can be used in content and external media.

We have also prepared examples of content for social networks, including logo adaptations for various news events, such as national holidays.

We also scaled the corporate style to external media and merch.

Landing design

Analysis

The next step was implementing the corporate style on the website. We studied competitors’ landing pages to understand market norms and users’ expectations of the website.

This is how we got the structure of an average crypto exchange page.

Next, we needed to highlight the features of Coinpay in order to form the flow of user immersion in the content.

Prototype and design

Once we had the high-level structure, we developed a lo-fi prototype of the Home page, the About Us page, and the blog.

The pages turned out to be informative. The key messages and positioning are noticeable even at first glance. They convey the most important information about the product and convince users to start using it.

Insights:

• We are used to treating crypto as something futuristic, but it’s just a new chapter of a concept we are already familiar with. Money changes, but its meaning remains. A reference to historical roots and a connection between the past and the future work great in this field.

• Before starting work on a new project, it is worth considering the local market approach and its traditions. If local elements are used often enough, they are important, and this should be taken into account when developing a product.