Building a Youth-Driven Identity for a Government Digital Service

Creating a brand identity for a government-backed service that resonates with a young audience requires a careful balance between institutional credibility and cultural relevance, especially for services designed for a digital-native generation shaped by gaming culture, virtual worlds, and online culture.

With IZI, a government digital service in Ukraine, we set out to develop an identity that aligns a state-led mission with an aesthetic familiar to Gen Z, grounded in research, audience behavior insights, and contemporary digital trends.

Our goal was to make the service intuitive, modern, and engaging — one that young users would feel comfortable returning to.

Target Audience Research

The project began with qualitative and quantitative research among young people aged 16–30 across major Ukrainian urban centers, including Kyiv, Lviv, and Odesa.

Research Methods 

• Focus groups: four groups of eight participants with balanced gender representation
• Co-creation design sessions with university students in three cities
• One-to-one interviews conducted both online and offline
• A quantitative survey with 305 responses to validate the service name

Key insight:

Young people expect public services to be simple, clear, and designed around their real needs. It is essential for a service to feel relatable and “made for them,” rather than distant or overly institutional.

Brand Attributes

We analyzed how young users communicate online, which digital services they use daily, and whichvisual styles they instinctively trust and engage with.

Core brand attributes

• Platform: simple, youth-oriented, intuitive, modern, and easy to navigate
• Naming: memorable, concise, emotionally resonant, and intuitive for a young audience, based on a familiar slang expression

Name Selection

Based on research results, the shortlist included several working naming directions:

• IZI (phonetic adaptation of “easy”)  — 68.9%
• Generic English descriptors (e.g., “Young” — 67.6%, “Youth” — 52.9%)— 67.6%
• Abstract or neutral concepts (e.g., “Novi” — 57.8%, “Maybe” — 55.4%)

While some generic options scored relatively high, respondents described them as less distinctive and emotionally neutral. IZI stood out for its simplicity, cultural relevance, and emotional appeal.

Design Concept

The identity needed to bridge the digital and physical worlds. We explored six design directions, varying in emotional intensity, dynamics, and futurism, before selecting the concept closest to Gen Z’s digital aesthetic. 

References:

• Gaming platforms: Roblox, Kahoot, Minecraft
• Brands: Pink, Vans

Design concept parameters:

• Character: a virtual guide acting as a digital navigator
• Visual language: pixel graphics and hyper-pixelated graphic  effects
• Accessibility: interface and visual style designed specifically for young users
• Recognition: visuals easily identifiable across digital environments
• Adaptability: flexible scaling across formats, from mobile applications to out-of-home media

Brand Character

The main character, IZI, is a virtual guide representing freedom, creativity, and confidence in exploring opportunities. It serves as a personal navigator within the digital ecosystem of the service.

Minimalist yet expressive, IZI builds emotional connection, supports intuitive interaction, and encourages ongoing engagement with the platform.

Communication System

The communication style was designed to feel friendly, authentic, and natural — avoiding forced “youth slang” or artificial trends. The tone was intentionally built around peer-to-peer communication.

Core elements:

• Credo: “Achieving goals becomes easier when you know where to find opportunities.”
• Key message: “With IZI, everything is easy.”
• Form of address: direct, second-person (“you”)
• Tone of voice: short, clear sentences with a lively, dynamic rhythm
• Visual language: emojis, highlighted phrases, subtle playfulness
• Taglines:
  1. “With IZI, opportunities for young people are here and now.”
  2. “With IZI, you never miss your chance.”
• Purpose: to motivate, inform, and inspire participation in public programs, initiatives, and competitions. 

The combination of a contemporary visual identity and approachable communication shaped a government service that feels intuitive, relatable, and easy to use.

Working on IZI, a government digital service in Ukraine, required balancing youth-oriented digital culture with the expectations and responsibility of a public-sector platform. We translated audience insights and everyday digital behaviors into an identity and communication system that aligns youth aesthetics with a state mission.

This approach allows us to create branding that not only looks modern but also fits real usage contexts and the expectations of a clearly defined audience.