Wheely. Time Redefined

At a certain point, Wheely was consistently delivering a luxury level of treatment. Growth came largely through client recommendations, supported by calm awareness campaigns rather than loud marketing. It was steady and controlled. Challenges remained: expansion, new markets, scale. A key shift was formalizing and communicating our chauffeuring standards to a wider audience and the professional driver community, notably through the Wheely Academy project.

At the same time, it became clear that avoiding the language of luxury made little sense. We were providing high-tech, high-standard services and were already recognized within that world, quietly supporting Fashion Weeks and Royal Ascot along the way. Framing ourselves outside of luxury started to feel inaccurate rather than modest. There was no strong reason to resist that alignment, so we adjusted how we represented ourselves and stepped fully into that culture.

Of course, this is a simplified, cultural view of a broader market transition. The shift was also driven by economic factors, brand value, and overall business development, all of which pointed in the same direction. At a certain point, the transition felt inevitable, and a crucial part of it was a significant change in how we presented ourselves in external comms. Further goes some commercial poetry — this is normal.

We shifted our perspective from saving time to experiencing it. Mastery, comfort, and high standards became a given, the way haute couture doesn’t explain its stitches. The service still exists, but the conversation turned more existential. The product became space for your time: simple yet powerful. With an idea beyond discreet service, we found a clear personality. We stepped into sandstone tones and allowed ourselves to speak a little louder.

Once we established the fortress-like Wheel of Time logo and sandstone as universal, timeless anchors, we moved into a more expressive visual language around time itself. Not urgency, but observation. Calm moments where time is felt rather than chased. The visuals hold on to small, complete moments. Stillness, light, breath between actions. Time appears with a sense of grace, measured in seconds that don’t ask to be spent efficiently, only consciously. This calm runs through the photography, graphics, and typography as a quiet promise: time used without friction, without emotional leakage. Not something that drains you, but something that gives composure back.

Alongside its existential weight, time is also treated casually, as a usable resource — like a clean coin resting in your pocket. That practicality is where the Wheely app lives.

This phase was about expressing personality without losing restraint. Remaining subtle, yet clearly present. The brand becomes an invitation rather than a declaration, allowing clients to identify with it. Branded elements of chauffeur attire and vehicle exterior sit naturally on top of the classic chauffeured Mercedes service, acting as quiet markers of our promise and as references to the app — a distinct take on ride-hailing.

We were influenced by the photographic language Luke Evans brought in, where it’s unclear whether you’re seeing matter, light, or passage itself. From there, we explored how time could be visualized if it behaved like liquid, gas, light, or dust. With the help of visual artist Elena Charobay, we developed a set of abstract visuals that function as a visual tone of voice, used when Wheely speaks in a more poetic, philosophical register.

The goal of digital communications of the rebranding was to establish and reinforce that this is who Wheely is now. Calm, self-assured, and dignified, without self-glorification. Typography leaned modern, with occasional references to timeless stone signage. (We talk about chauffeuring, but from a contemporary position.) The system included pragmatic announcement templates and clean awareness ads, designed to feel confident rather than persuasive.

With the Perfect Airport Pickup feature already in place, it made sense to commit more visibly to selected airports. This opened an opportunity to create a restrained, immersive advertising experience along the path to premium lounges, staying present without demanding attention.

I noticed reflective surfaces and used them as an excuse to briefly bring sandstone into the space. These were digital screens, so I pushed for subtle animation, gentle and comfortable, aligned with our idea of calm service. Timing was critical here, since the message was Time Redefined.

Project collaborators: Commission, Hector Muelas, Anne d'Ambrosio de Gaullier, Ekaterina Nenado, Pavel Bocharov, Misha Gusev, Alexandra Rybakova, Lena Charobay, Roma Bespalov, Jenya Knyazeva, Xenia Turubanova, Anna Svarovskaya.

This project was possible because the team trusted abstract thinking and gave it room to breathe. Working with ideas like time, calm, and continuity inside a luxury service context was mega demanding for me, but also rewarding in a very grounded way. It stretched my practice beyond visuals into meaning and back. And, fuck, the outcome was golden!

Introducing the new Wheely Visual Identity 8 Jun 2023 official press-release.

Aesthetic Journey: Enhancing Visionary Photographer Luke Evans Captivating Campaign for Wheely Car Chauffeur Service through our expert Post-Production

Commission Studio — Identity and campaign for luxury chauffeur app Wheely.

Extra gold:
WREN—MARCUS PALMQVIST FOR WHEELY RTC Studio. Wheely—Time Redefined Campaign

Time Redefined. Wheely Visual Identity Update