At the Threshold of Decisions

A story of how we conducted research and built a brand for those facing their first important choice — where to study.

Branding for an app that helps choose education abroad

We were tasked with creating a brand and platform for a new app that helps Kazakhstani applicants choose education abroad.

with the ambition to grow from an agency-based service into a true marketplace of universities — or even a navigator for a person standing at a threshold: between school and university, the familiar and the unknown, between “what everyone does” and “what I want.”

The client came

We were tasked with creating a brand and platform for a new app that helps Kazakhstani applicants choose education abroad.

with the ambition to grow from an agency-based service into a true marketplace of universities — or even a navigator for a person at a threshold: between school and university, the familiar and the unknown, between "what everyone does" and "what I want."

The client came

Data that informed the future brand strategy

All of these insights became the foundation of the product: a digital platform that provides support at a moment of uncertainty.

Key insights:

• Studying abroad is also about travel, freedom, and changing one’s environment

• Many Kazakhstani students lack access to reliable information and make decisions blindly

• Agencies promise support but often impose choices or leave questions unanswered

• Most are willing to choose independently — if the process is clear

of interviews with applicants, students, their parents, and those already studying abroad — gathering real motivations, fears, and behavioral patterns.

We conducted a series

• Researched the education market, user anxieties, and habits
• Conducted in-depth interviews with applicants and parents
• Defined the mission and values of the future service
• Developed the name Arada and the creative concept “At the Threshold”
• Built the brand platform and descriptors
• Supported the launch with guidelines and a visual system

What We Did:

Results:

• A flexible concept, understandable to students, investors, and parents alike
• A name with a built-in metaphor of transition
• Positioning that allows the app to support users through decision-making
• A brand that can scale into a marketplace, courses, newsletters, or a community
• An aesthetic that resonates with both applicants and their parents

It is a light, resonant name, yet full of meaning. It reflects the essence of the app: to be close at the moment of transition — between decisions, countries, and opportunities. With respect for the in-between state and support in moving through it.

The creative concept builds around this state and gives it movement. It is not just “between” or a pause — it is a threshold:

• The threshold of adulthood
• The threshold of a new life
• The threshold of a major choice

Arada means “between”.

This state is both exciting and full of possibility. We wanted the brand to become a source of support in that moment of anticipation.