Skip to main content
[clientname] cover 3 4

Magnific Magnific

Magnific

Since 2026

Scaling a one-million subscriber platform into a creative AI powerhouse

Freepik spent more than a decade building a global reputation as a beloved platform known for stock photography. The arrival of AI changed everything—from the workflows of their users to the viability of Freepik’s own business model.

Just like the photographers, filmmakers, and designers that use the platform, Freepik needed to reinvent themselves to stay relevant.

They asked AREA 17 to help them make a bold move: to rebirth as an industry-leading creative platform for the AI age — one that inspires creatives everywhere to rewrite the rules of creativity. To mark such a pivotal moment, they needed to rethink their entire business: from their name to their brand and mission.

Defining Magnific as a rallying cry for creatives everywhere to reinvent themselves

This new chapter meant leaving behind the connotations of their old name and maturing their brand to become Magnific. It also led to reframing the platform as a serious tool for professional creatives—all without alienating their one million paying subscribers.

In a transactional space where there are marginal differences between the underlying technologies and where it’s difficult to build a loyal community, we needed to differentiate and carve out a competitive moat.

Our strategy was grounded in the belief that AI is not about doing more with less or replacing human vision. Instead, we dared creatives to use AI to dream bigger, find their creative edge, and make something magnificent.

Magnific brand vision
Magnific brand postioning@2x 1
Magnific brand value proposition@2x 2

Standing out in a crowded space with a monumental and meaningful brand identity

AI platforms are in fierce competition to showcase the endless possibilities of their tools. This has flooded our feeds with a smorgasbord of generated content, most of it derisively referred to as slop by professional creatives.

Magnific’s message was refreshingly different: instead of creating anything, create something. Something Magnific.

The central themes of reinvention, bravery and intention were expressed through a scroll-stopping Magnific Magenta that stands out in tech category saturated with blues and blacks.

At the brand’s core sits the Monumental M, a logomark inspired by monuments past and present, emblematic of historic feats of human creativity.

Fragments from the M were used to create morphing shapes that represent the fluid nature of the creative process and add a consistent brand element when showcasing diverse AI-generated content across multiple channels.

Up next

  • ElevenLabs

    ElevenLabs

    2023–2024

    Scaling a research start-up into the leading AI audio platform

  • From a local contemporary art museum to a global cultural institution