CLEANTOPIA
Rethinking the Standard of Laundry
― The Story Behind Cleantopia’s Integrated-branding
Background
Cleantopia is a leader.
With over 30 years of history, more than 3,000 locations across Korea, and over 100 million laundry items processed annually, the numbers speak for themselves. It’s an unmatched brand in scale and experience.
And yet, the market no longer pays attention. People no longer remember it. They no longer expect anything from it.
The reason is clear: New brands like Laundrygo and Laundry Army have emerged. They didn’t necessarily provide better laundry services—but they spoke better, looked more refined, and appeared more appealing.
Through their UX, apps, ads, and brand language, they reimagined laundry not as a mundane task, but as a fresh, convenient lifestyle experience.
In contrast, Cleantopia stayed silent for too long.
Despite being the most experienced, the most widespread, and the most adaptable service, it never clearly communicated who it is or why it exists.
As a result, a perception took hold: “Cheap, soulless, and just average in quality.”
That image spread across reviews, community posts, and word of mouth—and eventually, it became the brand’s identity.
But the reality is different.
Cleantopia has superior equipment, operates a precise nationwide system, and understands on-site operations better than anyone.
The problem wasn’t the substance—it was the image.
And when a brand stops speaking for itself, others begin to speak in its place.
Cleantopia let that silence linger far too long.
This project was about breaking that silence.
It was a turning point.
Would we sit back on our legacy and quietly fade away as a brand of the past?
Or would we rise again as the new standard in a new era?
This wasn’t just about changing a logo.
It was about reexamining our tone, our posture, and our entire way of being.
So, we started from the simplest questions:
“What is laundry?”
“Why do people entrust their laundry to someone else?”
“Who gets to define the standard of laundry?”
Strategy Part
Why We Created a New Standard Called
“Laundry-ology”
When starting any branding project, the first question we inevitably face is one of definition:
Who are we?
Why do we exist?
What role are we willing to take on in the world?
The rebranding of Cleantopia began with this very question.
Many companies approach branding as a matter of appearance—changing the logo, updating signage, polishing ad copy. But we believed that a brand is not made of words first, but of attitude, and before attitude, there must be philosophy. And that philosophy does not arise from mere declarations. It is something reached only through deep, structured questioning.
What we saw in Cleantopia was a company with the scale and systems already in place—but without a clear sense of where the brand was headed, or the values driving its work.
Surely, there must have been strong intentions and philosophies in the beginning.
Growing from a small local dry cleaner into a nationwide network must have involved unwavering belief and standards.
But as the brand grew and became more systemized, those stories faded.
Internally, decades of know-how had been accumulated. Externally, however, there were few cues—no language, no context—for customers to recognize or feel that expertise.
Competitive pricing. Wide store network. Fast turnaround times.
Yes, Cleantopia was performing well.
But all of that lacked a “why.”
Why do we operate this way?
What values guide how we serve our customers?
Without that explanation, customers couldn’t perceive a difference between something missing and something unspoken.
No matter how well a brand performs, if customers don’t feel it, the brand might as well not exist.
That’s why we felt the need to articulate Cleantopia’s deeply accumulated expertise and field-centered professionalism into a language of philosophy, and to structure it in a way that customers could tangibly experience.
The result was a concept called “Laundry-ology.”
“Laundry-ology” is not just a marketing slogan or a campaign word.
It is a declaration of how Cleantopia defines itself—how it intends to interpret and practice laundry moving forward. Anyone can do laundry. But not everyone can set the standard for it.
Cleantopia no longer aims to be just a long-standing brand—it aims to be the brand that understands laundry the most deeply and defines it the most systematically.
Laundry-ology is a philosophy, a standard, and a manual for execution.
From tone of voice to store layout, pricing format, customer interaction, and service flow—every touchpoint is now being restructured around this framework.
Store staff are now called “Clean Masters”, laundry shops are “Care Centers,” and the service process has been redesigned into clearly defined procedures based on standards.
Cleantopia is no longer just a brand that does laundry.
It is becoming a brand that first defines what laundry truly is, and then sets the standard through its own practice. Laundry-ology is the starting point of that transformation, and the central axis of the brand. Every decision, every action, every interaction with customers will now stem from this philosophy.
In the end, a brand must persuade the world by believing in itself.
Cleantopia is now rewriting the standard of laundry—not just through services, but by living out its own philosophy as the brand that understands laundry more deeply than anyone else.
Visual Part
In the End, It Has to Be Seen and Felt
A brand does not exist through words alone.
The first time a customer encounters a brand is always through something visible: a signboard, a color scheme, lighting, packaging—or sometimes, a small magnet on the fridge showing the price list.
That’s why the philosophy Cleantopia wanted to newly express had to be something seen, not just said.
What matters more than having a philosophy is how that philosophy is felt in everyday life.
The concept of “Laundry-ology” had already been clearly defined in words.
But a brand is not about statements—it’s about scenes.
If a well-articulated philosophy is not embodied in the lived context of daily experiences, then it remains a concept, not a belief.
Our challenge was to prove—through visual language—how Cleantopia truly lives out its role as the standard of laundry.
The first bold decision was to change the symbol.
We decided to retire “Bbosongi,” the character that had long served as the friendly face of the brand.
Yes, Bbosongi was cute.
It was familiar.
But over time, that cuteness became a relic of the past.
Old mascots eventually stop functioning as characters and begin functioning as nostalgia—and once that nostalgia becomes the emotional anchor of a brand, design no longer points to the future. It becomes an archive of the past.
Cleantopia had reached that point.
The warmth once evoked by Bbosongi was gradually turning into the emotional image of an “old laundromat”—a sentiment that no longer resonated with new consumers.
Identity is something to be preserved, yes—but sometimes, it is something that must be boldly shed.
Letting go of Bbosongi was not erasing the past.
It was the conscious decision of a leading brand to speak to the future in a new language.
In its place, we introduced a new symbol—three intersecting circles. Some may call it overly minimal, abstract, or even emotionless. But that very simplicity is the essence of the attitude Cleantopia wanted to express. Each circle represents a core pillar of the brand: life, standards, and technology. The point where these circles intersect represents the core of Cleantopia’s envisioned laundry experience.
Without lengthy explanations, the structure itself communicates the philosophy.
From the app icon to storefront signage, clothing labels, and packaging—the symbol was designed to function consistently across all touchpoints.
It is a visual manifestation of the brand’s intersection of philosophy and practicality, of sensitivity and technology.
This minimalist form wasn’t just a strategic design choice.
It was a necessary condition for what a laundry brand must be in today’s world.
Laundry is no longer limited to the offline experience.
Online platforms, pickup and delivery systems, and digital customer support all coexist, demanding more intuitive and coherent visual systems.
Cleantopia didn’t just react to this change—it embraced it.
We didn’t strip away decoration; we clarified the message.
We didn’t remove elements; we created structure to carry more philosophy.
Instead of focusing on how the brand should look, we focused on how it should be remembered.
We wanted to speak through design.
Cleantopia is no longer a brand chosen out of familiarity—it is a brand trusted because it sets the standard.
So our goal was never to make it “pretty.”
Our goal was to make it look like a standard.
Design, for us, was not a matter of aesthetics but evidence of attitude.
And the surface of the brand was not for embellishment, but a reflection of its philosophy.
Communication Part
Trust Is Built When We Speak This Way
If design is the visual language of branding, then advertising is the language we hear. The way a brand speaks—its tone, attitude, and choice of words—can completely transform how it is perceived.
For a long time, Cleantopia remained silent.
Or when it did speak, it was unclear to whom it was speaking or why.
After the rebranding, we had to redesign the brand’s voice from the ground up, starting with the belief that tone is not just communication—it is an expression of trust. That belief became the foundation for our advertising campaign.
Advertising was the only area in the Cleantopia rebranding project that was awarded through a competitive pitch rather than a direct contract.
While internal efforts such as brand design, digital experience, and service structure were rapidly aligning under a consistent standard, external communication had yet to be translated into the new brand language.
So, we didn’t approach this as a one-off campaign.
We first asked: How do we build a long-term brand attitude after the rebrand?
Above all, Cleantopia is not a challenger brand.
It is already the No.1 player in the industry—handling more laundry than anyone else. That’s why we avoided emotional appeals or comparison-based messaging.
Instead, we adopted a confident tone—one that speaks as the standard of the industry.
At this moment, the brand’s core philosophy of “Laundry-ology” played a pivotal role once again. We believed the brand should speak like an expert—like opening a textbook with clarity and certainty.
That belief led to the creation of this core messaging:
“This is how pickup and delivery is done.”
“This is how clothing storage is done.”
“This is how Black Label is done.”
By presenting Cleantopia’s core services in a short and decisive tone, we weren’t just positioning them in the market—we were declaring a brand attitude.
We spoke as a leader.
And customers, in turn, responded to that tone with trust.
The confident phrasing aligned perfectly with the brand philosophy of Laundry-ology, delivering both the force of the words and the depth of the standard behind them.
On a practical level, the campaign was also highly efficient.
Focusing on the three key services—pickup & delivery, clothing storage, and Black Label—we developed nine video storyboards to run throughout the year.
They were structured to be filmed in just two days.
Under the internal theme of “Nine videos that feel like two,” we created variation while maintaining consistent tone and style.
The campaign ran for nearly a full year across major media platforms.
In addition to video, we also deployed digital ads to drive app downloads, as well as OOH (out-of-home) ads.
These efforts translated into real increases in revenue, proving the campaign’s business impact.
What stood out the most, however, was that the brand’s tone wasn’t seen as witty or decorative—but rather as an attitude grounded in standards.
Today’s consumers no longer respond only to emotional messages.
They read between the lines:
What does this brand consider important?
With what posture does it speak?
In a few short phrases like “This is how it’s done,” we conveyed Cleantopia’s decades of expertise, the renewed standards built through rebranding, and the quiet confidence of a brand that knows exactly what it’s doing.
And those words were not just a message.
They were a preview of where the brand is headed next.
In the next chapter, we’ll explore how this direction took shape in the digital realm.
How did Cleantopia bring its standards all the way to the customer’s fingertips?
Digital Part
From App to Delivery, We Rebuilt the Entire Experience Around Standards
A brand’s standards begin with philosophy, but the moment those standards feel real is ultimately the moment of use.
Through this rebranding project, we redefined Cleantopia’s visual language, tone of voice, spatial identity, and service philosophy.
But that alone wasn’t enough.
If customers don’t feel the brand’s standards throughout the entire process—from entrusting their laundry, checking how it’s being handled, to receiving their cleaned clothes—then it still cannot be called a complete brand experience.
That’s why we needed to extend Cleantopia’s standards into the digital space.
Cleantopia has the largest offline laundry network in Korea.
But on the flip side, it was also a latecomer in digital competitiveness.
While new brands like Laundrygo and Laundry Army were quickly gaining ground in the O2O market, Cleantopia moved more slowly—making the need for digital transformation even more urgent.
This app renewal project was not just about “rebuilding an app.” It was about redefining the brand’s entire digital UX.
The first thing we considered was whether the brand’s emotional tone and language would naturally carry over into the app experience.
The previous version lacked consistency in colors, fonts, and components, and its design completeness left much to be desired.
We reorganized all visual elements based on the rebranding style guide and boldly removed any previously used characters or sub-elements that no longer aligned with the brand’s standards.
Raising the visual quality was also a process of refining the app into the brand’s “digital signboard.”
The next important task was simplifying the user experience.
Laundry, by nature, should never be a complicated service.
Customers choose this service because laundry is tedious and time-consuming—not because they want to learn how to use an app or track each step in detail.
So, we streamlined the overly segmented status system into 10 simplified steps, and restructured the platform to integrate both online and offline systems, allowing customers to check the status of laundry they dropped off at physical stores directly through the app.
Receipts, delivery status, and payment history were all merged into a single interface, so customers no longer have to call the store to get the information they need.
There was also significant progress on the technical side.
The previous app lacked proper structure, resulting in extremely slow speeds when loading data or navigating between pages.
We applied caching to key sections and adopted frameworks like WebFlux and Spring Boot, improving the app’s response time by more than threefold on average.
It wasn’t just about making the app look good—it was about making it genuinely fast and easy to use.
That was the most important standard we set in our digital branding.
At the same time, we developed another app: the “Delivery Partner App.”
No matter how well the laundry is done, if the pickup and delivery are poorly handled, customers won’t trust the brand.
Cleantopia operates its own logistics system, offering pickup and delivery even late at night—and this level of logistical precision was also part of the brand experience.
The Delivery Partner App was designed to let drivers check their daily loads in real-time and manage the entire process—from pickup to washing, delivery, and final drop-off—all on a single platform.
We also added a scanning function to accurately track the number of bags and help prevent errors.
Looking back, we’ve long thought about who uses laundry services.
People who don’t have time. People who are too busy. People who simply don’t have the headspace to think about laundry.
And that meant the app had to be just as simple.
Reducing steps, replacing difficult terminology, building a structure that works with a single tap—this wasn’t just about UI design.
It was about understanding and caring for the customer’s life.
The digital experience we created through this effort has now become the face of the brand.
And through that face, Cleantopia now says:
“This is how laundry becomes easier.”
And that statement has become the new standard of everyday life that we propose.
Epilogue
In the Tension Between Disruption and Tradition, Leadership Is Rebuilt
Cleantopia’s integrated branding project was built upon a dual structure of dismantling and restoration.
Peeling away the old image was not simply a matter of renewal—it was a farewell to the past.
We said goodbye to “Bbosongi,” the mascot that had long represented the brand, and in its place introduced a new symbol composed of three intersecting circles.
Some said it was too simple. But we knew that in this era, what people need is not friendliness, but clarity of standards.
This approach—stripping away, simplifying, reducing to the essential—was not only applied to visual design but extended into the digital environment as well.
The app is where customers directly interact with the brand.
That’s why, when designing the UI, we prioritized life over features.
Fewer taps, simpler language, more intuitive flows—these elements all led to one clear message:
“This is how it’s done.”
And that statement became a new standard for everyday life.
We extended that standard into the brand’s tone of voice.
Cleantopia said,
“This is how laundry is done.”
This wasn’t just an advertising line—it was a principle and a declaration, a new rule the brand presented to the world.
And that rule went beyond branding—it became a new way of structuring the customer’s daily life.
Today, brands don’t exist through words.
Brands operate by standard, speak through tone, and prove themselves through experience.
Cleantopia re-aligned all three.
And as a result, we didn’t just regain our position as the industry leader—we redefined what leadership feels like.
In the end, Cleantopia found its way through the tension between disruption and tradition.
We dismantled the past while preserving the essence.
We erased the familiar but retained the trust.
That’s why Cleantopia’s leadership wasn’t simply restored—it was reconstructed in an entirely new way under the name of brand.
Director’s Comment
May the Framework We Created Become the New Standard
A year after the brand renewal was launched, news outlets reported that the company was preparing for a sale at more than three times its previous valuation.
Some viewed it through the lens of capital. Others worried about job stability.
But our focus was elsewhere: on the brand’s real capacity for change, and on our responsibility and attitude as the ones who helped shape it.
We can’t quantify our contribution with numbers, but we can say this:
The philosophy, tone, technology, and experience we created led this brand back to a position of leadership.
And we believe it wasn’t just a surface-level change, but a redefinition of the language of the industry, the habits of customers, and even how the company perceives laundry as an act.
When we first began this project, many people asked with caution:
“Can you really change an image that’s been fixed in people’s minds for so long?”
It was a fair question.
Cleantopia had faithfully played its role as “the laundry brand” for decades, and left a deep and lasting impression on the public.
But now, we can say with confidence:
Any brand can change—regardless of the organization or industry—if there are people who truly believe in it and are willing to build it together.
This rebranding was never a project completed by one department or external experts.
It was a collaborative effort from beginning to end.
The designers didn’t just create pretty screens—they inspected every store sign.
The advertising team didn’t just write copy—they talked about brand attitude.
The developers willingly restructured complex systems just to make things easier for customers.
And in policy meetings, a single word from the brand’s voice became a new line in the service manual.
Through this process, we came to a firm conclusion:
Branding no longer belongs to experts alone.
It’s the sum of daily decisions, the promise written on a store sign, and the feedback found in a customer review.
Someone once answered the question “What is branding?” like this:
“It depends on the attitude we bring to work each day.”
Perhaps that line captures the very core of this project.
Branding is, in many ways, like life.
It isn’t completed in a single line of copy, one visual, or one campaign.
It only works when supported by the attitude, relationships, trust, and standards of the people behind it.
Through this project, we confirmed that branding isn’t built from the outside in—it’s born from the inside out.
This wasn’t just a project.
It was a way of working, and a way of living.
To the client who stayed with us until the end, the many people in the field, and the store owners who responded sincerely when they first heard the word “brand”—we thank you.
You made Cleantopia’s rebranding possible.
The final page of this project won’t be written in a brand book.
It will continue to be written in the daily lives of those working in the laundry field, even now.
In the end, branding was work and life made together by everyone.
And still today, we hope:
That the form we created becomes someone’s standard.