ADOR Opens a New Chapter Through a Playful and Nostalgic Rebranding

Creative Director: Nayeon Kim

Scope: Brand Identity

Client: ADOR

ADOR, a K-pop music label under HYBE, recently unveiled its rebranding film alongside a new visual identity earlier this year. Guided by a playful and dynamic artistic direction, ADOR continues to uphold its core philosophy, All Doors One Room. This rebranding signals a more open and expansive vision for the company’s future.

In its official statement, ADOR explains that the rebranding clip, presented as a short film titled The Room Hunt, illustrates the creative foundation of the label. Its forward-looking vision, more expansive and dynamic, is expressed through visuals that feel distinctly “youthful.” Each letter within the symbolic elements of ADOR in the film: laboratory, door, key, and human, represents the company’s creative components. The key symbolizes ideas formulated within the laboratory, unlocking doors to new possibilities. It is this sense of novelty that ultimately brings about changes felt by ADOR’s audience.

Alongside the short film, ADOR introduced a new logo that appears adaptive, aligning with the company’s vision. The updated logo evokes a sense of nostalgia, reminiscent of 1990s video game logotypes. A futuristic sensibility and an ode to the past met in a singular, iconic branding idea. Notably, the identity demonstrates a bold approach in maximizing the logo across various forms while maintaining its playful and quirky character. From this rebranding project, one particularly compelling extension comes in the form of graphic elements found in the ADOR LOGO STICKERS and ADOR BRAND BOOK, created by Masha Psilocybe.

The artist’s works transport us back to childhood, when joy could be found in simply looking at illustrations in storybooks or collecting playful sticker sets from magazine inserts. This nostalgic quality distinguishes ADOR’s rebranding from other K-pop label identities, which often revolve around sleek modernity or futuristic aesthetics.

This rebranding project is led by Creative Director Nayeon Kim, who has been working with the company since 2022. It is no surprise, then, that the visual elements retain and further develop the distinctive aesthetic associated with NewJeans. The lo-fi VCR effects seen in the music video for Ditto are revisited and expanded upon in the teaser videos for this rebranding.

There is a particular sense of joy in experiencing ADOR’s new visual elements: a feeling that ultimately makes this rebranding distinct.