IconInc
Student living, elevated. Renting, revolutionised. An award-winning national brand for high-end student accommodation, IconInc redefined the student housing market with a premium, design-led identity rolled out across the UK.
Parklane Group, one of the largest student rental agencies in Leeds, wanted to break away from the traditional, functional view of student housing. Their goal was to create a nationwide brand that would resonate with students seeking an aspirational lifestyle, not just a place to live, while ensuring it could be scaled to multiple key university cities.
The process began with in-depth research and brand strategy workshops, aligning stakeholders on the vision and positioning before any design work commenced. The resulting brand identity combined premium typography, rich colour palettes, and an aspirational tone of voice to create a distinctive presence in the crowded student accommodation market.
Activation was as much about place-making as branding. Signage, wayfinding, and bespoke feature graphics were integrated into the interiors to deliver a fully immersive experience. These graphics became a signature of the brand — large-scale, high-impact wall installations featuring iconic personalities and pop culture figures, paired with inspirational quotes from each character. From cultural legends to cinematic greats, these visual statements were designed to resonate with a diverse student audience, adding energy, wit, and motivation to study zones, gyms, and communal areas.
Accommodation visualisation, marketing materials, and a cohesive set of brand guidelines ensured consistent delivery across all media and locations. From The Edge in Leeds, the brand’s first site, to rollouts in Liverpool, London, Manchester, Newcastle, York, Lincoln, and Nottingham, every property carried the same elevated brand experience.
IconInc’s debut development was oversubscribed year after year, setting a new benchmark for luxury student living and prompting rapid expansion to multiple cities. The brand garnered widespread media attention in outlets including the Daily Mail, LADbible, The Student Room, and the Yorkshire Post, alongside winning the Yorkshire Property Award, Northern Design Award, and YRPA Interior Concept Award.
The project not only elevated the standard of student accommodation but proved that a lifestyle-driven approach — one that wove culture, aspiration, and personality into its physical spaces — could thrive in a traditionally functional market. IconInc now stands as the go-to name for aspirational student living in the UK.