We created an interactive timeline that serves as a digital history book, documenting Dodo Pizza’s journey from a single pizzeria in Syktyvkar to an international franchise.
Telling the Story of Dodo Pizza in an Interactive Timeline
Written by Alexander Vokuev
September, 2025
Client
Dodo Pizza
Dodo Pizza is the largest pizza chain in Russia and one of the most transparent companies in the Russian business sector. It operates over 1,300 locations worldwide, with a monthly revenue exceeding 1 billion rubles.
In 2024, design studio Intuition, a longtime partner of Dodo, pitched a new project: a digital history book that would tell the company’s story through key events and values. The Dodo team supported the idea enthusiastically, and the timeline format was chosen as the best way to bring it to life.
We were invited to join the project as editors, responsible for gathering and shaping the content. The Intuition team handled visual design. We worked as one team.
In 2024, design studio Intuition, a longtime partner of Dodo, pitched a new project: a digital history book that would tell the company’s story through key events and values. The Dodo team supported the idea enthusiastically, and the timeline format was chosen as the best way to bring it to life.
We were invited to join the project as editors, responsible for gathering and shaping the content. The Intuition team handled visual design. We worked as one team.
The Challenge
Dodo Pizza’s founder, Fyodor Ovchinnikov, was preparing to step away from the company. For years, he had built Dodo in a way that made its culture and values bigger than just one person — yet for many, he remained the brand’s central figure.
That’s why it was essential to document Dodo’s journey: to capture the key moments and decisions that shaped the company into what it is today.
We needed to create a digital textbook that would:
That’s why it was essential to document Dodo’s journey: to capture the key moments and decisions that shaped the company into what it is today.
We needed to create a digital textbook that would:
- Help employees better understand Dodo’s culture and pivotal milestones.
- Give investors and partners a clear view of what makes the company unique and how it has evolved.
- Gather as much historical information as possible — from blogs, interviews, internal documents, and personal stories.
- Identify which events were truly turning points and which ones reflected the essence of Dodo.
- Build a clear, engaging timeline that would be easy to explore and understand.
What We Did
The most challenging part was collecting and structuring the information. We started by immersing ourselves in ten lectures by Dodo Pizza’s founder, Fyodor Ovchinnikov, titled The Dodo Way. In them, he explained the company’s values, culture, and evolution. We studied his blog, social media posts, and internal materials shared by the team. Whenever we came across interesting but unclear details, we reached out to the right experts and asked follow-up questions to build an accurate and complete picture.
To clarify key points, we compiled a list of potential internal speakers and conducted dozens of interviews with the CFO, heads of international units, brand managers, IT experts, operations leads, and people who launched pizzerias in different countries. Everyone had their own version of the story — and we had to hear them all.
To clarify key points, we compiled a list of potential internal speakers and conducted dozens of interviews with the CFO, heads of international units, brand managers, IT experts, operations leads, and people who launched pizzerias in different countries. Everyone had their own version of the story — and we had to hear them all.
In the end, we collected hundreds of events: from the creation of the Dodo IS (internal system) and an IT crash during a nationwide ad campaign, to the launch of the Pizza Academy and the closure of the company’s stock options program. Some moments came from a single quote; others were reconstructed piece by piece from interviews, posts, and video archives.
We documented everything in a Notion database — complete with tags, categories, and exact dates.
We documented everything in a Notion database — complete with tags, categories, and exact dates.
Notion database
We then moved on to building the timeline structure. The final version included 10 narrative tracks, such as: Innovation, Partnership, Transparency, Authenticity, Experimentation, International Franchising — plus separate tracks for the US, China, the UK, and Dubai.
Choosing and naming the tracks was a project of its own — we refined the structure several times. The timeline needed to speak to the viewer on multiple levels:
Choosing and naming the tracks was a project of its own — we refined the structure several times. The timeline needed to speak to the viewer on multiple levels:
- Through company values
- Through concrete events and business processes
This structure allows users to spot patterns at a glance — for example, that the first pizzeria opened without a dining area, or that customisation launched in the US before it did in Russia due to market specifics. It also shows that the first international store opened just three years after Dodo was founded, and that the company exited China before officially closing the franchise there. Recurring cycles — like annual internal conferences — are also easy to trace.
Once the narrative tracks were finalised, we assigned events to each one, gave them titles, and refined the wording to preserve meaning while making everything clear and user-friendly.
The entire project took about a year, from March 2024 to spring 2025.
Once the narrative tracks were finalised, we assigned events to each one, gave them titles, and refined the wording to preserve meaning while making everything clear and user-friendly.
The entire project took about a year, from March 2024 to spring 2025.
How We Worked
The project involved three editors. One of them also acted as project manager — coordinating interviews, managing structure, assigning tasks, and ensuring final quality. The other two focused on writing.
We worked closely with the design team, discussing structure and visual format, and adapting the content to fit the layout. We also selected photos for the events.
Final versions of the texts were shared with the Dodo team for review. They checked the facts, helped fill in missing details, and suggested edits to improve clarity and accuracy.
We worked closely with the design team, discussing structure and visual format, and adapting the content to fit the layout. We also selected photos for the events.
Final versions of the texts were shared with the Dodo team for review. They checked the facts, helped fill in missing details, and suggested edits to improve clarity and accuracy.
In some cases, new information emerged during this review process. For example, we initially believed the first kids’ Pizza Academy was launched in Dubai. But in a follow-up interview, the project team clarified it had started earlier in Antalya, Turkey. We updated the timeline accordingly. All texts also went through a final proofreading stage.
Working with Dodo was easy and inspiring. Since the idea for the project came from an external partner, there were no rigid expectations. We had full autonomy: reaching out to experts, setting up interviews, and asking follow-ups as needed. It wasn’t unusual to message the Director of International Development and jump on a call directly — no formalities. Everyone was open, responsive, and genuinely invested in telling the company’s story right.
Working with Dodo was easy and inspiring. Since the idea for the project came from an external partner, there were no rigid expectations. We had full autonomy: reaching out to experts, setting up interviews, and asking follow-ups as needed. It wasn’t unusual to message the Director of International Development and jump on a call directly — no formalities. Everyone was open, responsive, and genuinely invested in telling the company’s story right.
Results
The result is an interactive timeline that brings together the most important events in Dodo’s history.
It allows users to:
It allows users to:
- Track how the number of pizzerias grew over time
- Explore events by thematic or regional tracks
- Open individual event cards to learn more
The timeline helps users understand Dodo’s culture and evolution — how its values emerged, how strategies shifted, what worked, and what didn’t.
It’s the story of a company told through decisions, experiments, and real-world experience.
It’s the story of a company told through decisions, experiments, and real-world experience.
The project was created by an outstanding team
- Irina ZakharovaProject-manager and editor
- Ekaterina KabyshevaEditor
- Dasha KochenovaIntuition editor
- Zhenya ArutyunovIntuition designer
- Nikita NovaIntuition designer
- Ramil KarimovIntuition Developer
- Maksim GanievIntuition Developer
- Daler AliyorovIntuition Developer
© 2024 Got It Bureau
ИП Ладыгина Алиса Григорьевна
ИНН: 7727 4586 4589
ИП Ладыгина Алиса Григорьевна
ИНН: 7727 4586 4589