Here is how the debate around the rebranding of Ukrposhta for UAH 639,000 has not subsided for several days. This especially applies to the logo, which is very similar to the old one, but simply inverted. Experts say that it is inexpensive and good work, others say that such expenses are inappropriate. Let's consider two camps of opinions - "for" and "against".
Here is how the debate around the rebranding of Ukrposhta for UAH 639,000 has not subsided for several days. This especially applies to the logo, which is very similar to the old one, but simply inverted. Experts say that it is inexpensive and good work, others say that such expenses are inappropriate. Let's consider two camps of opinions - "for" and "against".
On February 2, on its 32nd anniversary, Ukrposhta presented a new logo and identity.
To find a contractor, a tender was held at ProZorro , as a result of which the cost of the service was reduced from over UAH 1.2 million to UAH 639,000. It was for this amount that the Kiev design studio Spiilka Design Büro agreed to do the rebranding.
The team started work in May 2025. During this time, they developed over a hundred materials, starting with Forbes Ukraine, namely: the main logo, a system of sub-brands, three fonts, the design of signs and mailboxes, transport branding, layouts of communication materials, as well as merch and stationery.
The key change was the brand symbol — a U-shaped postal horn, which replaced the “presence pin” from the previous version of the identity. It was this seemingly insignificant change that caused a wave of criticism among many Ukrainians, but at the same time, some experts believe that the work done was worth the money.
The so-called "pro" camp believes that the cost of such a volume of work is usually much higher. In addition, the rebranding caused such a media effect that it usually requires millions of dollars in expenses.
This is restyling, not rebranding, believes the founder of Fedoriv Group.
Andriy Fedoriv, founder of Fedoriv Group, believes that UAH 639,000 is a low price for such a volume of work.
"For comparison: the basic design projects we work with cost from UAH 500,000 to UAH 2 million. Complex transformation projects for large businesses can start from UAH 5 million and above," he said in a comment to Forbes Ukraine.
At the same time, Fedoriv notes that such changes can be considered not a rebranding, but rather a restyling - this is when the company remains in the same colors, with the same symbol and ideology, but updates the layout, fonts, icons, etc.
In his words, rebranding is a rethinking of the central idea of a brand, its point of differentiation and positioning. As a result, it leads to tangible changes in products and services, but this did not happen at Ukrposhta.
"I don't know the details of the internal kitchen of Ukrposhta, but I am for any progress, even in such, and especially in such difficult conditions. And I wish them success in difficult reforms," Fedoriv concluded.
After the rebranding, there should be an advertising campaign. “This will be expensive,” says the head of communications at IED.
The opinion that this is a normal price for such services is also supported by Olena Shkarpova, head of communications at IER.
"14K green for a logo change and a new Ukrposhta brand book — that's a fair price. Very divine. I have no questions, especially since I really like the font, for example, it's straight up Vanlove," Shkarpova wrote on Facebook.
At the same time, she emphasizes the importance of the advertising campaign after the rebranding, which should convey new meanings and new opportunities for customers. It is this that can constitute the main costs.
“This will be expensive. And this is where the attention of contributors and everyone who is worried about Ukrposhta’s budget should be focused. And not for the net cost of rebranding. It was a penny… But again: an advertising campaign (and maybe more than one wave) is not only about conveying the company’s updated values and new meanings. It is also about attracting new customers, activating old ones, new offers, etc.… All this within the framework of a large business strategy should bring it MORE money than what it will spend on rebranding and advertising combined. Therefore. The direction is right. Then it’s about implementation and specific performers, messages, creatives, etc. And of course, a lot of money will still go to updating all logo carriers — from branches to merch. This will certainly be a normal expense item…”, Shkarpova noted.
The logo is modern, positive, and symbolic, but it was not presented in a quality way to a tired, traumatized society, — the founder of KNSKA Agency.
“State brands in Ukraine are still perceived as: complex, serious, with emblems and details. Minimalism is automatically read as: “simplified = devalued”, “simply turned upside down!” Although in reality the most expensive logos are those where one precise detail is found,” commented Olga Kanska, founder of the KNSKA agency.
She believes that "the logo is modern, positive, symbolic - with references to the post horn, the trident, forward movement. The new logo meets modern standards, scales well, and works in a digital environment. But the audience was not led by the hand through meaning. People today don't just want to see new things. They want to understand why it's like this."
“Ukrposhta received free promotion, which would have been difficult to plan using traditional tools,” said the founder of the Eidos center.
From a communications strategy perspective, this case demonstrates how one infomercial generates viral reach equivalent to millions of media budgets, says Viktor Taran, a military, public and political figure and founder of the Eidos Center.
"Most discussions, as usual, are focused on the form, not on the meanings and tasks of rebranding, but for a public company, the key is different. It found itself in the spotlight and became the topic of the day. As a result, the new logo, the new brand, and Ukrposhta itself received free promotion, which would have been difficult to plan using traditional tools. Whether someone likes it or not is, of course, a subjective question, but in terms of reach and recognition, the company definitely won. And this once again shows that a properly launched information drive can work more effectively than any media budget, regardless of how users evaluate it," Taran wrote on Facebook.
The opposing camp says that the rebranding costs of UAH 639,000 are just the beginning. Millions will be needed to replace old signs, etc. Therefore, it is better to invest this money in the development of the postal operator, which in many ways lags behind Nova Poshta.
"This is just the 'tip of the iceberg,' because a complete replacement of signs and paraphernalia across the entire network will cost tens of millions of hryvnias," the MP said.
Volodymyr Ariev, a People's Deputy from the "EU" stated : "I have never seen such a frankly brazen waste of money. And it's not about the amount, but about the brazenness. Ukrposhta - a state-owned enterprise - spent 640 thousand hryvnias on the design of a new logo. And now attention. Take the old Ukrposhta logo and turn it around with an arrow. What will happen? You will get a new logo! 15 thousand dollars for turning up! That's where you should do business!".
In addition, the MP explained that in addition to taxes, Ukrposhta must fill the budget with dividends, and they directly depend on net profit. Therefore, any additional expenses (such as rebranding) automatically reduce state revenues.
"It is important to understand that $15,000 for a logo is just the tip of the iceberg, because a complete replacement of signs and attributes across the entire network will cost tens of millions of hryvnias. This raises a natural ethical question: is it appropriate for a state-owned enterprise to direct resources to projects of questionable urgency and quality in a time of budget deficit and war," Ar'ev added.
“Instead of a new identity, find a better mechanism to improve services and take market share away from competitors,” says the owner of the Medtekhnika chain.
In 2025, the Kyiv chain of stores "Medtekhnika" paid UAH 7.1 million for delivery across Ukraine, of which only UAH 100,000 went to Ukrposhta, and the rest to Novaya Poshta, said the company's owner, Oleksiy Davydenko.
The entrepreneur first noticed such a big difference 6 years ago. Then he offered to give Ukrposhta part of the delivery, which the state operator refused for various reasons.
"Six years have passed. I am sincerely happy about the news that Ukrposhta has received a pharmacy license. I am sincerely happy about the news that Ukrposhta wants to be a bank. But first of all, as a corporate client, I need Ukrposhta to provide the full range of logistics services that their main competitor can easily cover. I would be happy if, instead of a new identity, Ukrposhta finally provided high-quality last-mile automobile delivery. It started delivering large-sized cargo to addresses and placed its post machines in the entrances of residential buildings," Davydenko noted.
“For the past year in a row, I have been making no small efforts within my company to transfer part of the logistics costs from Nova Poshta to Ukrposhta — but all I have been able to do so far is UAH 100,000 per year out of UAH 7 million. Damn, think about it. 140 people like me are an additional UAH 1 billion to Ukrposhta’s income. To the state’s income. And there are thousands of us like that. I understand — with this logo, you wanted to get hyped! You rightly believe that with minimal expenses we got a lot of press and heated discussion. But for me, as an entrepreneur, the questions to you remain the same as six years ago. Will I be able to give you those 100,000 online orders that Nova Poshta delivers to residential mailboxes in 2026? Will I be able to give you the combined addressed shipments with goods that we send to our stores across Ukraine three times a week in 2026? Will I be able to give you 20,000 address deliveries of large-sized goods to customers' homes in 2026? Will the new logo help solve at least one of these issues? Because I really want to support the state postal operator and give you my budget for logistics services across Ukraine in 2026. Therefore, instead of a new identity, find a better mechanism to improve services and take market share from competitors.
“Is it appropriate here and now?” asks the volunteer and military instructor.
Head of the training and instruction group of the 151st Armed Forces Training Center and volunteer Roman Donik: “Both the communication of mail and the communication of the conditional sides “for” and “against” are intentionally or consciously transferred to a completely different plane. Design and advertising specialists say that “not expensive” and “good work” due to their professionalism. And due to their experience and their prices. But the main question now is not about that. The question is something else. And people who don’t give a damn about specialists and their professionalism in advertising, ask questions not about professionalism and price. This is not the first thing that interests people. Most of them do not understand at all that rebranding includes not only the development of a logo. They do not need it. They pay taxes and sit in frozen houses. The question is expediency. Is it expedient here and now. Is it expedient here and now with the existing problems. Is it appropriate in the conditions in which Ukrposhta operates and in which the country is located?
"Ukrposhta is a joint-stock company. We do not live on taxpayers' money - we ourselves pay over 3 billion hryvnias in taxes every year. We do not receive any subsidies, we have no default, and we are really working better than before, although there is still much to improve. That's all. I wish everyone a good end to the week and a strong mental state," summed up the events of recent days, Ukrposhta CEO Ihor Smilyansky.
According to him, the new brand will gradually replace the old one and will primarily appear in new services, post offices, new branches, etc.
