Yota Refresh. Be Different

In 2007, Yota changed the mobile market by offering a flexible tariff constructor and a simpler, more honest approach. But the market has changed since then. How should Yota's distinctiveness show up today? The answer meant working across several layers. Updating the visual system without losing the brand's recognizable codes. Finding a new language to speak with a young audience. Adapting the style for the website and app. And creating a character who could live inside the interfaces and support users in service scenarios.

Not "make younger" the brand with a set of surface tricks, but building a system that genuinely connects with the audience — with this mindset, the team conducted interviews and workshops with Gen Z. The key discovery: young audiences spot fakeness fast. Slang for the sake of slang, memes for the sake of memes, stereotypical images of youth, and overloaded brightness don't make a brand feel like "one of their own" — instead, they show that the brand is trying too hard (and that's not cool). The audience values honesty, self-irony, and the feeling that a brand understands their world without needing it explained. This aligned with Yota's product logic — a flexible tariff constructor and the ability to choose only what you need: not pushing anything extra, but helping people understand their own needs.

From this came the brand's role — "a friend who makes growing up easier." It became the foundation for the "group chat" concept — a space where a person is always in touch with their people. Here they share photos, send memes and stickers, and react freely without unnecessary distance. Yota becomes part of this communication: it understands context, speaks as an equal, and knows how to lighten the mood at the right moment.

The idea translated into the visual system: large text, short phrases, message fields, stickers and reactions, objects that look as if cut out from a phone, imperfect avatars, and light irony — just like a real chat.

The visual language of the 3D graphics is built around objects with a story: things from someone's room, personal belongings, details of everyday Gen Z life. Even at the level of 3D, Yota is not a classic telecom — it's a human one.

The key constants of Yota's style stayed in place: color, minimalism, clear typography, simple composition. The logo became tighter and more geometric, and in the layout compositions, the central focus became the concrete benefit for the customer.

In parallel, the team searched for a character who could live inside the interface — not a corporate assistant, not a cartoonish helper, but someone close and familiar. He appears when the user needs support: choosing a tariff, transferring a number, first opening the app, or in a complicated situation that needs to be handed off to a specialist.

Bestik was inspired by a beloved childhood soft toy — the kind you want to carry with you like a personal talisman. The character continues the brand's principle — speaking the same language and always being nearby. He works across stickers, chat graphics, and interface elements — which is why he doesn't feel like a random mascot, but a natural extension of the brand.

Yota remains simple, honest, and a little bold — just like its audience: it knows how to look at familiar things from its own angle, speak directly, and notice the absurd in everyday life. The refreshed system kept the brand's recognizable codes but became more flexible — working seamlessly across communications, packaging, social media, and the digital product. In 2026, Yota Archive and Yota Trend Radar, with their new design, already received award-winning placements at the prestigious E+ Awards.