Qiwi is a Russian payment services brand, launched in 2008 by the company OSMP (Unified System of Instant Payments) for its network of self-service payment terminals. The brand identity centers on a stylized kiwi bird, a visual pun on the company name that was designed to make the payment kiosks approachable and recognizable to consumers. [1]
Design and History
The Qiwi brand was created as part of a deliberate effort by OSMP to move from a business-to-business technology intermediary to a consumer-facing brand. Research conducted by the company showed that brand recognition in the payment terminal market was essentially zero, with consumers describing terminals only by their color. [1]
To develop the bird logo, corporate colors and the underlying brand ideology, OSMP commissioned a London agency whose name the company did not disclose. The development process took a year. [2] The brand was launched on April 22, 2008, when the kiwi bird symbol was simultaneously placed on all 70,000 terminals connected to the OSMP network. [1]
The original logo depicted a bright orange kiwi bird. Later versions retained only the bird’s outlines, and the slogan “Всё проще” (“Everything is simpler”) was added. [3]
The current logo consists of three elements: a brand symbol, the company name in a custom wordmark, and the slogan. The brand symbol is a stylized capital “Q” whose tail is shaped as a kiwi bird head, creating a single character that reads as both the letter and the bird. [4] The brand symbol can be used separately from the wordmark when context makes the brand association clear, such as in app icons and favicons. [4]
In 2025, Qiwi’s international operations completed a rebranding, changing the company name to NanduQ. The new name references “Nandu,” a family group of flightless birds native to South America, with the letter “Q” standing for quickness and quality. [5]
Meaning and Symbolism
The brand ideology behind Qiwi, as described by OSMP’s chief marketer, was that “Qiwi is a personal assistant that gives free time and relieves routine tasks.” [1] The kiwi bird was chosen as the brand’s symbol, though the company did not publicly explain the specific reasoning behind the choice. [2]
The kiwi bird also served a functional role in the brand’s early days: on the first branded terminals, the bird “prompted” users through the steps of each payment operation. [6]
Typography and Design
The Qiwi logo uses two primary brand colors: QIWI Orange and QIWI Graphite. [4] The brand guidelines specify that product names within the logo system are set in the Museo Sans Cyrillic 700 typeface. [4]
The brand guidelines also define clear usage rules: the logo must not be resized, recolored, transformed, or placed on low-contrast backgrounds. Gradient fills, shadows, glows, and outlines are prohibited. [4]
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