I consider design a practical discipline of arranging forms, colors, texts and images to persuade, inform, and sell. Design extends to most man-made objects: print, web, motion pictures, information signs, products, and their packaging.
The primary distinction between design and art — in my opinion — is the presence or absence of purpose.
To remain functional, I focus on the end-user: I build design solutions atop information architecture, ethnographic research and universal principles of human interaction with physical and virtual objects… whether CNC-machined parts, high-tech fabrics, recycled paper, or synthetic, computer-generated screens and speech.
In my designs, I value aesthetics, ergonomics, purity, simplicity, consistency, common sense, minimalism, timelessness, color, originality and impact. I believe in the convergence of media and work simultaneously on identity, product, web and print projects.
What’s a brand? A complex entity, assembled from the perception and use of the products and services, the interaction with the employees, the values and actions of an organization, its tone and prestige. But not only. Identity systems — corporate logos, fonts, color schemes, symbols, images, textures and sounds — play a huge role to establish the company and distinguish it from competition. The choice of the surface of packaging, naturally rough or meticulously polished, the easy grip of a zipper, the dull sound of a closing door, the subtle humor or polite unobtrusiveness… vastly contribute to the overall “mind-object” of the brand.
I enjoy the challenge of translating the company’s culture, products and services into a concise and consistent audio-visio-textural system. My holistic thinking of an art director, formal business education, experience of running multiple companies, and a talent to schematize information into symbols help me to create efficient identity systems from scratch or evolve existing ones.
And 25 years of building those provide ample time to confirm that brands thrive on consistent repetition. I propagate identity elements to all media. Explore a selection of my identity projects and e-mail me for the best solution to your needs.
You can ask me to design anything: from tiny SoC zoom lens controllers and specialized AC units to mighty steel furniture supporting 200+ kg and reinforced concrete structures. All CAD-modeled, FEA-loaded, and prototype-built in-house (electronics, motors, fabrics, foams, metals, plastics… CNC-machined, laser-cut, sewn, glued, brazed, welded), then produced and certified for local markets.
Now, how does a film director, still photographer, DP, and brand/web designer also happen to be an industrial designer? As with most of my services — blame the clients. 😀
I’ve been building things since childhood, thanks to my grandfather’s “golden hands” and the Soviet STEM-heavy education, capped off by the Stroganov Moscow State Academy of Arts and Industry (est. 1825). In 2008, I designed an ultra-light, ultra-compact, ultra-strong Dyneema backpack to carry my folded Brompton bicycle. After building it with a friend and sharing it online, people and businesses asked me to sell it. The same thing happened when I crafted custom cinema camera rigs, lens cases, and filter pouches in a market polarized between flimsy hobby gear and mil-spec Hollywood tech.
Growing up in the material scarcity of the USSR, I had little choice other than to learn how to woodwork, mill, braze, weld, and wire my own toys. My parents wouldn’t buy me a fighter-jet simulator. I moved to Europe in 1997 to upgrade my skills to pro-level. If necessary, I tap into my network of specialists (circuit engineers, thermodynamics gurus, viscosity wizards, etc.) Over the past 25 years, I’ve cultivated strong ties with suppliers, logistics chains, and manufacturers to take products from concept to production—preferably in the EU, but also Taiwan and China.
The experience you offer to the visitors of your website determines whether they stay or leave… and even more important, return. As internet matures, visitors become ever more critical when they evaluate your site, its content, aesthetics, speed, navigation and interaction.
For 25 years, I’ve been creating websites that make people’s lives easier. I add emotion, attitude, vision and uniqueness that support your brand. I’ve also taken my own medicine to design the websites of my films. Take a look at some of my award-winning web designs and contact me for a quote.
Print and web complement each other. As an art director and a designer working for both media, I combine on-line and off-line communication in one strong voice. I create print advertising campaigns, brochures, catalogs, reports, and editorial projects to support wide-ranging and persuasive communication. Browse through my print projects and call for an estimate.
I think great design depends on a thorough understanding of the client’s needs and industry. The strategy and the objectives of the company orient the aesthetic, functional and technological choices — never the other way around.
I always begin with a detailed analysis of your company and your industry. I conduct research, ask questions and gather a lot of information to clarify your needs. I can then provide a solution tailored exactly to your business objectives.
I tap into my 25 years of experience with internet and print, 16 years with industrial design, to consult and advise. I do not expect you to be a design specialist. I am happy to share and educate so you can make the most informed decisions possible. At the same time, I consider my client as a design team member, an expert in his / her industry and a natural source of ideas. Find out more about my outlook on collaboration.
I translate your goals and my solutions into a finished product using adaptive design processes. Discover some of my work methods.
I create information architecture to organize and structure data: texts, numbers, pictures, products and services. I analyze, conceptualize, classify and arrange information that will be collected, manipulated and communicated, before visual design even starts, whatever the medium.
Although information architecture is most visible as the basis of efficient websites, I believe information architecture applies to print and product design as well. Good information architecture adds value to any project.
Successful design blends superior ergonomics with pleasing aesthetics.
I benefit from deep knowledge of end-user habits, usability and readability, on-line or off-line. This knowledge allows me to either embrace common sense and create intuitive and easy to use web, print and product designs, or to distort and play around the rules to invent surprising, engaging and original designs. In any case, I always conduct ergonomics user tests to ensure that the concept actually works.
Because I am an artist with a background in painting, I take a refined approach towards design. I believe small details count and stop only when my design appears as close to ideal as possible.
Although I do broadly apply the same characteristic visual approach to all my designs, I build different visual solutions for each project. Each design helps to achieve the particular goals of each project in a unique way.
And because I am a filmmaker and photographer, interaction of still or motion pictures with type, color and composition is second nature to me. I often shoot illustrations specifically for the design project to further distinguish the brand from competition and make a stronger visual impact. Or add movement for even more punch.
Take a look at my design and photography portfolios and contact me for a quote.
I mix technology with creative process. Most of the time, my technical solutions inspire my visual solutions and vice versa.
I prefer to understand the technical possibilities and limitations of a medium, to transform them into opportunities. Code has inspired quite a few of my aesthetic choices. And of course, such breadth of skills affords greater control over design and fewer surprises at production time.
For the majority of websites, I generate a sizeable proportion of images, HTML, CSS and JavaScript on the server-side using PHP, Node.js, some variant of an SQL database, as well as Nginx’ rewrite rules, caching and load balancing. Depending on the project, I also add enhancements on the client-side: JavaScript, WebAssembly / Canvas / Web Components…
My understanding of prepress, color management, trapping, paper mechanics, inks, presses, varnishing, cropping, folding, and stitching affords extra creative freedom. I frequently deal with the prepress people and regularly go on the presses to run a job.
Describing my obsession with injection molding and 5-axis CNC milling, TIG and laser welding would require a text twice as long — let me just say I watch carbon fiber infusion and metallurgy videos while eating breakfast. Oh, and we had pencil and paper drafting in school — I just had to switch from GOST to ISO later on. 😆
I test early, I test often. Meticulous testing and supreme quality form the base of my work ethic. Read more about my commitment to typically Swiss quality (I was born in Geneva).
Often, a project does not stop after it goes live or into the hands of your customers. You may need to translate it into new languages and adapt to foreign regulations. You might want to extend the project’s features or mix on-line and off-line communication.
I offer a large gamut of services: ask me to help you with your various business challenges.
Read through my collection of tweets about design.
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