Interviews with Denis Elianovsky

My earliest experiences came about by chance. I was initially drawn to the industry of manual labour, but naturally excelled in a design position when the opportunity presented itself. I went on to obtain my Masters of Design and Service of Microprocessor Based Systems from Mendeleev University. Eager to work, I founded opium.pro soon after.

Our work ethic has met with success. We already provide for some of the largest companies in Eastern Europe

By chance. I found myself having to become the breadwinner in the family earlier than most. I tried my hand in physically laborious positions, and after a workplace incident involving a chemical burn, I determined I wasn't cut out for such an environment.

Serendipity landed me in a design position, where I was first asked to customize a business card. I found this work engaging and satisfying. To this day those clients still use those cards. It seemed clear to me that I could pursue this venture as a rich and rewarding profession.

We make mock ups and broadly interpret what we want. A surprising amount of which is done with pencil and paper. Then it's merely a matter of trial and error. You have to be willing to meet a lot of challenges head on and not sacrifice short of your objective. Each new work is a learning curve.

Speaking for myself, when I work it's a sense of autopilot. I'm sure there is an outpouring of some sort. Like some kind of cathartic expression, but I love to find that productive flow state, and find that the hours just fly by.

Prospects were pretty limited where I come from. That is, limited if you don't make the work come to you. My city's main exports are in chemical manufacturing. There's nothing ignoble about being a laborer, but it's not an environment in which everyone can thrive.

I have always been interested in the intersections of cultures, both traditional and new, such as online communities and environments. Now my community is an international one, diverse with life experiences to share and learn from.

I honestly simply want to keep focusing on building my company. The objective is ultimately to liberate people from the monotony of labour, and give people free time to peruse their own personal interests. Any future projects will ultimately aim towards this common goal.

Be unapologetically true to yourself. Imitation, however flattering becomes stale. It’s absolutely fine as a starting point when learning. Maybe even necessary. However, once you have sharpened your tools, then, as the saying goes, to thine own self be true.

See above. This it true for anyone at any stage of their career. Especially if they are privileged enough to be in a position where they can shape their own vision.

Each day presents new challenges because I actively seek them out. I work late. Very late. My colleagues have quickly learnt to put their phones on silent so as to avoid the nightly 4am text ' what do you think of this, blah blah blah..' I code for fun, because if you have the right work relationship, it is fun.

I should hope that i very much stick to my own design, and heed not too much of what trends have to say. If it should happen that my work is in vogue, then well and good. I guess it would be regarded as contemporary. If it’s out of season, then it’s hip in another way. It'd be leftfield and unconventional.

When I have little to no sense or memory of having used it. Whether to communicate, or obtain data or products. When it’s a seamless harmonious part of the every day.

This is an eternal question.Generally something undergoes several revisions, but the beauty of maintenance and updating means opportunities for new developments.

For now it's the same project that won the award. I consider it the biggest because it has the most significant number of audience. Hundreds of thousands of users, maybe even millions in the future when it passes all the tests. Just the number of potential users really changes your approach to the project and makes you think much more carefully when making decisions.

If you asked me this question tomorrow, I'd almost certainly give you a different answer. For today, I'll just say Naoto Fukasawa. His emphasis on introducing a new element, with something already familiar, is a foolproof approach to methodology. Given that I so often work with basic materials in the early stages of a projects development, it's little wonder I'm a sucker for beautiful and functional stationary.

I'm a digital nomad. For the last 5 years I move to another home approximately every 3 months. Sometimes it's a flat in the same city, but different district, and sometimes it's another country. All my belongings for this period of time can be fit into a piece of hand luggage. It's a good opportunity to learn the about world and find out that there are not many differences between different people when it comes to day-to-day things.

Don't try to change people. Just work with those who are already doing what you need them to do.

I think information has to be free for everyone. The only secrets we have in opium.pro are the secrets of our clients. Besides, we don’t hide anything that helps us to work, but share it. We release posts and articles, make videos for young designers and software developers, and contribute to open source software to help them do their work better.

And at the same time, personal information and privacy is a completely different thing. People underestimate the power and importance of it and share it too easily. So on the other hand I also help non-IT people to be more protected on the internet.

At the very least, we hope to get more clients from all over the worlds of course. I'm sure, getting one of the most valuable awards in the world a heck of a good start.

We felt motivated to: - design a flexible and effective tool for creating an EDMS of any complexity level; - develop and implement innovative financial services and solutions while increasing monetization options; - provide services and solutions that increase customer satisfaction; - increase revenue growth for the financial institution by means of digitalization and expansion of banking services and sales channels.

Significant part of the project was UX-testing. In order to make sure that our hypotheses are correct and their respective solutions lead to the best possible user experience, we tested the product prototype on our several focus groups.

The project started in September 2019. The first UX tests were made in December 2019. The project was ready for first part of implementation in June 2020. Right now the first version of it is implemented and is under closed pilot testing of several banks. This design is being continuously being improved and filled with new functionality (May 2022).

We made it for JTC (Just a Team of Creators), one of the top IT suppliers for banks in Eastern Europe. They help clients to ensure the digital transformation of their business and we did the design and interaction part.

The design and the app itself will be used by JTC to improve the interface and interaction experience for customers of many medium and small size banks, who don't have enough of a budget to create their own app using such high standards.

Financial software is what we have been doing for the last 5 years. Probably that is our thing.

You and me, everyone who is older than 18 and uses banks. That is what made the work harder. A wide audience makes us create the app in a suitable way for almost everyone, but at the same time it makes much harder to show the uniqueness of the design.

The thing about the product is that it can be technically implemented in the ecosystem of almost every bank and be customized to every design system.

We wanted to specify that the old fashioned banks are going to go through a big change, going to make a flip, if you allow me to say so. In my native language we use the word Salto for that. The word is Italian and my Italian friend approved that Salto Rondata would fit perfectly for the occasion.

The product was created in the Figma app. Implementation of interface was made on React Native using Typescript.

Being software developers ourself, we work closely with other software developers to show them how our design can be implemented the most efficient way.

In order to check our hypotheses we made 5 UX researches and deep interviews with a target audience. 2 of 5 sessions were provided by going out and testing with people on the street. 3 other sessions were provided with preliminarily invited respondents. Generally we made two types of tests (UX test and deep interview) with 30 people from 20 to 56 years of age. The next stages of the product development are being continued up till now, so more tests are to be provided.

The main challenge was to make a unique application, visibly different from our competitors. Fresh looking, but at the same time available to be sold as white label and easily changed to fit any style guide.

A friend of mine simply told me "Wow, it's great, you have to submit it to an international design competition". By the way, it was the same friend who helped us with the name.

My name is Denis Elianovsky. I hold a Master of Design and Service of Microprocessor Based Systems from Mendeleev University. I am the founder of opium.pro software company. We work at the intersection of software design and engineering, creating sophisticated IT solutions for some of the largest companies in Eastern Europe

I was good at it, and naturally gravitated into the field. My world view has been largely shaped by the perspective that we spend too much of our precious little time on monotonous and unfulfilling tasks. Considerate and thoughtful design can do it's part to circumvent these conditions.

My Father passed away when I was quite young, which necessitated that I find work earlier than most. Having tried my hand in laborious positions, serendipitous circumstance landed me in a design position, at which, somewhat to my surprise, I naturally excelled and felt most comfortable.

We design and provide interaction between people and complex computer systems. We have a lot more quality we’re eager and capable of delivering.

Immerse yourself in projects that you care about. Build a project around something you love. Be it a tv show, a sports team, whatever. Just get started and from there your passion projects will grow, and you will treat every assignment with the same personal attention to detail.

Their objective. You can be a talented designer and make functional work, but if your objective is simply it’s completion, you have missed the point. Quality products enamor the user to return, for the seamless experience of using the service.

To quote Futurama, If you do things right, no one will be certain you did anything at all. Good design becomes an innate part of every life, providing an invaluable convenience.

Good design can enable greater personal liberty. Time is fleeting, and no one wants to be suffocated with technocratic clutter. We should be free to practice and partake in discourse, dialogue and democracy, free of mundanity.

I know it's corny but really there's really nothing I'd rather be doing that building my own company.

The old maxims are true. Success is a mixture of hard work and luck. The latter is in the lap of the Gods, but you must do your part. If you are unsure of your abilities, say goodbye to that version of yourself and fake it until you make it. It can feel dubious at first, but better that than inaction.

I think it best to take inspiration from a variety of fields, not just agency design. The original artistic work of Chris Cunningham, the Dutch designer Marteen Baas, or product design of Naoto Fukasawa for example. I'm a sucker for MUJI stationary.

We are improving all the time. Although we are proud of every project, the newest one is always the opportunity for improvement. Our latest baby is a design for our own startup — 3+5

I actually wanted to go to a military academy for some time after school. Not so much to play soldier, but rather it seemed a streamlined opportunity to get into q hands on engineering position. Ultimately, I settled for a less greasy form of engineering.

Design is an extension, and satisfactory realization of a desire.

Every bully, every doubter. That’s the best motivation.

Just adapting. Despite my early engineering aspirations, my complete and utter clumsiness, and inability to work with my hands forced me to look elsewhere.

It’s important to be true to yourself. Imitation, however flattering it might be, is a fine starting point, but it is a shallow end point. Few things are more refreshing than designers who can march to the beat of their own drum.

Big things on the horizon. We are launching our own financial startup in EU. http://3p5.app

There is no goal, only the path

Generally, both customers and partners expect to get more money working with me. But I really love those rare and sophisticated projects which are very hard to accomplish and the customer chooses the best of the best to be sure that the things will be done as they are supposed to be done.

Convenience purely for more consumption is the antithesis of a healthy society. I think convenience so as to facilitate greater personal control and time management are a fulfilling consequence of good design.

There is so much focus on AI and it’s inevitability. Not without some nervousness. However, the hand of the maker will never be exempt. Further I hope the reasons why we work, not just how we work, will also change to better reflect a healthy society.

Usually it takes at least 3 months. But sometimes it can take a year or more. The emphasis is on delivering quality. Designing for failure disrespects both the customer and provider alike.

At the end and work backwards. Meaning I have identified what’s missing, and strive to make it manifest.

I think design and trends exist independently of each other, and it is people who fight for what sets what depending on their bias.

It’s fundamental. Beginning with the technology of a pen, paper, rock and coil, and ultimately the establishment of communication between a human and a technology.

For now we make use of the Figma app. But honestly we just as often simply use pen paper. Making the process tactile and familiar, this encourages a sort of personal value and association.

Speaking of software and interface design, I would add the quality of internet connection and user's device to the list. Fast internet and modern device make any app better.

“Where can I get more of this?”

Again, people who march to the beat of their own drum, and pursue their own goals. We find the best results by respecting peoples' personal space and not creating needless bureaucratic boundaries.

Trial and error. You cannot start from nothing, imitate work you know that works, and repeat it until you develop your own distinctive style. The more influences the better. As long as you are keeping momentum you are developing as a creator.

My own stressed out and worried family, just to reassure them that things are going to be fine.

I could get used to it. It’s an invaluable learning experience. There is so much talent out there, and it’s s joy to be a part of.

I cannot answer this I’m sorry. All these things are transient and subjective to time and place.. ok fine..red, the forest, spicy, summer, my headphones and..brands in general?.. Lego.

When we had just opened a studio opium.pro, our first customer was a large wholesaler of bathroom furniture. They never worked with the internet and wanted to try it out. So we started to make an e-market for them. We had to do some somewhat unconventional stuff, even taking photos of all their production for them.

Their warehouse was placed in a village some 200km from our city. So I took a photographer and my old car and at 4am and we hit the road, for 4 hours. We knew that they had a lot of stuff and we were ready to spend the whole day there.

When we finally reached the place, a customer's employee met us and walked us into the warehouse. He opened a huge door and we saw a great wall of toilet bowls. The wall was at least 15 meters high. To get a single photo, workers would unstack and present a bowl, we'd photo it, and then they'd take it away and put it back. This process repeated all day, and we had a fascinating day taking photos of endless toilet bowls.

By the end of the day, we hadn't even started with photos of baths and sinks. Good thing this was in the summertime. We decided not to spend 8 hours more driving home and then back again. So we slept in the car, accompanied by the lamenting howls of the warehouse guard dogs, under the looming shadows of porcelain toilet bowl mountains.

The arc history is full of peaks and valleys, but ultimately the trend is a progressive one. I am not a utopian, yet I am optimistic looking at how far we have come, and grateful that we might contribute to better future.

My Father passed away when I was quite young, which necessitated that I find work earlier than most. Having tried my hand in laborious positions, serendipitous circumstance landed me in a design position, at which, somewhat to my surprise, I naturally excelled and felt most comfortable.

I am the founder of opium.pro software company. We work at the intersection of software design and engineering, creating sophisticated IT solutions for some of the largest companies in Eastern Europe

Design is an extension, and satisfactory realization of a desire.

I really love the projects on which failed many of the previous attempts. It's always satisfying to finally get the things done. Especially when it comes to something complex.

We are improving all the time. Although we are proud of every project, the newest one is always the opportunity for improvement. Our latest baby is a design for our own startup — 3+5

A business card. It was 14 years ago. Just of curiosity I called the customer recently and it turned out that they are still using my design for their business cards.

All my colleagues eventually find out how to use do not disturb mode on their phones because I send a lot of messages at 4am, the most productive time.

I start at the end and work backwards. Meaning I have identified what’s missing, and strive to make it manifest.

I can't say I feel anything. Actually I barely can feel the time itself during designing. You have just started and boom, it's 4am

I start noticing what we have missed in it and what we might have done better. I suppose this is a feeling of frustration.

To quote Futurama, If you do things right, no one will be certain you did anything at all. Good design becomes an innate part of every life, providing an invaluable convenience.

The objective. You can be a talented designer and make functional work, but if your objective is simply it’s completion, you have missed the point. Quality products enamor the user to return, for the seamless experience of using the service.

Convenience purely for more consumption is the antithesis of a healthy society. I think convenience so as to facilitate greater personal control and time management are a fulfilling consequence of good design.

There is so much focus on AI and it’s inevitability. Not without some nervousness. However, the hand of the maker will never be exempt. Further I hope the reasons why we work, not just how we work, will also change to better reflect a healthy society.

Don't force yourself to do anything, just relax and listen to the silence till it speaks back to you. If it says something about deadlines, then you are inspired enough and it's time to do stuff.

It's probably a good thing to find the right person inside the company, the one who is really interested in

changing something and has the resources and power for that. And when we have found them, we just work with these people, respect and mind their priorities.

There is no way choose the best one for you without working with them. So just start with something small and look carefully at their attitude. The attitude stays the same regardless if the project is small or it is big.

Immerse yourself in projects that you care about. Build a project around something you love. Be it a tv show, a sports team, whatever. Just get started and from there your passion projects will grow, and you will treat every assignment with the same personal attention to detail.

The old maxims are true. Success is a mixture of hard work and luck. The latter is in the lap of the Gods, but you must do your part. If you are unsure of your abilities, say goodbye to that version of yourself and fake it until you make it. It can feel dubious at first, but better that than inaction.

It’s important to be true to yourself. Imitation, however flattering it might be, is a fine starting point, but it is a shallow end point. Few things are more refreshing than designers who can march to the beat of their own drum.

For now we make use of the Figma app. But honestly we just as often simply use pen paper. Making the process tactile and familiar, this encourages a sort of personal value and association.

Designing is also a really pleasurable task, the time is not a problem.

Usually it takes at least 3 months. But sometimes it can take a year or more. The emphasis is on delivering quality. Designing for failure disrespects both the customer and provider alike.

Why does it cost so much?

Big things on the horizon. We are launching our own financial startup in EU. http://3p5.app

A team. The name is opium.pro

ilove@opium.pro