I studied at the Kiev Institute of Advertising at the Faculty of Graphic Design and at the same time began to work at the advertising agency and it turned in my profession and things I've been doing for 11 years.
01Could you please tell us about your experience as a designer, artist, architect or creator?
I studied at the Kiev Institute of Advertising at the Faculty of Graphic Design and at the same time began to work at the advertising agency and it turned in my profession and things I've been doing for 11 years. During this time I have an honor to work for world-known companies such as Nescafe, L'Oreal, Kraft foods, Philips, Cisco, LG, Porsche Ukraine, Samsung, JTI etc.;
02How did you become a designer?
Since my childhood, I was a creative kid, and after growing up, I realized that I want to build my life around art and design field. I started my career at one of the biggest agencies in Ukraine and later worked at several respected advertising agencies which work with world-famous clients and grow up to Art direction position. During all this time branding and advertising was my passion. After a while, I was very interested in technology and innovations that I can bring through the design vision so I continued my development as a UI/UX designer, but at the same time, I continue to work on the brand identity. This experience gave me the opportunity to become a multifunctional designer, so I can develop a whole product design from branding to user experience design.
03What are your priorities, technique and style when designing?
1. Research. I spend a lot of time within the research phase to understand who the users or clients are and what they are looking for, how current process is working and how to improve it. Interview with stakeholders is a very powerful tool that will help you to understand the business goals and give you a lot of information about product or brand you will be working on. Research phase also includes competitive analysis, user interview, and identify user goals. 2. Mock-ups. The next stage is directly working on the wireframing, prototyping and visual design part. 3. Testing on our users and check if everything works well.
04Which emotions do you feel when designing?
For me the most interesting phase - research and visual creation. As I mention before research and interview are a very important process. This phase includes psychology, understanding of users, and the creative part, searching for visual ideas like this can look like a result. And another phase - visual creation - of course always will be interesting for me as for creative person. Another the most inspiring part is when you see how real users use your product, how it brings them pleasure or benefit.
05What particular aspects of your background shaped you as a designer?
I think that very important to develop yourself in many creative areas - music, photography, read great books and watch well-filmed movies. Be interested in business and psychology, this will greatly help in working with clients, you will see it.
06What is your growth path? What are your future plans? What is your dream design project?
At this moment my goal is to grow as a designer, learn new technologies and share my experience. I would like to work on a project or technology that will change our world.
07What are your advices to designers who are at the beginning of their career?
Always do researching - it should be your daily process, so spend time learning new design trend, analyze how other designers work. You can try to make a prototype of some of the already existing product - you will learn how those or other processes work in real life.
08You are truly successful as a designer, what do you suggest to fellow designers, artists and architects?
Do every project the best possible quality with feeling like it's your own project in which you invested all your money.
09What is your day to day look like?
In addition to the main part of the work - designing, I spend a lot of time learning some new trends on design websites, I read magazines and news that relate to the design sphere. In addition, I always try to take a break during my working day, for example, for a short walk, the best ideas often come up at such unexpected moments.
10How do you keep up with latest design trends? To what extent do design trends matter?
Of course, I follow the trends, but at the same time, I developed my own style. Fortunately, my style - simple, clean, minimalistic - is exactly what is now in the trend and it will look good very for a very long time.
11How do you know if a product or project is well designed? How do you define good design?
I'm paying attention the visual appearance first, and then I go deep into certain details and functions.
12What is your biggest design work?
Of course, I'm very proud of my work Ptaha, that has already received many awards, including design. I'm also glad that I had the opportunity to work with many worldwide companies, such as Nescafe, L'Oreal, Kraft Foods, LG, Samsung - it was an incredible experience. But I'm not going to stop at this, now I'm working on the very interesting product, which includes both work on branding, and the website, hopefully soon I can present this work!
13Would you tell us a bit about your lifestyle and culture?
Now I live in San Francisco, one of the most innovative cities in the world so I get inspiration from the environment, technology and the people that surround me. Every day I get a new experience, through which I develop as a designer and grow as a human being. Some of the best and most talented people of the world have gathered here and to receive knowledge from them and to share my own it is a great honor.
14Would you tell us more about your work culture and business philosophy?
have a different experience, including of being the only one designer in a team and do design on my own, to work in the design team. I try to get into the spirit of the company and its culture, understand these standard processes, their users, and their needs. Many companies do not pay attention to the technical level of the designer due to what the visual part of the product and the function may not be implemented in the right way. Communication is very important, but besides this, real knowledge and experience are more important, so that designer not only talked about tasks but also implemented them and solve real problems.
15What are your philanthropic contributions to society as a designer, artist and architect?
Nowadays we have access to a huge amount of information. I'm always happy to share my experience, and I do it through the articles about my work processes and projects. I will be glad to do more in future and share my experience - take part in conferences and design events.
16What positive experiences you had when you attend the A' Design Award?
For me, it is a great honor to receive an award in such a prestigious competition. Appreciate it!
បទសម្ភាសន៍ទេវតារចនា
25 សំណួរ
I studied at the Kiev Institute of Advertising at the Faculty of Graphic Design and at the same time got internship at one of the biggest agencies in Ukraine.
01Could you please tell us a bit about your design background and education?
I studied at the Kiev Institute of Advertising at the Faculty of Graphic Design and at the same time got internship at one of the biggest agencies in Ukraine. And it turned in my life's work that I've been doing for 11 years.
02What motivates you to design in general, why did you become a designer?
I feel like I can solve problem through design user experience and make life more enjoyable. I'm happy to create meaningful and impactful products that inspire people around me.
03What do you design, what type of designs do you wish to design more of?
For many years I worked in advertising at several respected design studios and advertising agencies which work with world-famous clients and I've grow up to Art direction position. After a while, I was very interested in technology and innovations that I can bring through the design vision so I continued my development as a UI/UX designer, but at the same time, I continue to work on the brand identity.
04What should young designers do to become a design legend like you?
This is very trite, but true. Just love what you do. Pay attention to every detail, do it like for yourself, your personal project.
05What distinguishes between a good designer and a great designer?
Good designer do the product/project just good-looking. But it is much more important that this design would be understandable and usable for the users and perform the main stakeholders need. It’s the main task for great designer.
06What is the dream project you haven't yet had time to realize?
I would like to work on a project or technology that will change our world.
07What is your secret recipe of success in design, what is your secret ingredient?
Nothing special :) Just do your best and work hard everyday.
08How could people improve themselves to be better designers, what did you do?
My everyday ritual - researching - I spend a lot of time learning new design trend, analyze how other designers work. Develop yourself in many creative areas - from music to photography, it will help you in your work.
09If you hadn't become a designer, what would you have done?
Maybe I'd be a chef. I love cooking)
10How do you define design, what is design for you?
This is my passion, design is my life.
11Who helped you to reach these heights, who was your biggest supporter?
My wife :)
12What helped you to become a great designer?
Researching and learning - I spend a lot of time of searching a new design trend and analyze how other designers work. I think it’s “must” for each professional in any field. I also develop myself in many creative areas - from arts to photography, and even culinary it's a creativity for me. I develop myself in different design fields, both Product Design and Branding, multitasking its very important nowadays.
13What were the obstacles you faced before becoming a design master?
From the outside it always seems easy, but only diligent, hard work can lead to a decent result. Nevertheless, I'm sure that all my achievements are yet to come.
14How do you think designers should present their work?
This is a very important part, you need to show all the work processes, why there were certain stages and exactly how you came to this result.
15What's your next design project, what should we expect from you in future?
You'll see everything soon.
16What's your ultimate goal as a designer?
The main goal it’s to create product that helps people, meets their requirements and solves the problems they faced. A design that brings a new positive experience and emotions
17Which design projects gave you the most satisfaction, why?
Realization of the project and my idea and feeling when you satisfied someone's need, this is the greatest blessing for me. I'm proud and feel gratitude for being able to contribute to the industry and someone's life of course.
18When you have a new design project, where do you start?
First of all, I spend a lot of time within the research phase to understand who the users are and what they are looking for, how current process is working and how to improve it. Interview with stakeholders is a very powerful tool that will help you to understand the business goals and give you a lot of information about product or brand you will be working on. Research phase also includes competitive analysis, user interview, and identify user goals.
19Do you think design sets the trends or trends set the designs?
In my opinion nowadays technologies sets the trends in the design.
20What kind of design software and equipment do you use in your work?
Pen and paper, Sketch, Photoshop, Illustrator, Adobe XD, InVision.
21What is the role of the color, materials and ambient in design?
This is very important, sometimes this is the first thing a user can pay attention to.
22When you see a new great design or product what comes into your mind?
I'm inspired by new ideas.
23Who is your ideal design partner? Do you believe in co-design?
Yes, of course, it's very cool to work in a team. Especially with those people who inspire, support your ideas and we can come up with something interesting together.
24How do you feel about all the awards and recognition you had, is it hard to be famous?
I really appreciate the fact that I make a contribution to the design industry and it has been evaluated repeatedly by such respected design experts, but even more pleasant is that real users and customers like my work.
25What makes your day great as a designer, how do you motivate yourself?
The main thing is work on an interesting project with people who are exited with work they do.
បទសម្ភាសន៍អ្នករចនា
37 សំណួរ
Since my childhood, I was a creative kid, and after growing up, I realized that I want to build my life and career around art and design field.
01Could you please tell us more about your art and design background? What made you become an artist/designer? Have you always wanted to be a designer?
Since my childhood, I was a creative kid, and after growing up, I realized that I want to build my life and career around art and design field. I studied at the Kiev Institute of Advertising at the Faculty of Graphic Design and at the same time began to work at the advertising agency and it turned in my profession and things I've been doing for 11 years.
02Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
I started my career at one of the biggest agency in Ukraine - DIALLA, and later worked at several respected advertising agencies: D.Babych Design Studio, 360 Branding, AV Group. There I was working with world-famous clients and grew up to Art direction position. After a while, I was very interested in technology and innovations that I can bring through the design vision so I continued my development as a UI/UX designer, but at the same time, I continue to work on the brand identity.
03What is "design" for you?
I enjoy creating meaningful and impactful products that inspire and make life more enjoyable. Design should be simple but memorable, give emotion, solve the problem. It's not just a beautiful picture, it's a feeling, experience.
04What kinds of works do you like designing most?
My passion has always been to create a brand identity, but recently it is also the development of websites and mobile app.
05What was the first thing you designed for a company?
As I mentioned earlier, already during my studies I started working as a designer. I got an internship in one of the biggest at that time advertising agencies in Ukraine. And the first project I worked on was a very well known company (whose name I can not mention by reason od NDA). It was an incredible experience!
06What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
This is very dependent on the assigned task as all technology is constantly changing. Just with the help of this or that product, you can make your task faster, but the result depends only on your vision.
07When do you feel the most creative?
I am inspired by people, their ideas. Just imagine that 5 or 10 years ago we had no idea how technology will change the world now. Right now, my goal is to be part of this, create something meaningful and solve the problems.
08Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
I spend a lot of time in a research phase, generating ideas, understanding the problem and solving it. A lot of time for detailed drawing, and visualization. All processes are important, it's a puzzle that needs to be assembled.
09What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
This is a creative work, so so definitely feelings can change. But most of the time I'm excited and I can not stop :)
10What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
Realization of the project and my idea and feeling when you satisfied someone's need, this is the greatest blessing for me. I'm proud and feel gratitude for being able to contribute to the industry and someone's life of course.
11What makes a design successful?
Many facts affect design including marketing, strategy, idea, and quality of visualization. The most successful design is the one that helps people, meets their requirements and solves the problems they faced. A design that brings a new positive experience and emotions. And the most important - the design must be simple and understandable for everyone.
12When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
I am a visualizer by nature, I'm paying attention the visual appearance first, and then I go deep into certain details and functions.
13From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
The design should communicate with the consumer and the main duty of the designer in this is to make this communication as simple and understandable as possible. And more beautiful :)
14How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
The design will always be a part of our life, it is constantly evolving, moving with great speed as well as technology.
15When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
In October 2017, my work was at the exhibition dedicated to UKRAINIAN CREATIVE WEEK 2017. This event brings together three leading national contests: Ukrainian Design: The Very Best Of, KAKADU Awards and ADC*UA Awards in order to promote the development of the Ukrainian advertising and communications market and reward its most desirable representatives. I also got the award from Ukrainian Design: The Very Best Of which I am very proud of because our country (Ukraine, where I come from) has many talents, and being among them is an honor for me.
16Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
You have to constantly monitor and learn new trends and even create your own. Observing the work of other designers and learning popular design platforms and magazines is my every-day ritual. Also, my works are published in the popular blogs and magazines about design and I'm glad that I can inspire others.
17How would you describe your design style? What made you explore more this style and what are the main characteristics of your style? What's your approach to design?
It always depends on the assigned task and project, client's wishes, from the project to the project, it can crucially vary. Even if the design is not in my style, I try to do the best quality and perform the main functions. In general, I like simple, clean, understandable and user-friendly design with high attention to detail.
18Where do you live? Do you feel the cultural heritage of your country affects your designs? What are the pros and cons during designing as a result of living in your country?
Now I live in San Francisco, one of the most innovative cities in the world so I get inspiration from the environment, technology and the people that surround me. Every day I get a new experience, through which I develop as a designer and grow as a human being. Some of the best and most talented people of the world have gathered here and to receive knowledge from them and to share my own it is a great honor.
19How do you work with companies?
Communication is the key to success, I try to get into the spirit of the company and its culture, understand these standard processes, their users, and their needs.
20What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
Many companies do not pay attention to the technical level of the designer due to what the visual part of the product and the function may not be implemented in the right way. Communication is very important, but besides this, real knowledge and experience are more important, so that designer not only talked about tasks but also implemented them and solve real problems.
21Can you talk a little about your design process?
Processes can be very different depending on whether it's working on a brand identity or developing a new mobile application for example. If we talk about product design, there are a lot of stages. First of all, I spend a lot of time within the research phase to understand who the users are and what they are looking for, how current process is working and how to improve it.Interview with stakeholders is a very powerful tool that will help you to understand the business goals and give you a lot of information about product or brand you will be working on. Research phase also includes competitive analysis, user interview, and identify user goals. The next stage is directly working on the wireframing, prototyping and visual design part. Then we move to testing and check if everything works well.
22What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
Pencil, notebook, iMac, good music, coffee.
23Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
Researching - spend time learning new design trend, analyze how other designers work. You can try to make a prototype of some of the already existing product - you will learn how those or other processes work in real life. Develop yourself in many creative areas - from music to photography, it will help you in your work, you will see it. Develop yourself in different design fields, both Product Design and Branding, for example, it will help you to grow up as a professional. And after you fill you are ready to move forward - develop your own unique style.
24From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
Pros. It will never be boring. Interesting work that constantly gives you new knowledge and you study new areas and field of activity.Cons. This is a stressful job that has its difficulties, for example, constant deadlines. At the same time, this is a creative work that must always meet the highest level of performance at the same time understand the needs of marketing and functionality for customers.
25What is your "golden rule" in design?
Do every project the best possible quality with feeling like it's your own project in which you invested all your money.
26What skills are most important for a designer?
Erudition, open mindless, fast learning.
27Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
Pen and paper, Sketch, Photoshop, Illustrator, Adobe XD, InVision.
28Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
In advance I plan all processes on priorities and parts, allocate them the certain time.
29How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
Very depends on project and task, from one week to a couple of years.
30What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
:) How long will it take? How much will it cost?
31What was your most important job experience?
Each project gives some new experience and knowledge, sometimes more, sometimes less, but all steps of development are very important.
32Who are some of your clients?
While working at advertising agencies D.Babych Design Studio, 360 Branding, AV Group, I have an honor to work for world-known companies such as Philips, Cisco, Samsung, LG, Nescafe, L'Oreal, Kraft foods, Porsche Ukraine, JTI etc.;
33What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
For me, every process is very important, with its own challenges. Research phase gives me experience and knowledge in business, and work on a visual design, for example, help me to reveal myself as a creative person.
34What are your future plans? What is next for you?
My goals continue to grow, get more experience with new companies and projects.
35Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
I have a different experience, including of being the only one designer in a team and do design on my own, to work in the design team and hold the position of art director.
36How can people contact you?
Feel free to contact me at:Email: roman.vynogradnyi@gmail.com Website: http://vynogradnyi.com/ Dribbble: https://dribbble.com/romanvynogradnyi Behance: https://www.behance.net/romanvynogradnyi LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/romanodesign/
37Any other things you would like to cover that have not been covered in these questions?
A' Design Award គឺជាពានរង្វាន់រចនាល្អអន្តរជាតិដែលវាយតម្លៃដោយគណៈកម្មការ។ ចូលរួមក្នុង A' Design Award ដើម្បីទទួលបានឱកាសក្នុងការទទួលស្គាល់ដោយគុណសម្បត្តិ ទទួលបានកិត្តិនាម កិត្តិយស និងការផ្សព្វផ្សាយសម្រាប់ការងាររបស់អ្នក។ ដាក់ស្នាដៃរបស់អ្នកសម្រាប់ A' Design Award ហើយប្រកួតប្រជែងដើម្បីឈ្នះ A' Design Prize ដ៏គោរពរាប់អាន។