"By analyzing their projects, you learn from the masters": tips for designers

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Leaders tend to focus on those who dare to innovate and take actions that others only think about.

Art director Evgeny Lepyokhin recommends paying attention to designers and independent studios that are worth saving in your bookmarks.

Leader, editor, and artistic director.

Sergey Kulinkovich is a combination of depth of thought and attention to detail. I closely observed his work at Lebedev Studio long before we met. Each of his works had a unique style, and without needing to refer to the credits, I could confidently say: "This project was created under the direction of Kulinkovich."

Sergey is one of the most thoughtful designers I have encountered. I was fortunate to collaborate with him on Timestripe, a platform for individual and team planning. During our collaboration, I learned from Sergey to approach a product from the perspective of its essence, not its individual features, to make difficult decisions, to refuse compromises, and to transform reality with the help of your product.

Tobias van Schneider is a true icon of critical thinking. He is an enigma in the design world, and his presence can be compared to a ghost. It's extremely difficult to find interviews or public speeches by him online, yet he has become the source of almost a third of all my knowledge about design and art direction. This was made possible thanks to his blog and newsletter, which he has maintained for many years.

Although Tobias works alone, he has developed his own projects and has had the opportunity to collaborate with NASA. He serves as a clear example of how significant achievements can be achieved even on his own and that much is possible. Furthermore, his experience demonstrates that writing is the most effective way to convey ideas. Tobias has mastered this art and generously shares his knowledge for free.

Pentagram Studio embodies both diversity and clarity. First of all, it is worth noting that it is one of the longest-standing design studios both in the United States and in the world. Moreover, it is one of the rare international studios whose work I have been observing continuously for the past ten years. Finally, it is one of the few world-class multidisciplinary studios.

Pentagram's team includes true design legends such as Paula Scher, Michael Beirut, and Samar Makaroun. Getting to know their projects is an opportunity to learn from outstanding professionals. If you're interested in how these masters master typography and how they consistently and accurately shape the visual language of various brands, be sure to subscribe to their newsletter. Just one email a month will provide you with knowledge for an entire year.

37signals embodies simplicity and elegance. However, in this context, it is not the company itself that is more important, but its founders: Jason Fried and David Heinemeier-Hansson. I am convinced that it was these two people who had the greatest influence on me. They showed the importance of valuing your time, not procrastinating, and striving to solve problems with the minimum necessary resources - those that are available at the moment.

I recommend checking out the work of these authors, in particular such books as "Don't Go Crazy at Work" and "Shape Up" - the latter is available for free. You should also subscribe to their blogs to receive new posts by email. Jason and David share their insights into human interaction, making their articles and books a rich source of knowledge and practical experience in user-centered product development and design. They also remind us that behind every design is a human being.

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