From Russia…with Big Dreams
By: Aiga Los Angeles
Tags: Interview, Career Paths, Graphic Design, Visual Design

Ana (Design Toast): So, full disclosure for our readers, we have known each other for quite a while. We met back in prep art school in Estonia when we were still in our early teens. Then we lost touch and reconnected a few months ago. I don’t really know much about your life or career during the time between then and now. How did you get your start as a designer?

Katerina: Almost right out of Estonian Academy of Arts in 2011 I moved to Moscow. I worked as a freelancer at first and managed to win some awards despite little experience at that time. I’ve known my life would be connected with art since I was a kid. I used to be interested in fashion design. Then–in architecture. In the end I decided to choose something more broad–graphic design combines everything that I enjoy.

Ana: Nowadays you work as a freelancer, though you’ve had a wide range of experience working both in an in-house and agency setting…What made you want to switch to freelancing?

Katerina: In Moscow I used to work at a web agency, Belti, as well as a large sports company, Sportdepo, as a lead designer. When I moved to Sochi in september of 2018, I shifted focus to freelancing. Some of my latest clients include the publishing house “Novoye Nebo” [“New Sky”] and the car maker Haval who I created a holiday gift packaging for. As a freelancer I am more free to choose my projects.

All photos courtesy of Katerina Makatrovskaya.

Ana: Based on what I know about you, you are what I call a versatile creative (others might use the word “unicorn”)..Any specific examples of when going beyond the graphic or web design scope came useful on a project?

Katerina: There were a few curious moments with clients. When our team started working on “House of Football”, we reached out to an Italian agency for retail concept design. According to the concept, the store was supposed to have 2 stories with a circular staircase in the middle. However, the stories of the building were purposefully misaligned, which caused severe spacing issues on the second story between the staircase and wall. Since I was in charge of the project, I noticed that based on the proposed design, we would be losing 43 sq ft of useful retail space. That’s considering leasing prices in Moscow. The agency ended up changing the drafts and the type of the staircase used.

All photos courtesy of Katerina Makatrovskaya.

Ana: As designers, we often work with constraints, be it budget limitations, corporate bureaucracy, or unrealistic timelines. Our task is to make these constraints work in our favor. Do you have any inspiring stories about defying such limitations?

Katerina: When I was working at Sportdepo, they introduced a new customer loyalty campaign. My job was to come up with 5 concepts: 4 for different types of sport–soccer, hockey, martial arts, figure skating–and a premium card. Though I had creative freedom, the subject matter of professional sport is quite specific, on top of which I felt limited by the corporate color palette. I spent over a month working on the design and ditched almost 70 ideas before I got anywhere with it. When I did, it required extensive Photoshop-ing with numerous treatments and layering to achieve the 3-dimensional effect you can see in the images. I composited 24 photos of the same equipment from various angles, trying to instill movement into the design.

Some time later, a mom of a figure skater came to a store in Nizhny Novgorod and was offered the loyalty card with the figure skating theme–she seemed very pleased. Next thing we know, 200 cards are gone because all the moms from that school came and got them. This was the project I received a national “Victoria Awards” for in 2017.

Ana: What about some less-than-perfect client experiences?

Katerina: I had an extremely beneficial experience with an orthodox publishing house. See, there are specific canons when dealing with religious depictions. I was working on promotional banners for them. We settled on a concept–a pattern using various orthodox symbols. We settled on the color palette. And I started working on mockups. It’s our final presentation and I’m going over the designs as I notice the client in somewhat of a shock. Turns out the rotated cross in the pattern was entirely against the canon and I had to redo all 20 banners.

All photos courtesy of Katerina Makatrovskaya.

Ana: Is there a project you consider your golden ticket when pitching a project or applying for a job?

Katerina: It was 2013. An important client was looking to create a brochure that would be impressive when showing the top-managers of their customers. The client’s business was cement and concrete… This needed some creativity, so on top of a non-standard layout I paid close attention to the paper, the Pantone colors, even the UV-gloss. The brochure turned out excellent–matte balck cover with spot gloss and gold foil. In the end, the brochure cost as much as a great book. The client was extremely proud.

Ana: You are currently planning your move to the States and you mentioned wanting to work for a big name company once there. Do you have an ultimate career dream?

Katerina: Since I was 17, my dream has been to work on the innovative new projects of Apple. I must be their biggest fan–I love their philosophy, their tech, and the style. I would love to be able to add to the history of this brand.

My other big dream is to start my own design school. At the end of February 2020, I am launching my new site and announcing the first few courses. My hope is to help young designers, marketing professionals, social media specialists, and anyone working with their hands. By the way, I already have my first few students whom I teach remotely. I am very much looking forward to seeing what the future brings.