Alona Yavorska
Head of Designer Team and designer-illustrator

How and when did you decide to start your career in design?

— It happened about 4 years ago. I just ran into web design courses online and remembered that I liked doing graphics in high school.

We even had a separate subject called career guidance. I realized back then that I was interested in working with computers and learning different software programs.

In the wave of this interest, I started taking courses. Now I don’t remember which ones. There were paid and free courses. I also read a lot of books on the subject. 

What projects have you worked on during your career?

— My entire work experience can be divided into two parts: freelancing, to which I devoted about a year, and working for the company for more than two years.

My freelance projects were very different: from drawing icons to designing Instagram pages, websites, landing pages, etc. That is, it was a period when I was able to maximize my various skills.

But in the company, the projects were already large, mostly working with Infobiz. And they were quite well-known products and events on a national scale in Ukraine. But unfortunately, I can’t tell you more because I signed a non-disclosure agreement. 

What has been interesting in your work recently?

— Probably, for me, it’s drawing illustrations. In my previous job, I hardly needed to do it, but I really enjoy this process. It is in illustrations that you can express yourself as much as possible because there are a minimum of rules and restrictions. It’s a kind of creativity in its purest form. 

What do you like most about being a designer?

— The opportunity to realize some of my fantasies from scratch, to generate something that has never existed before.

It is also important for me to create something that helps clients achieve their goals.

What is your mission in life? 

— My mission is to make it easier for people to perceive information. Because visuals help a lot. That is, with a high-quality picture, you can convey an idea to the end user faster and more clearly.

What are the pros and cons of the design profession in your opinion? 

— For me, the biggest advantage is that design is not a job in its standard sense. To a certain extent, it is a manifestation of yourself. Even when you are tired, you feel that you have done something important. 

The downside here is the limitations. These can be deadlines or frameworks set in terms of reference. Therefore, it is not always possible to realize all the ideas that come to mind.

Sometimes you want to go beyond to do something amazing, but you have to restrain yourself a bit and temper your perfectionism. 

What qualities should a designer have? 

— The most important thing is curiosity about the world and life. It is important not only to look at the works of other designers and be inspired by them but also to notice the very beauty of nature. For example, how flowers combine colors, etc.

When people say that a designer cannot do without good taste and creative vision, I agree with it. But I believe that these qualities can be developed if you have the same curiosity.

Perseverance is also important because in design you have to learn a lot of theory at the beginning. And to avoid getting bored, I can advise you on my life hack: create your feed, for example, on social media, so that it alternates between entertaining, professional, and educational content. This way, information is easy to remember. 

What were the biggest failures in your practice?

— What has happened is that I’ve run into trouble with deadlines. Especially when there is more than one task at work, and you want to do each of them at 200%. Well, deadlines are not elastic… But these are not failures, but something that makes me a little nervous.

In general, in my job, you are not the only one working on a product. Accordingly, you get a lot of feedback. So you can improve the result. And you have to try hard to fail. 

What advice would you give to a newbie who came to study with you?

— Believe in yourself. Even if you have doubts about your creativity. Because, as I said, there is a certain stereotype that a designer needs to be born a creative person — no. 

What you need to do is to believe in yourself and work endlessly on yourself, to look for a convenient form of education. Then everything will be fine.

What design trends do you see now?

— They are repeated from time to time. There’s been a design trend now — 3D use, popular illustrations, etc. 

What advice would you give as a designer to entrepreneurs who will read an interview with you?

— Don`t be afraid to experiment sometimes. It is clear that this always depends on financial capabilities and time, but you should try to allocate all possible resources for this.

Such experiments allow businesses to move to a new level, increase their recognition, increase sales, etc.

Thank you, Ayona! It was very interesting to learn about your professional career and expert opinion on certain issues.