What I do
My day is pretty simple: task manager, Figma, writing, calls. When I'm stuck, I grab paper and a pen. Hands moves faster than a mouse.

What people don't see
1. It takes time. You can't invent for 24 hours straight. One strong idea a day, maybe two. Then you recharge. AI helps — but it's still not magic.
2. And most of the work is strategy and research. A lot of thinking, a lot of questions, a lot of analysis. People see the logo at the end. But the logo is not the job. It's just the last step.

How I learned
University in Saint Petersburg. It helped a little. Everything else I taught myself — online, at home. I still do that.

On tools
Don't overestimate them. In 18 years I've gone through CorelDraw, Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, Sketch, Figma — and it's still changing. Learn the current tool fast — it takes a week or two — then move on. The tool is not the skill.

The real skills
Taste — how much you've seen, why things work, why people respond to them. Creativity — the ability to actually invent something. Communication — brand design is visual, but to communicate visually you need to understand people. What motivates them. Why they buy things. That's psychology, that's marketing. That's where the real work is.

If I were 15 again
Skip university. Do a short intensive program. Intern at the best studio you can get into. Post your work constantly. Think globally from day one. Don't look for the best studio in your city — look for the best studio in the world. The sooner you get there, the better your experience will be.