Roman Vynogradnyi

LEGENDARY INTERVIEW

Design Legends ("DL") had the distinct honour to interview legendary designer Roman Vynogradnyi ("RV") for their original perspective and innovative approach to design as well as their creative lifestyle, we are very pleased to share our interview with our distinguished readers.

DL: Could you please tell us a bit about your design background and education?

RV : 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.

DL: What motivates you to design in general, why did you become a designer?

RV : 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.

DL: What do you design, what type of designs do you wish to design more of?

RV : 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.

DL: What should young designers do to become a design legend like you?

RV : This is very trite, but true. Just love what you do. Pay attention to every detail, do it like for yourself, your personal project.

DL: What distinguishes between a good designer and a great designer?

RV : 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.

DL: What is the dream project you haven’t yet had time to realize?

RV : I would like to work on a project or technology that will change our world.

DL: What is your secret recipe of success in design, what is your secret ingredient?

RV : Nothing special :) Just do your best and work hard everyday.

DL: How could people improve themselves to be better designers, what did you do?

RV : 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.

DL: If you hadn’t become a designer, what would you have done?

RV : Maybe I'd be a chef. I love cooking)

DL: How do you define design, what is design for you?

RV : This is my passion, design is my life.

DL: Who helped you to reach these heights, who was your biggest supporter?

RV : My wife :)

DL: What helped you to become a great designer?

RV : 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.

DL: What were the obstacles you faced before becoming a design master?

RV : 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.

DL: How do you think designers should present their work?

RV : 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.

DL: What’s your next design project, what should we expect from you in future?

RV : You'll see everything soon.

DL: What’s your ultimate goal as a designer?

RV : 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

DL: Which design projects gave you the most satisfaction, why?

RV : 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.

DL: When you have a new design project, where do you start?

RV : 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.

DL: Do you think design sets the trends or trends set the designs?

RV : In my opinion nowadays technologies sets the trends in the design.

DL: What kind of design software and equipment do you use in your work?

RV : Pen and paper, Sketch, Photoshop, Illustrator, Adobe XD, InVision.

DL: What is the role of the color, materials and ambient in design?

RV : This is very important, sometimes this is the first thing a user can pay attention to.

DL: When you see a new great design or product what comes into your mind?

RV : I'm inspired by new ideas.

DL: Who is your ideal design partner? Do you believe in co-design?

RV : 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.

DL: How do you feel about all the awards and recognition you had, is it hard to be famous?

RV : 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.

DL: What makes your day great as a designer, how do you motivate yourself?

RV : The main thing is work on an interesting project with people who are exited with work they do.