Interview with Olha Takhtarova

Olha Takhtarova ("OT") interviewed on Sunday, 3 May.

Could you please tell us about your experience as a designer, artist, architect or creator?

OT : My career in Design started in 2006. I worked as an Interior Designer and Graphic Designer in creative and design companies. Today I continue my way in my own studio. My own design studio SOT B&D was opened in 2015. The studio majors are visual identification, packaging, web design, illustration. More than 200 projects for local and foreign clients from Ukraine, Germany, Belgium, Canada, Poland, UAE, Russia, USA were implemented by SOT B&D within 5 years.

How did you become a designer?

OT : My interest in art began in early childhood. I was fond of drawing and my parents let me have lessons in the art studio. Afterward, I started my education in art school, and in 5 years of training I received my first profession "Decorative Designer". My artistic journey continued after high school and resulted in two higher education degrees – Fine Arts and Interior Design. Becoming a designer was my well-considered decision. This was not accidental or forced. I received appropriate education, went with self-education, took lessons to improve professional skills, gained experience working in companies, founded my own company.

What are your priorities, technique and style when designing?

OT : I divide the work on the project into several stages. These steps help me design professionally. Study. Information gathering and understanding. Focusing. Understand the essence of the problem. Idea generation. Idea development to the defined idea. Choice of the idea. Selection the most effective idea from a number of them. Create an initial sample. Prototype. Testing. Receiving customers’ feedback.

Which emotions do you feel when designing?

OT : My favorite part of the project is creating the design itself when all the information is collected, briefs are read, meetings are held, details are clarified. Vivid emotions make me an effective result for complex projects that lasted for months. Invested heavily and with much energy in them.

What particular aspects of your background shaped you as a designer?

OT : To work a lot Learning from mistakes and leaving the comfort zone. Be disciplined and know how to plan your time. Constantly learning and absorbing new knowledge Do not finish the project until you are convinced of its correctness.

What is your growth path? What are your future plans? What is your dream design project?

OT : Since very childhood, I work on my design skills, develop creativity. I have grown professionally, and I am not going to stop in the future. Now I pull up with my design quality, improve my professional skills. I have big plans for my future. I would like to make my personal brand stronger in order to give my clients more of a great design on comfortable terms for cooperation.

What are your advices to designers who are at the beginning of their career?

OT : To become a great designer, you must practice a lot. This is the only way to get experience. In order to create out-of-box solutions and be a real expert, you need to improve your skills constantly, move the bar upwards, step out of your comfort zone, learn new things, work on mistakes and improve your visual culture. Despite how good a specialist you are, if you do not know how to communicate with people, interact with them, you will not be able to sell your work.

You are truly successful as a designer, what do you suggest to fellow designers, artists and architects?

OT : When working on a project, I would advise you not to rely on your own judgment and knowledge, but to ask more questions. The effective design begins with the collection of information and critical reflection on a project. Who am I creating this for? How will they use my design? What resources does a client have at disposal? Has anyone else tried to do this?

What is your day to day look like?

OT : My usual day begins with coffee and watching Instagram feeds. Design the publics that I subscribed to and their beautiful images inspire my day and I smoothly enter the workflow. I always plan my working day in advance, check the deadline, determine priority, answer phone calls and emails, get inspired by other designers’ works, and, of course, listen to good music.

How do you keep up with latest design trends? To what extent do design trends matter?

OT : I constantly improve my skills, move the bar upwards, learn new things, work on mistakes in order to be a great designer. I try to keep updated on news in architecture, fashion, design, illustration, photography. I analyze, absorb, and put much into practice. There are trends that have already become classics, they do not lose their relevance with years. I do not chase design trends. Because trends are passing, but the good design remains.

How do you know if a product or project is well designed? How do you define good design?

OT : Informative. The design aims to convey a lot of information to a consumer: from attracting attention to a product to answering a wide variety of questions. Distinctive. It helps to sort and differentiate the world around us through design elements. Emotional. It evokes certain feelings in us, connecting us with the objective world and forming a certain opinion about it. Good design should attract attention and trigger emotions

How do you decide if your design is ready?

OT : When the design fully answers the previously asked questions and causes the necessary emotions. When design touches and is remembered.

What is your biggest design work?

OT : Now I am working on several projects. Some of them are almost completed, and some have already been printed and will appear in retail stores soon. I like the challenges of big projects when you are to blend many details. And the creation of illustrations - they make the project highly unique.

Who is your favourite designer?

OT : There are so many great inspiring designers in the world that I cannot single out anyone specifically. I always enjoy their accomplishments and new projects in social networks. Admire such outstanding personalities who revolutionized design: Ron Arad, Peter Behrens, Philippe Starck, Andy Warhol, and others.

Would you tell us a bit about your lifestyle and culture?

OT : I live in Ukraine. This country has a rich history and ancient traditions. This allows you to create incredibly interesting and unique projects. Ukrainian traditions and mythology can be easily interpreted in the modern world. The design makes order out of chaos, creates mood, affects minds. Design cannot really solve global problems by itself. Nevertheless, it can change the perception of these problems and influence solutions.

Would you tell us more about your work culture and business philosophy?

OT : I work on projects myself. Thus, I am completely confident in the result and stay on top of it. I believe in partnership. But only when the partner is self-sufficient and can do his or her part without my hints and alterations.

What are your philanthropic contributions to society as a designer, artist and architect?

OT : Designers create a certain style for the time frame in which they work. I am pleased to be part of this. For several years now, on a charitable basis, I have been developing a design for youth Christian organizations in Ukraine.

What positive experiences you had when you attend the A’ Design Award?

OT : First of all, for me, it is a great honor to receive such a high award. This means that my work, my efforts were appreciated. It inspires me to new heights and victories. It motivates you to make your design even better.

Olha Takhtarova Profile