Interview with Sergei Didyk

Sergei Didyk ("SD") interviewed on Saturday, 17 March.

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

SD : In 1983 I finished Estonian Academy of Arts, Graphic Design and Photography studies. It has already been 35 years that I am dealing only with design and photography.

How did you become a designer?

SD : At school I didn't assume yet that I would eventually become a designer, but my mother happened to be an architect and a building constructor and she wanted her son to know how to draw. So she found me a great drawing teacher. That left me no other option but to get enrolled into the Art Academy in Tallinn.

What are your priorities, technique and style when designing?

SD : While working on the new project I always go through three phases. First and foremost is a search for the visual idea. I am doing many sketches with pencil, simulating the shooting, contemplating the details and methods and evaluating the results. The second phase is the shooting of the best idea I had – no difference whether digital or on film. The third phase is postproduction, Photoshop. One can call it a polishing of the original idea.

Which emotions do you feel when designing?

SD : Emotionally each project can be very different. Sometimes one goes through torments of idea shaping and the shooting itself is a piece of cake. Sometimes quite the contrary – a great idea is very difficult to realize while shooting. And that is what I like the most – each work is not supposed to resemble anything I have done before.

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

SD : I am glad that in my work many skills and abilities happened to be useful. For example, good drawing skills, solding of electrotechnics and photo-shooting. I can also sew and restore classic cars.

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

SD : The best advice I have ever received was an advice in the beginning of my career from one elder colleague - „First you have to work a lot to build your name, then your name will start working on you“. Besides, I advise everyone to read instructions carefully. ))

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

SD : I would advise it to myself and to others – while having rational, professional and pragmatic methods of work to be able to break away from the frames of banality and open yourself to something unpredictable, to something that is called courage.

What is your day to day look like?

SD : I do not have a certain day schedule. That makes me in a way more like a freelancer. I wake up quite late. I take time in preparing myself a breakfast. After eating the breakfast I start working – usually at noon. I am working till late evening. At night I am watching Discovery channel, for general information. When I get bored or there is no work to do I go to my garage and and continue the everlasting restoration of my favourite Citroen DS. We are together for 22 years already.

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

SD : I kept up with the latest design trends and learned new things already 40 years ago, 20 years ago and today. How? I read many magazines, I surf the Internet, I visit exhibitions and analyse photos. I try to understand how they were made, but I never try to just copy them. This knowledge will manifest itself in my own ideas.

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

SD : I determine if design is good or bad in a very simple way – based on whether I like it or not. On the subconscious level.

How do you decide if your design is ready?

SD : As a rule, whether the project is ready or not decides deadline, not me. ))

What is your biggest design work?

SD : My most interesting and successful work I consider to be the poster «Full bodied taste. Enjoy slowly.» for cognac Courvoisier. This poster received Gold on Summit Creative Awards in 2003. In addition to photo-shooting we had to construct and sew a corset with non-standard proportions.

Who is your favourite designer?

SD : I have a very personal attitude to great designers. Flaminio Bertoni - Citroen DS, Robert Opron - Citroen CX and David Lewis - Bang & Olufsen: these are the masterpieces I use every single day. And every single day I am amazed by their design.

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

SD : I was born and I live in Estonia and without doubt Tallinn is my favourite city. Local mentality could be called Scandinavian and the attitude towards design is Scandinavian as well.

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

SD : I prefer to work alone or with a small team that I know from long ago. Photography, as compared to the cinema, is a very personal type of art.

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

SD : Along with my work I teach photography course to the graphic design students in the Estonian Academy of Arts.

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

SD : It was really interesting for me to take part in A’Design Award. The thing is that it was the first competition I took part in by myself, not hiding behind some advertising agency. I really appreciate the attentiveness and help of the organizers. And of course, to receive Platinum on my first participation was just tremendous! ))

Sergei Didyk Profile