Interview with Dmytro Lynnyk

Dmytro Lynnyk ("DL") interviewed on Wednesday, 15 June.

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

DL : Becoming a designer that evolved into a creative director who manages his agency began in 2003 when I graduated from the University and began to study this profession on my own. That is, for more than 19 years I have been constantly honing my skills. During this time I managed to work with such brands as: Cosmopolitan L'Oreal Lancom Mary Kay Philips ABBY I graduated from the Higher School of Branding in the direction of Brand Design, having received a second higher education.

How did you become a designer?

DL : I was predisposed to design from birth. My family, my father and uncle were professional artists and I grew up surrounded by art. I graduated from art school and have always loved to draw. I especially loved the composition. My acquaintances, knowing my inclinations, offered me a job in their newspaper, on the condition that in 2-3 months I would study programs that I did not know. It was an amazing learning experience at night in their office at their computer. I didn't have my own computer at the time. And there, at my very first job, I felt that I had made the right choice.

What are your priorities, technique and style when designing?

DL : First, it is a process of exploration. Research the Market, Business and Audience for whom this design will be made. Since different audiences need a different design so that they can respond, so that they can be interested After researching and understanding the movement vector, I collect moodboards, examples of style work. Also moodboards of the target audience. I'm confused about all aspects of the life of the person who will then use my design. To understand what is important in his life, what insights, which sometimes he himself may not be aware of. Then I take a pencil, a blank sheet of paper and start sketching, looking at the mood boards. This is where real creativity comes in. After choosing the most successful idea with my team, after brainstorming, I proceed to digitize on a computer. First in black and white, in order not to be distracted by color and give more meaning to form and composition. After choosing the best option, I begin to select colors and, having chosen the best option, I design all the elements of visual identification. And the final step is a presentation to the customer.

Which emotions do you feel when designing?

DL : I get pleasure when I find a good idea. For me, it's like looking for an emerald or like sifting sand and extracting gold. And when I see this gold in my palms, it makes me happy, I understand that the idea is good and it will work! At this moment, I feel a certain rise, it can be called a feeling of happiness. Often ideas are generated automatically, I don’t even know where they come from, but they suddenly appear.

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

DL : An important aspect in the development of a person is his path, in other words, the meaning of life. His existential goal is what will remain after me. What will I leave to humanity. What a change will be after my life and why am I doing all this. And this is not about money, but about a certain goal in the general understanding of life. This is the deepest, most powerful motivation, which is deeper than recognition and reverence for your genius.

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

DL : I want to develop a worldwide agency that helps businesses grow and this way has contributed to the overall evolution. Life is very short. The biggest paradox is that at the individual level, a person is both everything and nothing at the same time. From a personal point of view, a person is everything; with his death, the whole world disappears. Therefore, for most people (and other species), death is the worst thing that can happen to them, and it is extremely important for them to live a better life. At the same time, if you look at a person from the point of view of nature, his life does not matter. The objective reality is that each person is just one of the seven billion individuals of the same species that inhabit the planet today. And that, as a biological species, man is one of 10 million other biological species. Earth is one of a hundred billion planets in our Galaxy, which is just one of two trillion galaxies in the universe. The duration of human life on average is 1/3000 of the duration of the existence of mankind, and it, in turn, is 1/20,000 of the time of the existence of the Earth. In other words, man is an incomparably small grain of sand with a very short duration of existence, and whatever he achieves, his influence will be insignificant. At the same time, a person instinctively strives to develop and wants to represent something. And it really can have some effect, and each of these tiny steps adds to the others and contributes to the evolution of the universe.

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

DL : Designers who understood and felt their destiny, that this is their way. Not picked up from the pursuit of fashionable and changeable, but immeno their internal component. Of course everyone, if he wants to, should try. If you don't touch it, you won't know when or it's yours. I would advise looking for mentors thanks to the Internet and online courses - this will not be a problem. Asking them to become their shadow, assistants, coffee carriers, etc. is the main thing to be near. And they will definitely give important and necessary lessons, they will translate their experience to you. If you are lucky enough to meet them live, your development will increase exponentially. A mentor nearby, if he wants to share his experience, will be the best way to quickly achieve your goals in the growth of a young designer

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

DL : Avoid toxic mentors. Often they take advantage of young gullibility, parasitizing on talent and young energy, satisfying only their egoism. But these are few, I think, but they are. They can kill a sprout that has just broken through and it will be difficult for it to resume this ascent later. It can take years for a person to get stronger and start thinking with his own head. You need to look for really mentors with a capital letter, who, filled like a cloud of water, simply pour out their grace, without taking anything in return. And without fear of competition in the future, this mentor must be mature and wise.

What is your day to day look like?

DL : I understand that I don't know much yet and I'm learning, I'm not a full glass of water. The profession of a designer, art director or creative director implies constant growth. The world is changing, new trends, new preferences appear, it also happens that fashion returns cyclically. And this needs to be watched closely. It is also a vision, that is, what is happening in the design market now, what exhibitions, books, articles, conferences or competitions. One must learn from recognized gurus. My day starts at 8 am, sometimes later as I am a night owl and night is my time. When the world rests and movement stops. I love the night, silence and loneliness, then creative inspiration comes to me. When my employees do not touch me and I am focused on my tasks.

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

DL : I love behance. This resource has a lot of useful information. You can follow the trends there. I like logolounge books and subscribe to them. I love the A' Design Award as well as Lions Cannes where you can see the wonderful work of the winners. Great ideas are collected there and trends for each year are structured. A trend is social affection or, let's say, love for something, a loyal attitude, or, in youth terms, when they say "It's cool"! If I don't look after it, I will turn into an old, decrepit old man who boils only in his soup, covered with a lid of his ego. Such a grumbler at everyone, they say they don’t understand anything, but I’m the smartest, but lonely. This is a dead end path. You need to discard prejudices and understand your blind spots. Look at young and promising designers, see where they lead.

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

DL : Design is good when it leaves you thinking. There is either some veiled idea that reflects the specifics of the product, or shows its advantages. And if this is done skillfully, without a clumsy attitude in the forehead, elegantly and neatly - all this contributes to the fact that I will say yes! The level of presentation, the level of presentation also greatly affects. Whether 3d technologies, animation or video design were used. Whether audio has been overdubbed. High-quality work can be seen immediately and presentation plays a role in many respects.

How do you decide if your design is ready?

DL : At first, I keep the design open, even if in the feeling I realized that I did my best for the moment. But the day passes... It can be anywhere, even the most unexpected. For example, in the shower, and I have a new, interesting idea that causes me emotional excitement. I immediately try to write it down either on a dictaphone or in notes and then apply it in changes. It often happens that at the stage of preparing a presentation, I see errors and I go back to the design to correct them.

What is your biggest design work?

DL : Burj Boutique. Creating a brand for the world's tallest hotel Burj Boutique. Located on the 112th floor of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. This work was ambitious, I just burned over its creation. I slept 2-3 hours a day and worked all the time. The most interesting experience, then was in the presentation and creation of the visual identity of the brand. Yes, I think this case remains the most favorite. In addition, I have been to Dubai several times and I have seen this monumental and grandiose construction of the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building on earth.

Who is your favourite designer?

DL : From contemporaries, these are two designers. Sagmeister, I like him for his new and bold approach to graphic design, it feels fresh and new. I also adore Damien Hirst, this person seems to play with the theme of death, denouncing it as somehow funny. Of the geniuses of the past - this is Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci - he was and still is a real evolutionist. Seeing the future and pushing humanity to fulfillment and evolution. If I had the opportunity to meet him even for 1 minute, I would be the happiest person on earth!

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

DL : Good design, in this context, in this period of time, is a reflection of social aspirations. I do not like the repetition of fashion, I love the new, which gives impetus to change. I love the music of Pink Floyd - it's incredibly universal music that gives me the feeling of flying. Of all the cities, I will single out Florence, 2 times I was there and 2 times I experienced a certain feeling, a certain comfort, a certain uplift and inner joy. Now I'm with my family in Texas, we moved here to our friend. My path was difficult in the USA, we got here for 2 months. Lviv, Ukraine, then Poland - the most difficult cross-border car crossing of my life. This is just the beginning of the war, 30 hours waiting for the border. Then Poland, lived for more than a month, moving to Frankfurt, from there we decided to fly to the USA. At that time, they were allowed to cross the border with Mexico. Warsaw-Frankfurt-Cancun-Tijuana and Hiking in which we stood because of the number of people 3 days of San Diego. Then we flew to Dallas and now we live here.

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

DL : My agency and I will never, under any budget, work with drugs, prostitution, heavy alcohol and gambling. Also, we do not work with politics. I have a partner, my wife, who does more administrative tasks and team management, she is also a brand strategist, as well as financially. I am responsible for creativity, promotion and creative process in the team.

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

DL : In Ukraine, I started to create my own design school, I digitized almost half of the material. And now I want to help designers who find themselves in the same situation as me, learn absolutely free. In Ukraine, I thought about taking money for education. I sincerely and in every possible way try to help novice designers, I show them love and respect. Only with these feelings can a mutually developing state be achieved.

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

DL : It would be a great honor to be the designer of the day for me and my team. I believe that such competitions are necessary for the overall development of the industry, people are trying to bring the best, they are motivated to stand out, they want recognition. One of the most important motivational triggers for evolution. I am grateful to the A' Design Award for their efforts and the opportunity to win this long awaited award. It's definitely a pleasure, thank you very much! I want to wish to continue to support and develop the design industry. To identify and promote the necessary design solutions for both young designers and already established ones, so that they always keep their finger on the pulse.

Dmytro Lynnyk Profile