My name is Sergei Evdokimov. I am a lawyer by education but a designer by vocation. Sometimes I jokingly call myself a user attorney. I stand up for their interests before business challenges and strive to make it as convenient for users to use our products. I have been designing for over six years.

I started as a freelancer but was later invited to work as a product designer for an insurance company. We were working on the first online insurance service on the market. I grew as a professional and became acquainted with different user research methods, honed my design skills, and collaborated with a team of professionals. Later, I joined a company engaged in developing and providing advertising services, where I am still working now. Here, I'm the only designer in the team and work not only on the logic and interfaces but also on all the graphic material.

My curiosity, taste for new things and love of creativity is got me into the design field! I've always loved to draw and make things up. Designing is a beloved hobby of mine and have always loved studying design software. So when I became acquainted with Adobe Photoshop, it was love at first sight! Then I came to another conclusion. As this passion started generating income, my happiness knew no bounds.

Trafficcino is a start-up in which I am the sole designer and art director. Everything related to design and creativity is my area of responsibility. I created everything for this product, from the logo and marketing materials for advertising through user research, prototyping, and the SaaS design.

I'll try to respond in the context of the user advocate.

Creativity is about balancing business needs with user experience. It is about discovering and implementing new ideas so that all stakeholders are satisfied—the company profits and the user completes the planned action.

There should always be an idea in design. Design should be visually appealing, functional, user-oriented and aimed at creating an optimal user experience.

My creative and design process usually involves several key steps that help me understand user needs, develop innovative solutions and create an effective strategy. In brief, my process looks like this:

Research: The first step in my design process is to do more research in order to better understand user needs, preferences and pain points. This includes user interviews, surveys, data analysis, and competitor research.

Ideas and Prototyping: Once I clearly understand the user's needs and goals, I brainstorm with a team to come up with different ideas and solutions that can meet the user's needs. After identifying the most promising ideas, I move on to prototyping. This involves creating low-fidelity sketches or prototypes that allow me to quickly and efficiently test and refine my ideas. I can also test for usability to get user feedback and refine my designs.

Design: Once I understand the user's needs and have tested and refined my ideas, I move on to the design phase. It involves creating a highly accurate design with visual elements, typography, and color schemes matching the brand and user preferences.

Implementation: Once the design is complete, I work with developers and other stakeholders to translate the design into the final product. I can also do additional user testing to ensure the final product meets user needs and is easy to use, as well as design reviews to ensure the design layout matches the final product.

Although I think all steps are essential and necessary, I would say the design stage! I would call myself a creative person as I love to draw so I would definitely say that designing would be my favourite stage. Abstractly speaking, all stages of the design process for me are just food, which is necessary for life, and the design process itself is a dessert, which I really enjoy.

User Orientation:Being a user advocate makes it easy for the user to perform a key action on a website or service.

Innovation: Willingness to think outside the box and propose new solutions.

Visual Appeal: Make a design that is aesthetically pleasing and visually appealing.

I am inspired by designs from all over the world and am not limited to one country.

Thank you very much! This is my first award and I am very happy. I put so much effort into this project and am glad it received such high praise.

Trafficcino is a small start-up. It is a software as a service (SaaS) meant to assist small and medium-sized businesses in selling their items on marketplaces, tracking analytics, and running successful advertising campaigns. And regular customers can help in choosing the best and most profitable offer.

I thought the project was worthy of participating in the contest because it is an innovative solution. Such services, at least for small businesses, do not yet exist in the market.

My task as a designer was to make the user interested in the service and, buying it, perform the target action - to create his landing page within SaaS in the shortest possible time. I think that in this project, this was the most important and biggest challenge.

I hope this is not my last award and that winning will only help me grow.

1. That the industry is constantly evolving.

2. The opportunity to be creative in solving complex problems.

3. The opportunity to create products and services that improve people's lives.

My country has a rich history filled with artistic and cultural achievements and produced many renowned artists, writers, and musicians hailing. In recent years, my country has become a hub for technology and innovation with a growing number of start-ups and tech companies emerging in cities.

In addition, my country’s location at the intersection of Europe and Asia gives it a unique perspective and influence from both regions. This blend of cultural influences can be seen in many aspects of design and creativity, from fashion to architecture to graphic design.

I think we will see many changes and transformations in the creative industries in the next ten years.

I believe that AI and meta-universes will bring about substantial changes. We're poised to witness novel strategies and methods in various domains. Additionally, there will emerge fresh trajectories and potentially new career paths associated with AI. The evolution of virtual reality and three-dimensional technologies will also be prominent in this landscape.

In addition to basic skills and hard skills, I believe everyone would need to develop a sense of empathy. Be able to immerse yourself in the product's challenges and the users' pains. This will inspire you to think creatively.

There are no good or bad resources. There are principles. You just have to follow them. To be constantly open to something new, to learn something new every day, and to put it into practice.

I've always found inspiration in dedicated professionals. During my time as a lawyer, I marveled at how some colleagues could tirelessly engage in their work. However, it wasn't until I delved into the world of design that I truly understood. Now, it's the realm of design and the enthusiasm of fellow designers that fuel my inspiration.

Love your work! When you love what you do, you're constantly evolving and that helps you stay afloat even in such a volatile and evolving industry as design. So it's just a matter of finding what you love and dedicating your life to it!