I created handouts for participation in a wedding expo.

Booklet:

Flyer:

Poster:

Certifications:

Instructions for entering the lottery:

Maria decided to update her business cards and wanted to add some gold to them. I suggested painting the sides of the business cards gold and highlighting some parts of the ornament. Here’s how it turned out:

On the front side, the ornament is printed with UV varnish — if you turn the business card, it shimmers with gloss

On the back, we have specially left a space for notes that Maria leaves for each client

And this is how business cards look in real life:

Splendorgel paper with a density of 400 grams

Task
Musician Daniel Lesden came up with an idea to make a little psytrance music guide and asked for help with the design. I did!
psytranceguide.com

Psytrance Guide is a site with overviews of the main sub-styles of psytrance. There you can read about each style, listen to examples, and learn typical tempo. It’s an educational and entertaining resource.

Since this site is a single page and assumes identical blocks, I sketched out the design partially and finalised it in the course of the layout. The work was done in one breath, even did not have time to save the evolution of design :-)

For the headlines, I found a cool techno font, it fits perfectly into the atmosphere, and I matched the font of the main text to it. Look at them:

The large factoid indicates the tempo, which allows you to quickly orientate and find the right style

The colours are dark, but with bright saturated headlines, which fits perfectly into the world of psytrance.

The site is adapted for mobile devices as well:

Members of the project

Task
Revise the structure of the site, get rid of empty sections, rewrite the text information from the point of view of usefulness for a potential client and update the design.
maryber.com

Two years have passed since the launch of Maria Berezhnaya’s website. Now I look at the old site and realise that I made a big mistake back then — I “stuck” a lot of unnecessary things because “the client wanted it that way”. In addition, at that time I handed over the site without content, and it was assumed that Maria herself would be engaged in filling — this was the second big mistake. For two years the site had not been updated at all, and some of the sections were hanging dead weight.

First version of the site.

Getting Started

So, after chatting with Maria, we decided to completely redesign the site. Maria told me about her career progress, what she is doing now and how she plans to develop further, and I started to work.

First I defined the structure of the new site:

• Main. Here I decided to tell at once what Maria does and show the main services.
• Portfolio → inner page. General photo catalogue and inner page for each work.
• About Me. This is where I put Maria’s story about her career path and who she can be useful to.
• How much it costs. A page with prices for services.
• Teaching MakeUp. This is one of the services Maria wants to emphasise, so there is a separate page for it.

Maria also wanted to add a “Blog” section, but after chatting we decided that she doesn’t need it for now. We also put aside the “Feedbacks” section for later.

The sections with articles, partners and events were not moved from the old site — they turned out to be unnecessary.

Design

Since Maria’s sphere of activity is connected with the beauty industry, I decided to make the design “like in glossy magazines”. This is how the main page has lettering, and the design of individual blocks resembles a printed layout.

For the photo catalogue in the portfolio, I made a grid in which the accents shift from one photo to the others. As the grid fills up, the grid is duplicated, so there’s a rhythm to flipping through and there’s always something for the eye to grab onto. Works can be filtered by basic tags.

The inner page is a gallery of project photos. You can also add colleagues who participated in the project and write a detailed description.

I decided to make the pages with prices and services with a free layout because Maria’s services often change and it’s impossible to fit them into a template.

The “About Me” page is also a partially free layout to be able to make quick updates.

The result is a compact website that maximises Maria’s expertise and adapts to all screen resolutions.

Project participants

If the first stage can be called a study, the second stage is more like a job, because it takes time equal to the real projects. I had to sacrifice something, I didn’t like it. No lectures, no tests. The grading system changed — we got points individually, not for the fact of submitting on time. Also, there were supposed to be teacher reviews, but my idea of reviews is different from the bureau one, I would call them small comments.

Read also about first grade.

About reviewing papers

The pattern was as follows:

• week one — got the first assignment, and turned in a rough draft by the end of the week;
• second week — got the second assignment, handed in the second draft by the end of the week and handed in the first week’s assignment. That is, there were two parallel tasks for a week.

If you break the deadline — minus two points out of five per iteration, and for the next failure you are excluded.

To get a review of the work, you have to have time to sketch something in the first two days of the week and send it to the teacher, and ... either get a response or not. If you wait until Wednesday or Thursday, you probably won’t get a response.

Week 1. Teacher: Mikhail Nozik.

We put together the “About Me” page. We didn’t need to come up with anything super-cool. The main thing is to stick to all layout principles.

Week 2. Teacher: Ilya Sinelnikov

We negotiated with the client and wrote an understanding of the task. Perhaps this was the most interesting task. In the first week, we made a list of questions for the client, Ilya was in the role. He held a video broadcast with us: we asked questions in a general chat, and Ilya answered them enthusiastically.

In the second week, we wrote a letter to the client with an understanding of the task.

Week 3. Teacher: Maxim Ilyakhov

We wrote informational text for the website and made a page with it. This was the most nervous task for me, especially in the first week. At the same time, there was a work jam, so I left the first iteration of the task for the end of the week, and it was a big mistake.

Never leave anything for the last days.

Maxim offered two topics to choose from — coffee and personal trainer. Interestingly, most of the students chose the first option — coffee with Malysheva, they found it simpler. The rest, and I with them, preferred to talk about a personal trainer. I’ll give you a hint: it was much harder to write about coffee.

All Thursday I wrote the text — this is the most difficult part for me. I left the layout for Friday. Well, on Friday there was a force majeure — in the middle of the day there was a storm and the electricity was cut off in the whole neighbourhood. The work was half done and I couldn’t continue. After a few hours, I had already given up hope that the electricity would come back on and resigned myself to losing the grades.

But the lights came back on an hour before the deadline, and I had a couple of hours’ worth of work to do. I sketched the whole layout and uploaded it two minutes before the deadline. I am very emotional, so there were a lot of nerves and tears lost :-) I wasn’t satisfied with the work — I didn’t have time to make the layout properly, nor to go over the text again.

First iteration

As I expected, I got one of the lowest scores. But Maxim recorded a video dissection of my work and pointed out the main mistakes. Then I decided to completely rewrite the text and make the layout again. This is what I got:

The second iteration

According to the results, I got almost maximum points for this work, and it and two other works were singled out by Maxim.

Week 4. Teacher: Nikolay Toverovsky

A complex document — a Beeline contract. The contract is just huge, it is suicidal to layout it in graphic programmes. Ideally — html and css. It’s enough just to make a neat layout.

Week 5. Dropped out

In the second week, a new assignment was to be opened — Birman’s valenki and I dropped out. Several factors influenced the decision — a heavy workload that I couldn’t afford, further assignments I didn’t think were productive for me with the feedback we were getting from faculty, plus personal reasons.

I was in the middle of the ranking table at the time of admission and dismissal.

A couple of positive facts for dropouts:

1. If you drop out during the first half of your studies, the School refunds half of the amount paid.
2. If you wish, you can re-enter the second stage with any of the following streams, from the beginning of the stage, on a paid place, with the old starting points at the end of the first stage.

Conclusion

For myself, I decided that the first stage — a treasure trove of structured knowledge, is worth going for. The second — is necessary for designers-beginners who have not yet worked and have not collected a starting portfolio.

That’s it!

Finished the first stage of Designers School. Yay! I want to tell you what it was like, what I liked, what I didn’t, and some advice for incoming students.

I wrote about the second stage.

Certificate on The Bureau website

The Gorbunov Bureau Designers School trains designers in six disciplines: typography and layout, interface and information, negotiation and relationships, design and law, text and editorial, and management and results.

1*T5i73fspnSvqdnV4DxqqQfQ.png

The school is different from other educational institutions: in the first stage, students learn lectures, and take assignments and tests by themselves — teachers do not control the process. No one kicks, demands or leads them by the handle. This approach fosters self-discipline.

On the second stage pass the first 30 students out of 100 according to the rating. If you don’t get enough points, you have to go through the first stage again. Bonus: if you finish the first stage and are not in the top 30, you can take the course again, for a fee, but without the entrance task.

Entry task

Every year the assignment is different: a page for a doctor’s appointment, a page for a car service appointment, and an interface for a pizza-ordering gadget.
Our stream was doing a self-check-in terminal at the airport. I scored 27.78 points and took 54th place in the rating. Now I realise my mistake: I didn’t understand the task completely, I went too deep into details and proposed an improved version of a standard terminal. To get a high score, you need to understand the problem, move away from the existing standards and offer a solution, not an improved design.

I joined the school on 29 August 2016, coming in at 54th place

Study

The process of studying is a race and striving to rise in the rankings. Every week you get a portion of lectures, study, take tests, and do assignments. If you fail to meet the deadline three times, you are expelled.
During four months of study, we took 39 tests, 11 practical assignments and a term paper.

Lectures

Lectures in Google Docs. I counted 1092 pages in 10 pins, and most of them are in video format. The volumes are large, and incoming students are advised to read all bureau advice and the required reading book list on the school page before studying.

Additionally, read:

• Ilyakhov’s Tips
• Ilyakhov’s Blog
• Birman’s Blog
• Sarycheva’s Blog
• Toverovsky’s Blog)
• Check out Maxim Ilyakhov’s webinars
• And subscribe to Glavreda’s newsletter.

Out of 84 students, 15 were expelled — someone failed to meet the deadline three times, and someone did not manage the volumes and left on his own.

It’s hard to combine work and study.

I liked that all lectures are based on real examples. The lecturers give the theory and immediately show the application.

Tests

Tests among students caused a lot of resentment. The questions are generally based on the lectures, but some break your brain. Often you come across the subjective opinion of the teacher, with which you do not always agree. It has happened that you are sure of the correct answer, but as a result, the question is not valid. You can ask the teacher to point out mistakes, but they will only guide you — they will not tell you the right answer, and may not even answer the letter at all. Students are not allowed to discuss tests among themselves. Everyone was digging to the extent of their interest.

My average score for all tests in percentages

I took the tests in two stages: I took the test the first time, then studied the lecture and took it again a day or two later, after which I took the test. I advise you to check the third time too. Sometimes I made silly mistakes due to inattention.

I liked the fact that the tests are different from the usual ones, which I took in lectures and forgot. They are constructed in such a way that I had to reread lectures and books, think and analyse, after which the material was absorbed into my brain with a dead grip.

I did not like that there was no feedback at all. Sometimes I wanted to discuss, ask questions and get answers.

Practical assignments

We drew knowledge octopus, made a growth plan for the year and kept a diary of tasks. Edited finished text, wrote the text for a promotional page and prepared an article for print. Improved forms, tables and graphs. Conducted negotiations.

Now I look at my octopus and realise that I underestimated in some places and overestimated in others :-) I’ll have to make a new one

And here is the editing task — I had to choose one of the proposed articles, edit it and prepare it for printing:

Negotiation seemed to be the most difficult assignment for me. We were divided into pairs and given roles.

Prepare for the negotiation in advance, think through all possible scenarios and prepare a couple of proposals to solve the problem. Rehearse a few times, write down the questions and follow Camp’s “commandments”: be out of order, in the client’s world, show care, weed the fishing line and don’t be needy. I watched all the clips of fellow students — you can immediately see who prepared for the negotiation and who didn’t.

Negotiations get 50 points. In our stream, no one got the maximum. Three students got 47.5 points, I got 46.7 points, others got 45.8 and below. A renegotiation is a real chance to move up in the rankings.

Failure is negotiation without resolution or being taken to court. Be prepared for anything from your partner — there have been cases when your partner shouted and threw paper at the camera. Of course, such behaviour is a failure, but the right reaction and response can save your grade.

In fact, it didn’t go as badly as I thought it would :-))

The assignments were graded by deadline: if you were on time, you got a full grade, if you were not on time, you got half a grade. One of the assignments on editing and negotiation was graded by the students themselves — they checked each other, and the instructor adjusted the score if he/she thought it was necessary.

Take the assignments seriously, even if the instructor does not grade the work, it is a great experience. Study the work of previous streams, and learn from their mistakes.

Liked that designers have enough editing assignments as well.

Didn’t like that the papers were graded by a deadline. It didn’t matter how much time you spent and how you did the work, everyone was evaluated the same way — if you made it on time, you got the maximum. There was a lack of practical assignments. I understand that the second stage is focused on practice and feedback from the teacher, but after the theory, I wanted assignments in addition to tests. Assignments with grades and comments at least from fellow students would have been even more useful.

Coursework

Coursework gives 150 points — this is a lot, for tests 3–5 times less. Therefore, coursework can greatly affect the position in the ranking.

In a fortnight you need to draw the main page of the site of plastic windows. Without inventing anything, just draw a strong layout. Assignment on the discipline “Interfaces and information”, but also take into account other subjects: texts in infostyle, layout on lectures. Remember usefulness and convenience.

I won’t say exactly how much time I spent on the assignment, I think about 12–15 hours. I started working on the layout in the second week, my eye quickly became blurry, but I didn’t have time to put the layout aside. Now I see mistakes I didn’t see before. So don’t put it off until the last week. Start doing the coursework right away so that you have a chance to rest from it and finish it with new strength and fresh eyes.

I liked that they gave a real project as a basis and I didn’t have to invent anything.

Disliked, that there was no opportunity to discuss details and ask questions about the work, as it would be with a real client.

I received 4 out of 5 points for idea and logic and 3 points for aesthetics

Ranking

I started the study at 54th place and climbed into the top 2 after the first week. I floated between 16th place and 28th for 3.5 months and graduated in 17th place.

If you want to continue studying, the main thing is not to fall out of the top 30 — it will be harder to get back in every week. If you pass the tests with an average of 75–85%, you can get ahead only in negotiations and coursework.

I like this rating system. It encourages you to study and get ahead. Some think otherwise, there were comments and dissatisfied students.

Benefits

I saw the benefits for me already in the first month of the course:

• You don’t have to search for information, everything is given ready-made and by topic.
• There is access to video lectures of courses that cost 20–40 thousand rubles for each discipline.
• Tests help you assimilate information better than reading a lecture or a book twice.
• If desired, you can get help or feedback from other students.
• The school teaches not only design, but also client relations, project management, text editing, and legal law. Before the training, I lacked this knowledge.
• The trainee school produces independent designers who solve problems and take care of the client, draw layouts and edit text, negotiate and deliver projects on time, draw up contracts and know the law in the design field. It teaches how to overcome difficulties, plan work and grow professionally.

The school is for those who want to learn.

And I will continue in the second step :-)

1*bzaDZHXOmw1K3PmTmSgQrA.png.
The second stage starts on the 9th of January

Thanks to Artyom Gorbunov, Ilya Birman, Maxim Ilyakhov, Ilya Sinelnikov, Nikolay Toverovsky, and Vladimir Belyaev for their love of their work, and for the desire to develop and share knowledge.

Task
To tell brides why they need a wedding planner and why it’s better to turn to one than to do the wedding themselves.
dom-svadeb.ru

In developing the website, I paid special attention to informativeness: I told about the advantages of contacting an organiser, the process of preparing for the wedding, the difficulties of organising and the wedding day itself. Now brides can get a clear idea of the agency, and services and order the organisation of their wedding.

The site adapts to all screen resolutions:

Project members

Task
Tell potential partners about the authorisation programme.
partners.epson.ru

Epson is a Japanese manufacturer of equipment and a world leader in projection equipment and printing technology. For the company’s Moscow representative office, the client’s team and I made a website with a story about the partner programme.

About the process

Any design starts with understanding the problem. To understand the problem and possible solution, I ask clients questions about their business. So the process of working on Epson’s affiliate website started with a conversation with a manager where I learnt a lot.

Usually, machinery manufacturers either trade directly through their affiliates and online shops or through partner networks. Epson works according to the second scheme.

The company created an Affiliate Zone for partners — a closed site with special programmes and media materials. The problem was that there was no information about the partner programme on Epson’s sites. Interested companies had to first look for contact information and then write to managers. The managers, in turn, had to tell everyone in detail about the authorisation procedure.

Thus, my manager and I formed the mission of the project: “to help potential partners learn about the Epson authorisation programme and decide whether to join”. For this purpose, we decided to make a one-page website with a step-by-step story.

Getting into the details

Studying presentations and documentation to understand the process:

Studying presentations, tables and documents on the Epson authorisation programme.

There is a lot of information, but I have an advantage: since I have not encountered the terms of the affiliate programme before, this allowed me to look at it through a beginner’s eyes.

Structuring

Structuring everything learnt into a coherent narrative:

1. Authorisation program — what it is
2. Why authorisation is needed
3. Benefits of partners
4. How to become a partner
5. Who to contact

Getting to work

Assembling the first “floor”. I show the authorisation categories for which companies become partners visually in the form of photos of devices in this category. Here I also decide to add social proof in the form of a factoid: 500 companies have already become Epson partners.

The first “floor” of the site tells about the programme and the authorisation categories

Next, I answer the question “Why authorisation is needed” and talk about the benefits of being a partner.

At first, I thought to illustrate each point with icons like fashionable landings, but then I realised that becoming a partner should be a balanced decision based on facts, not emotions. So let’s write honestly and without tinsel.

Advantages of a partner: everything is just business

Next is the most important part: how to become a partner. Here is the key useful action, so I highlight this block with a coloured background.

How to become a partner and selection criteria

Next is the contact information of regional managers. Usually in presentations and on company websites, this information is shown in a long list or table.

Studying, seeing what can be improved:

The usual way of presenting contact information used on websites and in presentations

The name, position and region of the manager will be called a contact card. I notice that there is a lot of verbal repetition in the cards:

“Sokolov Vasily (Partner Relations Manager) — working with dealers, corporate partners and customers of St. Petersburg, as well as Murmansk, Arkhangelsk, Vologda and Novgorod regions, and the Republic of Karelia.”

“Petrov Ivan (Partner Relations Manager) — working with dealers, corporate partners and customers of the Central Federal District – Belgorod, Bryansk, Voronezh, Kaluga, Kursk, Lipetsk, Orel, Ryazan, Tambov and Tula regions.”

First, I removed the posts because the word “manager” is in the title, and the fact that they work with partners is clear from the context.

↓

“Sokolov Vasily — working with dealers, corporate partners and customers of St. Petersburg, as well as Murmansk, Arkhangelsk, Vologda and Novgorod regions, and the Republic of Karelia.”

“Petrov Ivan — working with dealers, corporate partners and customers of the Central Federal District — Belgorod, Bryansk, Voronezh, Kaluga, Kursk, Lipetsk, Orel, Ryazan, Tambov and Tula regions.”

Then I remove the repeated phrase “working with dealers, corporate partners and customers” because it is an obvious entity. At the same time, I change the first and last names, because in Russian it is customary to address people by their first name.

↓

“Vasily Sokolov — St. Petersburg, Murmansk, Arkhangelsk, Vologda and Novgorod regions, Republic of Karelia.”

“Ivan Petrov — Belgorod, Bryansk, Voronezh, Kaluga, Kursk, Lipetsk, Orel, Ryazan, Tambov and Tula regions.”

It became twice as compact and informative.

From further communication with the company representative, I learnt that the Epson partner network has been so successful thanks in large part to regional managers — they promptly and expertly help partners in any situation and together think of ways to develop their business.

Based on this knowledge, I decided to make contact information of all managers with photos — to show the company’s face, literally.

It is easier for current partners to navigate through the list with photos because they know their managers by sight, and for potential partners, it is a way to increase trust.

Regional managers. When you move the cursor over the photos, they become coloured

Preparing a presentation and showing everything to the client. The client accepted the work.

We layout the site, adapt it for all screen resolutions, and test and launch it. Done!

Result of work

Project members