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Interview with Ekaterina Pine |
Home > Designer Interviews > Ekaterina Pine |
Editor Frank Scott (FS) from DesignPRWire has interviewed designer Ekaterina Pine (EP) for A’ Design Award and Competition. You can access the full profile of Ekaterina Pine by clicking here.
FS: Could you please tell us more about your art and design background? What made you become an artist/designer? Have you always wanted to be a designer?
EP: I started my design journey as a hobby when I was studying engineering at university. Those days I was learning Photoshop. The hobby eventually evolved into a passion and I started my self-learning, internships and this is how I learned about interface design. I was surprised to understand that I really can combine creative and analytical thinking in one job. This discovery set my development vector for years and this is how I ended up here. After my graduation, I started second bachelor degree in fashion design, because I was also interested in getting more knowledge and practice from passionate people.
FS: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
EP: I am a freelancer working on product design and e-commerce projects
FS: What is "design" for you?
EP: This is everything that surrounds us and makes our life more interesting.
FS: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
EP: I like to work on mobile apps and highly loaded interfaces because there is something to think about
FS: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
EP: The Wassily Chair, that, was designed by Marcel Breuer in 1925–1926 while he was the head of the cabinet-making workshop at the Bauhaus, in Dessau, Germany. His entire body of work embodies the driving Bauhaus objective to reconcile art and industry. His entire body of work, both architecture and furniture, embodies the driving Bauhaus objective to reconcile art and industry. This chair remain among the most identifiable icons of the modern design.
FS: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
EP: My first project was a website for a beauty salon
FS: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
EP: Material Design is a design language discovered by Google in 2014. It makes more use of grid-based layouts, responsive animations and transitions, padding, and effects such as lighting and shadows. The main goal of Material Design is to create a new product that combines the principles of good design with technical and sophisticated innovation. This approach allows us as designers to create more user-friendly products and not forget about aesthetics at the same time.
FS: When do you feel the most creative?
EP: I think that after research and immersion in the problem
FS: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
EP: User satisfaction is the most important thing in my job, I have to protect my user like a lawyer, but at the same time, I can't forget about business goals.
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
EP: Happiness and excitement at the same time
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
EP: It's impossible to describe in words! When I see an object that was only in my head recently, I am truly happy.
FS: What makes a design successful?
EP: Careful preparation, such as research of the user's needs and competitor analysis.
FS: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
EP: Aesthetic aspect as well as functionality
FS: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
EP: I think that the designer has a huge responsibility to society, so we should not be involved in projects that could harm society or nature.
FS: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
EP: Now many people say that design in the IT field will die soon, but I don't agree with this statement. I think, it transforms into other species. For example, we are increasingly talking about virtual reality, and recently digital design has spread to other areas where it did not exist before. We have learned to use new tools and see the world in a new way.
FS: When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
EP: I didn't have a personal exhibition because my designs can be seen only on the screens. But it would be interesting if someday my work was presented at an exhibition.
FS: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
EP: I am interested in everything that is happening in the world, I read news and research in the field of various technologies that could make life easier for people, not only from the world of information technology. (This is a habit that I have retained from my university days.) I also follow trends in fashion design, I read and watch books on fashion design, as in these books you can often find ideas that excite a large part of society. Watch the shows of famous fashion designers and you will see what excites modern people!
FS: How would you describe your design style? What made you explore more this style and what are the main characteristics of your style? What's your approach to design?
EP: I like experimenting with styles more, like trying on different hats. But when it comes to graphic design, I like the Swiss style.
FS: Where do you live? Do you feel the cultural heritage of your country affects your designs? What are the pros and cons during designing as a result of living in your country?
EP: I live in Israel. I think they do, as each country has its own standards of beauty and convenience, but my design is more universal and I do users research, and they can live all over the world.
FS: How do you work with companies?
EP: I am a freelancer
FS: What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
EP: It is important that the person who hires the designer is related to design, can ask the right questions to the applicant after viewing the portfolio. After all, not only pictures are important, but also the context and the problem that the designer solved.
FS: Can you talk a little about your design process?
EP: I always start by researching a topic, then doing a competitive analysis. If the task is difficult, it is important not to stop, but to continue working and the idea will come.
FS: What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
EP: Chair, table, kettle, computer and smartphone
FS: Can you describe a day in your life?
EP: Nothing unusual, I get up in the morning and start working.
FS: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
EP: Never despair and do not compare yourself with others, but compare yourself only with yourself
FS: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
EP: The positive point is that you can dream and make your dreams come true, but the negative point is that there is a lot of competition in the field.
FS: What is your "golden rule" in design?
EP: Only work leads to results
FS: What skills are most important for a designer?
EP: Mindfulness and curiosity
FS: Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
EP: Figma, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Miro, Advanced, Coda
FS: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
EP: I always make a plan for the day, week, month
FS: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
EP: Always different, it all depends on the task
FS: What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
EP: What inspires you
FS: What was your most important job experience?
EP: My first project, it will always remembered
FS: Who are some of your clients?
EP: Companies involved in e-com projects
FS: What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
EP: One of the last stages, the stage of drawing prototypes.
FS: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
EP: I think it's interesting for me to work in a big company where there are a lot of people in the team.
FS: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
EP: Depends on the project
FS: Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
EP: I have several projects in the works at the moment, but I don't think I can talk about them
FS: How can people contact you?
EP: Sure, with my pleasure
FS: Any other things you would like to cover that have not been covered in these questions?
EP: No thanks for the interview!
FS: Thank you for providing us with this opportunity to interview you.
A’ Design Award and Competitions grants rights to press members and bloggers to use parts of this interview. This interview is provided as it is; DesignPRWire and A' Design Award and Competitions cannot be held responsible for the answers given by participating designers.
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