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Interview with Saule Beksultanova |
Home > Designer Interviews > Saule Beksultanova |
Editor Frank Scott (FS) from DesignPRWire has interviewed designer Saule Beksultanova (SB) for A’ Design Award and Competition. You can access the full profile of Saule Beksultanova 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?
SB: I've been designing for over 20 years. Graphic design touches all areas of human activity. So it took me a long time to gain experience until I felt every business area with my design. It's a fascinating and thorny path that always forces the twists and turns of the brain. I've dreamed of being a designer since childhood, or since I was a teenager when I learned about this profession. So I went step by step towards my dream: I studied drawing and painting, then university and work.
FS: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
SB: For a long time, I worked for international creative agencies. Then I tried freelancing for clients on my own. Now I work with local tech startups, which is my most exciting field because it is still a new learning area for me.
FS: What is "design" for you?
SB: For me, design is a visceral aesthetic language that tells the viewer, the consumer, or the user a story. The story can be different, but the "language" must be clear and pleasant, not evoking negative emotions.
FS: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
SB: The simplicity of the design always strikes me. It's a lot of work or talent to create a simple thing.
FS: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
SB: A long time ago, I designed a book for a company. The book told about the ancient nomadic signs of various Kazakh tribes. I remember this project because I had to communicate for a long time with the author of this book, a famous historian and archaeologist. I remember this project because I learned a lot about the nomads' history and visual language.
FS: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
SB: My first order was to create a logo for a small local firm. It was exciting, confusing, and maybe not even very professional. I was very young and inexperienced then. I knew all the visualization tools well, but I knew little about the psychology of visual language.
FS: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
SB: I'm from the old school of designers, so I often start my work with a hand-drawn sketch. It's a habit I can't get out of. Then I move on to the computer. Mostly my favorite program is Adobe Illustrator. At the moment, I like Figma.
FS: When do you feel the most creative?
SB: I feel most creative at dusky times closer to evening. Ideas come in the evening or my sleep. Somebody says, "I have to sleep with the task" for the solution to go into my sleep. And these are the most valuable ideas.
FS: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
SB: The most important aspect of the design is the study of the brief rather than an understanding of the target audience and its psycho-perception. Is this person ready to perceive revolutionary colors or compositions? Wouldn't such a design alienate them from the brand or product? And there are many such questions.
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
SB: I always experience high responsibility and euphoria with a bit of anxiety.
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
SB: Of course, at first, it is fascinating and joyful. Then I am bound to have doubts that I could have done better. That's what drives me. When I notice my mistakes, I try not to make them next time.
FS: What makes a design successful?
SB: A design becomes successful when the designer has developed an innovative visual language, but the story behind it is understood and transparent.
FS: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
SB: Design is a complex of everything- copywriting, visual story, color, font, etc. But first of all, you should pay attention to the story behind the artwork. What did the designer want to say? Do you think it's clear at a glance?
FS: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
SB: As I grow older, I deeply understand the measure of a designer's responsibility to society. We must be ethical about everything around us: people, animals, and the environment. You can refuse a project if there are contradictions with your ethics.
FS: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
SB: I can see that design will atomize shortly. It is already starting to happen now. For example, there will be a design for avatars or a dashboard. Specialists will be more narrowly focused.
FS: When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
SB: My last exhibition was in May in London and Athens. I exhibited my artwork in mixed media. I hope to have my next show in the fall.
FS: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
SB: Inspiration comes from everywhere. But as I said before, the best idea comes in a dream.
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?
SB: I'm a multi-instrumental designer, so the style comes out differently. But if you ask my close colleagues about my work, they all note that it is recognizable, inherently me. There is a kind of childlike enthusiasm and positivity in them, even in severe projects.
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?
SB: I live and work in Kazakhstan. I've always believed that cultural heritage influences the designer. This is our cultural stitch. The good thing about working in our region is that the visual legacy of Kazakhstan has not yet been fully explored, and we, as designers, have a large field of activity. There are also disadvantages - it is most likely the unstable socio-political situation in the country; everything is volatile.
FS: How do you work with companies?
SB: I am currently working at a startup company. Everything is quite interesting because it's new to me. But I always try to prioritize the tasks coming from the director. I explain the reason for these priorities based on my experience. And they believe me.
FS: What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
SB: You always have to talk to designers. Even if a brief has been written, tasty details always come up in conversation for some reason. Even if a designer is silent and only listens, it does not mean he does not understand you. Many designers are introverts but very sensitive introverts. To check whether a designer suits you, you must do a little work with them once.
FS: Can you talk a little about your design process?
SB: I try to listen to my colleagues' opinions on design, even those who are not designers. Each team member always has expectations, which in their opinion, will bring some commercial results. Then I try to immerse them in the story that the consumer needs to see. And that's how we come to a common understanding. And then, I get down to the design.
FS: What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
SB: As a rule, these are small convenient chips. It's more about ergonomics, which is part of the design. For example, I installed a motion-responsive lamp at the foot of the bed—an additional lamp at the sink where I wash dishes. I have two lamps on my desktop, one shines into the wall, as I love reflected light.
FS: Can you describe a day in your life?
SB: I get up early in the morning and walk the dog for 1 hour. Then I sit down and study my mail. Then I start preparing materials for the upcoming work: I look for references and fonts, select a color, and make sketches. At 13-00, I have lunch, and after lunch, I take the dog for a short walk for 20 minutes. After lunch, I start designing. This can go on for a long time. If I feel some stupor, I think about the idea again and leave it for tomorrow. Evening walks with a dog lasting an hour. And I often deliberately go to bed with a brain-loaded task so that the solution comes to me in a dream.
FS: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
SB: Guys, feel free to make a mistake. You will learn something from errors. In design, in every project, any designer feels like a beginner. Even if it seems to you that an experienced designer doesn't feel that way, it just seems so easy to you. The main thing is to show initiative and interest. Gradually learn to verbalize your ideas to the client. If the project does not catch you and you want to approach it superficially, then it is better to avoid taking it.
FS: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
SB: The positive in design, as I said earlier, is a novelty. That is, each project is unique and can be from a different sphere of business or economy. You're always learning something new, learning about other things. Negative moments, frequent intellectual tension. To cover all the tasks, you must always keep them in your head. It's tedious and difficult.
FS: What is your "golden rule" in design?
SB: The golden rule of design for me is aesthetic simplicity in telling a story.
FS: What skills are most important for a designer?
SB: The skill of drawing, composition, coloristic, typeface
FS: Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
SB: I have a Wacom graphics tablet on my desk (I wouldn't say I like a mouse), a pontoon book, a bunch of sketchbooks, black markers, rapidographs, ink, pens, and simple pencils of different hardness. My main programs included: Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, Adobe XD, Adobe After Effect, Figma, CorelDRAW, Acrobat Professional, and Office.
FS: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
SB: During my life experience, I determined my biological life clock. Therefore, from morning to lunch, I have a preparatory process, and the design process itself after lunch and in the evening. For me, this is the most efficient allocation of time.
FS: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
SB: It depends on the size of the project. Suppose it's something small, for example, a logo. I take four days to implement three variants of the logo. Then usually, the client chooses one, and the revision is one for a maximum of 2 days
FS: What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
SB: Fear that we won't work together, have a fear that we won't work together, and they need to understand it more quickly. But in the end, we work together, and everything is fine.
FS: What was your most important job experience?
SB: All the companies where I have worked are essential milestones in my experience. Even working as a freelancer taught me a lot.
FS: Who are some of your clients?
SB: I am currently working with a local startup. I also have a couple of clients from local food and beverage manufacturers. I love working with local companies.
FS: What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
SB: I love doing packaging design. Because this is something sacred to me, through my design, the buyer makes a choice and purchases. I also like to develop websites and mobile apps. Because this is painstaking work and a relatively new area for me.
FS: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
SB: I will develop myself in web design. In the future, I can open my small design studio where outstanding designers will work.
FS: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
SB: Now I'm working alone. But I often involve professional photographers in my work, and consult with copywriters, mobilographers.
FS: Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
SB: Yes, my project is now Getbyverto.com. It is under development by programmers. This is a barter B2B marketplace with the improvement of the design of the functionality of which I continue to work.
FS: How can people contact you?
SB: You can contact me by email: beksau@gmail.com
FS: Any other things you would like to cover that have not been covered in these questions?
SB: I am also fond of linocut, which complements my design. And I often participate in art exhibitions and galleries.
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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