I am a self-taught graphic designer who believes in designing for change.
I grew up in Kazakhstan and moved to London to study Human Sciences at University College London, where I design for magazines and societies.
Starting from core graphic design concepts, I expanded into filmmaking, accessibility, and web design. I constantly challenge myself to learn new skills, as I believe that our future lies in interdisciplinarity and being a multifaceted individual
Work history
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Design EditorUnder City Lights
London, United KingdomFreelance
Under City Lights is a student-run music magazine, published by the university's official radio station - Rare FM.
I am responsible for the overall design of the magazine, commissioning artwork, and the printing process. I closely collaborate with the editors to make sure that the magazine design reflects the articles well and connects with the readers.
It is also an independent role since it is up to me to create the entire magazine on my own within a strict deadline, and liaise with the printers to ensure the best quality of the finished product.
Throughout my time at the magazine, I have greatly developed my skills of magazine design, specifically learning about important aspects, such as layout and grids, and improving my software skills, specifically Adobe Creative Suite. I also learned about the printing process and how to liaise with printers myself.
You can view the issues here: https://issuu.com/undercitylightsmag
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Marketing DirectorUCL Life Sciences Society
- London, United KingdomFreelance
Life Sciences Society is the largest science society at UCL. I took up this novel position, in which I was responsible for developing the entire visual identity and marketing strategy, including the logo and signature colours & fonts.
I was also in charge or running the society’s social media accounts, and
producing digital & print promotional material, such as posters, Facebook banners, GIFs, and flyers.
This position entailed a lot of different responsibilities, which I have not undertaken previously. This challenged me to learn new skills in order to fulfil these responsibilities successfully. I learnt to create and manage websites, make basic motion graphics, and interact with different social platforms to effectively engage with our members.
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Skills
- Photoshop
- Digital Design
- Indesign
- Magazine Design
- Abobe Illustrator
- Premiere Pro
- Graphic Design
- Film
- Layout Design
Education
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Human Sciences BScUniversity College London
London, United Kingdom
Due to personal circumstances, I was unable to study Graphic Design at university; however, studying Human Sciences allowed me to examine people's relationships with the material world, how art & design affect our everyday lives, and how design can impact them.
It is an interdisciplinary degree that draws from multiply different disciplines such as anthropology, psychology, and anatomy. At the moment, I am writing a dissertation project about the ways that design can impact the experiences of patients in hospitals, and how we can use design to ameliorate their well-being and recovery.
My degree also taught me invaluable transferable skills that are important in working in design industries - critical thinking, interdisciplinarity, problem-solving, and teamwork. Although I do not study graphic design as a part of my degree, I dedicate most of my free time to honing my skills and advancing my knowledge of design.
After all, what is design if not an extension of the human gesture? Full disclosure: Le Corbusier said that, not me.
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Graphic DesignAlmaty Design School
- Almaty, Kazakhstan
I attended a short Graphic Design course at Almaty Design School, where I learnt about design history i.e. different movements and prominent design figures, and basic software skills, such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. I also learnt different printing techniques, such as linocut, screen and risograph printing.
Although it was a short course, it taught me valuable core skills that I continue to hone to this day. This course launched my passion for graphic design and since then I cannot stop learning and advancing my knowledge of graphic design concepts and techniques. It also introduced me to prominent designers, such as Massimo Vignelli, El Lissitzky, and Paula Scher, who serve as an inspiration to me.