Alina Rodionova and Olga Pozharova: "We focus on areas where we can grow."

Contents:

• About mutual support in the team
• Prospects for the future: what awaits us?

  Expectations for the coming period

  Forecasts for the near future

• About new niches
• Recommendations for those who continue to live in Russia

We discussed key solutions that can help in a crisis, as well as growth prospects and less obvious opportunities with design professionals. In this issue, designers from the A-2-O studio, Alina Rodionova and Olga Pozharova, share their thoughts.

Creators of the A-2-O design studio

On Mutual Support in the Team

After February 24th, we felt confused for a while: it was difficult to focus, avoid panic, and start taking small steps forward. Support within our team turned out to be very important: first of all, we are friends, so we try to communicate more and discuss issues that concern us. We share interesting articles and podcasts, which helps us cope with nervousness and stress.

We have established interaction as a single unit and achieved a deep mutual understanding. Our interests in the area of ​​creative growth are similar, which is of great importance in the context of significant changes happening around us.

Virtually nothing has changed in the course of our activities, except for our internal attitude. Since the end of last year, we decided to focus on developing new skills.

Prospects for the future: what awaits us?

Expectations for the coming period

Forecasts for the near future

In an unstable environment, predicting the development of events becomes extremely difficult. New changes occur every week. For example, Alina, who works as a teacher at the British Higher School of Art and Design, faced the consequences of recent events. This school maintained a partnership with the University of Hertfordshire in England for 19 years, but the university has now announced a temporary suspension of accreditation of British higher education programs in Russia.

We ourselves graduated from Britanka and recognize that it was an exceptional opportunity to receive an education in Russia under the British system, which emphasizes in-depth research, immersion in projects, working with briefs, and, above all, the acquisition of practical skills. However, in the near future, the school will offer alternative options to cope with the current circumstances. Overall, this highlights that the new reality affects both experienced designers and those just beginning their professional journey.

The isolation of the creative industry from the outside world generally does not bode well. Nevertheless, we are convinced of the importance of pursuing new opportunities and transforming the crisis into an opportunity for development.

It's worth noting the difficulties with design software that have arisen in the country. We currently have a license that is valid for the near future, but the future situation remains uncertain. There are rumors that Adobe license renewal will be possible through an official partner store in Russia, but we have not yet had the opportunity to confirm this information. Alternatively, you can consider various programs; for example, Photopea, a free online graphics editor, is suitable for performing basic tasks instead of Photoshop.

About New Niches

Currently, we are focusing our efforts on creative projects and are working on general design tasks in a relaxed atmosphere. We have received another client with whom we have not worked for some time.

In general, we are slightly changing the vector of our work, improving our product photography portfolio and intend to attract clients in this area. We plan to develop and present specific concepts and mood boards for projects that excite us and resonate with our passions. Before the crisis, we were actively exploring this direction, as we enjoy experimenting with different materials and textures, selecting objects, and creating interesting photo shoot scenarios.

Since the founding of our studio, we have focused on how to present our final works and how to showcase them in our portfolios. We developed sets and concepts for shoots. For our creative duo, the transition to photography is a natural progression. Our interest in this field has always harmoniously combined with our passion for graphic design: we prefer to work on applied projects, such as textiles, children's products, and book design.

Most recently, we collaborated with a Russian brand, developing collections of patterns for children's clothing and textiles. Each of these collections took about a year to create, and when samples arrived, we experienced incredible satisfaction in holding in our hands what we'd worked so hard on. Therefore, in the future, we plan to focus on areas where we can develop our ideas, find demand, and experience joy in our work.

We plan to continue developing our graphic design business, focusing on pattern creation and projects for children. At the same time, we hope to attract new clients interested in set design, such as local brands in the beauty, home goods, and accessories industries.

Recommendations for those who continue to live in Russia

We believe that right now, the most important thing is to focus on your passions and develop in areas that truly inspire you. Building a client base is crucial so that you can work from anywhere in the world if necessary.

We recommend focusing on participating in various competitions and joint creative initiatives. Now is the right time to unite, try new things, find like-minded people, and implement joint projects, especially those related to charitable activities. In turn, we are also looking for an experienced retoucher, so we will be glad to meet new people and explore opportunities for cooperation.