The AI ​​era: mathematics, inspiration, brand, and deep imagery.

Contents:

• Psychological aspects in brand creation
• About myself at work
• The paths of branding
• Directions of development of artificial intelligence and its consequences
• About myself outside of work

We discussed various aspects of design and more with Anastasia Butrym from the Shchuka design bureau.

Partner in the Shchuka design studio. Previously, she held the position of Chief Design Officer at Sber and headed the British Higher School of Art and Design. She is a brand psychologist who truly believes in the development of artificial intelligence.

Psychological Aspects in Brand Creation

— You are a partner at the Shchuka design bureau, where you hold the position of brand psychologist. However, your education is related to mathematics and programming.

How can one move from mathematics to fields such as design and psychology? At first glance, these disciplines seem completely different. But is it true that they have nothing in common?

Mathematics and design explore methods of digitizing harmony, striving to understand the principles of functioning of the surrounding world. A striking example is the golden ratio, known in mathematics, which also finds its application in the field of design.

Psychology represents the desire to understand the vast worlds of human nature. It aims to achieve harmony, its description, and awareness.

In my professional work, I have directly linked psychology with branding, where design serves as a key tool for expressing the brand's essence. This is due to the fact that my work takes place within a design studio. However, I must admit that I do not have sufficient knowledge in the area of ​​the fundamentals of human psychology and can safely say that I have gaps here.

— Do clients come to a design bureau the same way patients come to a psychologist—with some internal discomfort?

I believe that psychology covers a much broader spectrum than simply working with trauma. A person's state does not always have to be negative. Perhaps the client is in a neutral phase, but is striving for improvement. Or maybe everything is fine, but he wants to change something in his life.

I believe that the main reason people turn to us is the desire to strengthen the harmony that already exists.

Certainly, when it comes to people, you can notice that most people turn to psychology when they are faced with serious problems. However, shouldn't we also seek help in those moments when everything seems to be fine?

About myself at work

— What made you realize that you belong at Shchuka? Why did you decide to join this team?

From 2014 to 2019, I served as Director of the British Higher School of Design, where I met Vanya Velichko, Vanya Vasin, and their team. I joined Shchuka in mid-2021. In the interim, Sberbank rebranded, where I served as Chief Design Officer, being the client, and Shchuka was our contractor.

This was a real challenge. The period proved extremely challenging not only due to the nature of the project at Sber, which was never going to be easy, but also due to the circumstances surrounding the coronavirus pandemic.

I was responsible for updating a brand that was 180 years old and, incidentally, the largest in Eastern Europe. It was a true challenge. Sber had transformed into an ecosystem—at that point, there were 49 different design areas, where the design could be developed from any angle.

During the project, I was simultaneously involved in both design and positioning issues. The team from Shchukin played a key role in this process. Landor was the most significant contractor for the rebranding, but Shchuka made a huge contribution and was no less important throughout the entire process.

According to my calculations, about 6,000 people took part in the project related to Covid, while the number of designers was about 50. In the conditions of a severe pandemic, when it was impossible to go outside and not everyone had time to master Zoom, everything took place in a completely new reality.

Fifty designers were located in different parts of the planet, and therefore our work took place In a continuous mode—when one time zone was drifting off to sleep, another was just beginning its day. In this situation, my role resembled that of a coordinator, linking these time zones. I didn't know what proper rest was.

We've overcome many difficulties, faced various challenges and lived through tense moments, and I realized how much I want to continue collaborating with them.

— Have you ever felt like a woman in a traditionally male-dominated field in your projects or experiences?

— When I was studying, which was quite a long time ago, yes, indeed, programming and mathematics aren't exactly "women's fields," and there weren't many women in our faculty of Computational Mathematics and Cybernetics. Although, of course, there were slightly more of us than in the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics.

However, I can't claim to have experienced this firsthand—I'm aware of all the statistics regarding women in business: lower salaries and increased work complexity. However, to say that this is the problem I face would be wrong.

The Paths of Branding

— Let's discuss branding in the fashion world. Shchuka collaborated with Yuliawave and Nume; it seems to me that fashion as a visual aspect is what really fascinates you.

What is behind the charm of fashion? What is the essence of the magic of branding in this area - all those logos, color combinations and marketing approaches?

Perhaps fashion is one of the few areas where the product directly touches a person and becomes a part of his image.

Why do people shop? What drives them when they strive to get an item they have seen only once, and neither the quality of materials nor aesthetics are so important, but the brand itself? I believe this stems from a desire to become someone they either aren't or doubt they have the right to be. Fashion, in turn, becomes a source of confidence. It's essentially a kind of performance.

For this theater, brand creation is more important than the clothing itself.

You perceive a particular brand by sensing its unique atmosphere. And when you put on a product of this brand, you seem to immerse yourself in its aura, as if enveloping yourself in a protective cocoon.

Of course, sometimes it happens that a purchase is determined solely by the attractiveness of a certain property of the material or a unique shade, for example, A bright lemon color that you won't find elsewhere. However, in this context, we're talking about a brand whose reputation and image are more important to consumers than the actual product characteristics. In such cases, the brand creates an effect, making you look successful, even if this is not always true.

Modern fashion is flexible, fast, and simple—just put on a T-shirt. Over the course of 21 days, it becomes more than just clothing, but a brand symbol, creating a specific image. And on the 22nd day, you can already be yourself, without relying on brand paraphernalia. While this process is not yet complete, the label acts as a protective amulet, allowing you to confidently assert: "This is who I am." I have a sense of humor, I'm like Loewe, don't you think?

I feel like there's some magic in it.

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— When you do branding at Shchukin in the fashion industry, do you create a certain structure, a kind of matrix into which individuals can fit? Are you trying to understand who exactly someone dreams of becoming, having a certain T-shirt?

The behavior patterns expected of a person within the brand, as well as the way the product will allow them to behave, do not represent a rigid structure. The structure, in turn, remains unchanged, like a motionless pose in a photo.

Rather, the brand forms certain stereotypes and expectations regarding behavior patterns, designating what is considered acceptable and what is not. If I decide to behave like an eccentric city dweller or, conversely, like a sophisticated lady, the brand gives me the opportunity to realize this.

The matrix is ​​an image that is created when you are dressed in clothes and photographed. People perceive you precisely through this visual image. However, in real life, you take part in a true theater where your personality is multifaceted: you can move, interact, and express your thoughts. Branding is more than just a set of elements.

As a brand strategist and brand psychology expert, what aspects of the branding, customer engagement, and design processes do you consider beyond your control? What factor, in your opinion, could disrupt the harmony you strive to create in your agency?

Sometimes a client has a certain fragment of the brand system that they are not even aware of. This can manifest itself in the form of sounds, visual images, or simply certain sensations. These do not necessarily have to be complex concepts - it may be just an idea: "I will create this, go out to the balcony and admire it" or "I will have a hundred employees, and on Friday we will all go to a bar together to celebrate our first million!"

I cannot contain this genuine, deep desire - and this is quite normal, if it is truly sincere. If this desire is theirs, and the client has managed to formulate it correctly, then it will become the basis for building a brand strategy and image. Such an element will be very useful.

It often turns out that a person's desires are not sincere, but rather overheard or imposed from the outside. Perhaps they are not striving for business success at all, but rather crave something more mundane: for example, a large oak desk and a red chair like their classmate's, and they want it even bigger and brighter. Here, control is almost impossible: the client rarely allows us to get close to their true desires, and they are difficult to identify. They will defend their internal picture, which can lead us down the wrong path in our work.

The wrong picture cannot become the basis for the right brand. Although we can create a strategy that looks reasonable and promising, the client will not be able to remain in this state of comfort for long. Branding will feel alien, and the business will simply not be trusted. The reasons related to people are actually quite simple.

At this point, I realize that as a psychologist I admit: I have never noticed anything like this in myself.

Directions of development of artificial intelligence and its consequences

Several years ago, there was a lot of discussion about the possibility of artificial intelligence taking all people's jobs and deceiving them. Today, we are actually seeing how AI is becoming a source of deception: there are deepfakes, various fraudulent schemes and counterfeits.

Why doesn't artificial intelligence cause fear? It doesn't scare you, and even the Pike doesn't care.

— I don't feel fear, because I'm interested.

However, I cannot say with complete certainty that artificial intelligence does not pose a threat to society as a whole. I actively use it, as I see many of its advantages. However, the question arises: will AI be able to achieve such a degree of autonomy and influence in the decision-making process? Is there a clear line between "machine" and "human"?

What may cause fear is not due to the shortcomings of artificial intelligence, but rather to the limitations of humanity.

Artificial intelligence did not appear out of nowhere, and the results it provides should not be taken as absolute truth, especially when it comes to texts. There are even special tools and techniques that allow GPT to focus attention on a specific brand, similar to what happens with paid ads on the first page of Google search results.

If such a service actually functions, it means that the answers of artificial intelligence are no longer absolutely accurate and indisputable facts.

A neural network is just a tool under human control. And in this tool, you can find the answer to the question: "Mirror, mirror, tell me."

So what should we fear? It is the person who, in essence, has remained the same. However, with the advent of this tool, it has become much more noticeable that his actions are sometimes unworthy.

— At what point in visual design does mathematics cease to play a key role? How far does the digital perception of experience extend? Where does craft end and something that defies comprehension begin?

In our daily activities, it is becoming increasingly difficult to encounter something new and unexplored in visual terms, since almost everything has already been used. All the ideas and concepts that could appear have already been realized by someone else.

Today, brands are more than just a collection of visual or sensory characteristics. This is no longer a cooking manual where you simply take certain ingredients from a package, mix them in specified proportions, and get the desired dish.

Also, a change has occurred in that previously, the uniqueness of a given brand-dish could not be reproduced or copied by anyone except the company's own employees. It was a masterfully selected combination, focused on various senses, created by a specialist with the goal of satisfying the customer.

Mathematics reaches its limit in that it is impossible to reproduce the same result.

Nowadays, thanks to artificial intelligence, it has become possible to create a huge number of diverse materials, which makes external aspects less significant. The ability to duplicate a corporate identity has become much broader, and now authenticity belongs to those who are able to deeply understand how they will react to various events and actions.

Today, the importance of a brand is determined by its ability to respond to unusual events and situations. Such reactions must be unique and not amenable to replication. A true brand is a holistic, dynamic image, similar to a person who reacts to external factors. It is aware of its position and is able to shape its behavior in the future, even when a specific situation has not yet arisen, which allows others to predict its actions.

Why do I constantly mention feedback? The fact is that it is they that allow a living brand to stand out from its inanimate counterparts. If a brand is counterfeit and has only superficial visual characteristics, this will inevitably show in its reactions. Using AI prompts, it's impossible to create genuine, natural reactions that are linked by a single brand platform.

This uniqueness is precisely the power of true branding. Let's hope this continues for a long time.

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About Me Outside of Work

— Your career has lasted for many years, and therefore there is a risk of professional burnout.

How do you maintain your sensitivity to clients, colleagues, and yourself? Where do you get your inspiration and energy?

— I might surprise you, but I choose it in the field of artificial intelligence.

All my life, I have been fascinated by flower photography. Without even thinking about it before, I realized my passion when I downloaded terabytes of flower photos onto my computer. I remembered that even as a child, when my parents gave me a camera, I was already photographing floral arrangements.

I live in Australia, where the atmosphere is rich in flowers and nature, and my house is located right next to a botanical garden. It was here that I began actively photographing flowers in large quantities and participating in small competitions on social media. Over time, artificial intelligence entered my life: first, I started using it to process my photos, and then I discovered tools like Midjourney and other similar programs.

Now I create floral arrangements and share them on my social media account, which already has 100,000 followers. It's a reflection of my creativity and a way to cope with my emotions.

When I look up from where I am, I feel incredibly kind. I think that if you've discovered something that resonates with your essence, then you can channel all your emotions—both positive and negative—into it. It becomes a kind of protection for you. In my case, I completely immerse myself in my world of floweraipeople, and when I emerge from it, I become very interested in reality.

You have been in the shadow of the success of many designers, teachers, and artists. Hundreds of them have reached new heights thanks to your contribution, as you played the roles of both client and head of the educational institution, and initiated processes that previously did not exist in companies.

Who are you especially proud of?

— I don’t feel proud of everyone I see, but rather joy that something works out for them.

— Are you proud of your time at Britanka?

— It was a wonderful job, a real dream job. I’m sure that if it weren’t for my experience at Britanka, I would not have realized how it is possible to feel so comfortable and confident in my position. It never even occurred to me that such a wonderful opportunity existed.

To an ant, an elephant is an incredibly large representative of their species. For me, the ideal job was something like this giant ant. I had no idea that creatures like elephants existed.

I consider myself incredibly lucky, because for five whole years I was immersed in this happiness. It was a world inhabited by people with sincere, sparkling eyes, full of life.

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• "Emotional Design": How Companies Interact with the Feelings of Their Customers
• Archetypes play an important role in design and marketing, and understanding them can significantly impact a brand's success. These universal images and patterns that exist in the collective unconscious help form an emotional connection between a product and a consumer.

  Each archetype has its own unique traits and associations that can be used to create a more attractive and memorable image. For example, the Hero archetype represents strength and courage, while the Sage archetype symbolizes knowledge and deep wisdom. Using these patterns in communication with the audience allows you to better convey your brand's values ​​and make it more relatable to consumers.

  When developing marketing strategies, it is important to consider which archetype best suits your target audience and what emotions you want to evoke. This will help not only in creating effective visual content but also in forming an overall message that will resonate with your customers. Thus, applying archetype theory can be a powerful tool for creating sustainable and attractive brands.

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