Not long ago I attended a business conference in Ukraine. There I met some of the leaders of successful Ukrainian startups. Listening to their stories, I had a clear realization of what those companies had in common. In our follow-up discussion, we reached some interesting conclusions, which I am happy to share with you.

All successful companies are driven by a huge power source. It’s as powerful as a nuclear reactor that is constantly producing energy through fission chain reactions.

All successful companies work deliberately to keep this power source continuously running.

All successful companies build their teams with a…

1. Don’t forget Grandpa Disney

The classic Disney animation principles are as relevant as ever and they still apply to anything that happens onscreen. When creating animation, strive to achieve realistic motion of the objects and always make sure they pass the “Disney test.” Obviously, this may not apply to some projects and design styles (for example, Disney principles may be inappropriate for an insurance commercial).

2. Justify every animation

Any animation must be functional and justified. Animation just for its own sake is worse than no animation at all. Each action must have a goal, be reasonable and necessary. Good animation should help the user achieve the…

Can you quickly tell whether a design is good or mediocre? The quality of design is not a matter of taste or intuition. “This is awesome!” or “This is meh” are reactions better left to the users.

Knowing how to determine the quality of design is important both for designers and developers and for website owners. This requires practice. If you are a designer who wants to grow professionally, you should turn this skill into a regular habit, like brushing your teeth. At first it will take some time, but you will learn to do it quicker with every new…

Most companies have a logo. As long as it’s recognizable to the employees, it’s considered good enough. “It’s an okay logo,” says the complacent owner. “After all, we’re not Apple or McDonald’s.”

And that’s exactly why they aren’t Apple or McDonald’s. A logo is a marketing tool, and if these guys’ marketing doesn’t work, then what does?

Your logo is the banner you carry into the market battle.

Designing a logo is the first step in building your brand and a mark of professionalism in business. Most business people understand that today no company can thrive without a logo. But not everyone knows what a real logo is or how it works.

A logo is more than just a company’s face and identifier in the online and offline markets. To the consumers, the logo is a guarantee of quality; to the business partners, it’s a signal that the company is trustworthy. This is how market reasoning goes: if a company has a high-quality logo, this quality extends to…

Without graphic design, web design would be dead as a doornail. And not only it. Graphic design wasn’t created yesterday. It began with prehistoric cave drawings, with marks on stones, notches in trees, and similar useful ways of exchanging information. How could we communicate with each other distantly if we did not know how to use the language of images?

The visual language is just as important as the spoken one.

We have forgotten about this ancient and most important function of graphic design. We worry about the style and quality of the images, whether this or that design is…

Take a look around and you’ll see a wealth of cookie-cutter design. Everyone is copying everyone else’s ideas, changing the visuals to the best of their abilities or arrogance. They change the colors and shapes, they shift some blocks around. Upon clients’ request, designers are willing to steal the entire layout of a top-rate website. The digital world is one of imitation. We are not talking about whether it’s good or bad. We are just saying that if you want to create a unique project, this is not the path you should take.

How do you create a design that…

1. Where to begin? From idea to implementation

Every work starts with an idea. When you have a rough plan for implementation, prepare sketches, collect pictures, photos, videos, and whatever you think is necessary.

2. What set of tools do I need?

Identify the set of tools you need to implement your idea. It’s best to choose several programs at first. 3DS Max, Maya, 4D Cinema, Blender are some of the most popular. These are complex programs that allow you to create 3D models, animation, and visual effects (VFX). They can be used to make animations, advertisements, films, 3D-printer models, and even physical calculations.

To choose a suitable option for yourself, it’s worth considering the advantages…