Design is a process of knowing, ordering and reducing entropy. In design we manage the unknown, cognize and structure it.

manage unknown

Yan Zaretsky

art director and designer

Leading design teams, consulting with designers and art directors

I design interfaces and branding

Leading complex projects with a focus on business and user value

Design

Product and applications
Web (custom and no-code)
Branding
Printing
I design projects at all stages: creating a brief together with the client, conceptual design, layout and author's control of production.

I work systematically, using design as a method of solving business problems: to identify business needs, to form criteria for evaluating design, to work in iterations until the goals are achieved. I immerse myself in the tasks and specifics of each project, pay attention to detail, and am responsible for the result.

Management

Design teams
Projects
Clients
I manage design teams. I help to establish interaction of designers with each other and with related departments. I set up workflows and methodologies based on the company's needs and project maturity. I train, mentor and inspire designers.

I manage the workflow on the project. Run and debug design systems. I ensure controlled process and results at three stages: operational, tactical, strategic.

Consulting

Designers
Executives
Businesses
For business: audit of the current state of affairs in design, mapping of project development, review of the principles and methodology of the design department. Formation of design evaluation criteria and effective interaction "design-business-user". Professional development and lectures for the design team.

For designers and managers: mentoring, portfolio review, project audit, career track adjustment, search for growth points, consultations on working in a team or alone, freelancing.

Read more →.

Work experience and portfolio

I combine art direction and design.

I lead several project teams:
14 designers
4 developers
2 illustrators

Download CV (ru)
Customer or project
Year
role
Context
GRAD
2025 ← 2020
Art Director
Launch of the service for geologists, hypothesis and active development stage
St.Petersburg Digest
2025 ← 2018
Art Director
Launch of the periodical, design layout and concept formation
Praxis Group
2024 ← 2019
Art Director
Leading project teams, creating concepts for annual reports
1+N
2021 ← 2020
Art Director
Concept and design of the corporate monitoring system
NWCC
2020 ← 2014
Art Director
Supporting the company in the communication and digital environment
Mad Espresso Team
2015 - 2020
Art Director
Coffee shop launch, conceptualization, scaling up
Loudy
2019
Senior Designer
Launching a music startup, shaping the business model
Grower Cosmetics
2019
Designer
Ecological cosmetics branding, launch and development
Faberge Museum
2018 ← 2014
Designer
Development of the museum after opening, launch of temporary exhibitions and events
Cascara
2017
Art Director
ERP system for managing a chain of coffee shops. Web + ios application
Terminal Design
2013
Designer
Project work for the agency's customers
Erarta
2012 ← 2010
Designer
Opening of the museum, formation of new directions

Accomplishments

Awards

Jury

Speeches and lectures

Year
Event
Theme
2025
Feedback
A Netflix show about design
H, career.
Emotion vs rationality: how does a designer find his way?
2024
Design View, SPb
Design Topology
Spaciousness
Pendulum: a design methodology for projects of any complexity
Design Weekend, NN
Autonomous Designer's Map
2023
Dprofile lecture hall #35, SPb
Passionarity in design
Kolesa Group
Graphic design in the product
Dprofile lecture room #15, SPb
Perfect design doesn't work
GO! Deep education
The dichotomy of creativity and design
Dizayn Proizvodit, Moscow
The pendulum as a matrix of the design process
Design Weekend, Suzdal
Design file. Interview with Sergey Gurov
Design Weekend, Suzdal
Dprofile design review
Design Weekend, Suzdal
Phenotype Design

Publications and exhibitions

Year
Publication
Information
Fixed
2021
International Yearbook Brands & Communication Design Vol.1, 2021/2022
RedDot Edition, 2021, p.540, 769
Grower Cosmetics
Wrap It Up
Sandu Publishing Co., Ltd., 2021, p.300.
Grower Cosmetics
Europapyr
Aspect documentation
Paper and Design
Grower Cosmetics
Seoul International Book Fair
Aspect documentation
Frankfurt Book Fair
Aspect documentation
Skillbox Media
Aspect documentation
2016
Visual Harmony: Proportional Relationships in Graphic Design
Sendpoints Publishing, 2016, pp.152-153
Old School
2012
2 photobiennale of contemporary photography
Russian Museum
Photograph
2011
Stability
Erarta
Painting
2008
Homo bonus
Social Poster Exhibition, SPbSU
Poster

Clients

Long-term customers
Gazprom Neft STC
Digital Modeling Laboratory of SPbSU
Gazprom CPS
Aspect Engineering
Praxis Group
Faberge Museum
Grower Cosmetics
SPb Digest
Erarta
Mad Espresso Team
Northwest Coffee Company
Northwest Coffee Company
For work-related inquiries

Personal projects

Workshop ↗

Co-working for designers (ru)
masterskaya.design
I am one of the founders of the project "Workshop" - a design co-working space in St. Petersburg. For designers who have a need for a workplace and a professional team. We communicate, organize design events, meetings, publish our own magazine. Write if you have a desire to join us, or if you just want to visit and get acquainted.

Design, life, dark rum ↗

Telegram channel (ru)
t.me/munkdesign
Телеграм канал, в котором я пишу в основном о дизайне. Анонсы лекций, размышления о профессии, случаи и рабочие детали с проектов. Простым языком, без лишней серьёзности, но рассудительно. Не люблю саморекламу, поэтому пишу там не только о своей деятельности, но просто рассуждаю о профессии. Нравится фиксировать мысли во времени. Буду рад новым подписчикам <3

Shimmer Stories

Handmade home decorations (ru)
shimmerstories.ru
A family project in which I am the designer)
Handmade crocheted home decorations, premium and eco-friendly materials. I'm responsible for the brand and maximizing the buzz of the product packaging.
And I also acted as a producer - Shimmer Stories released folk audio stories on streaming platforms. Just because it's great!