Just another random designer

Lev Narozhny

Hmm...

I spent a long time thinking about how to write about myself so that it didn't sound like a dry biography or resume. How to make the reader genuinely interested in learning about me,

An ordinary guy from Estonia, without grandiose titles and a heroic biography

I'll try.

I was born on April 1, 1999, in Estonia. I went to a very ordinary school and was the kind of kid you wouldn't call problematic, but I also wasn't exemplary. I didn't directly disrupt classes, didn't cause scenes, or argue with teachers, but I always laughed at my classmates' jokes so loudly and sincerely that in the eyes of the teachers, I automatically became an accomplice. Sometimes, I felt like laughter was my way of being a part of what was happening without completely disrupting it.

I never particularly liked studying as a system. Not because I didn't want to study, but because there were almost no subjects at school that truly interested me. Most information was perceived as obligatory, but devoid of life.

History and art were the exception. They conveyed a sense of dimension, time, and human presence. A little later, English was added. While history and art were interesting in themselves, English only became truly important after I realized a simple but crucial thing: language is the key. To information, to people, to opportunities, and to a different life.

From an early age, I had a habit that was strange, by the standards of other children: I could spend hours watching documentaries about Ancient Egypt. And the more "boring" and academic they were considered, the more captivated I became. I studied the murals, the symbols, the proportions of figures, the colors, the repeating forms. This culture struck me with its integrity and visual logic. I didn't call it design back then, but I think it was there that my first sense of the power of images to speak without words was born.

As my school years drew to a close, I faced the question of my future profession. And I couldn't answer it. I seriously dreamed of studying Egyptology, and specifically in Cairo. But I quickly encountered a pragmatic inner voice: what would I do after university? This romantic dream quickly shattered the reality in which I saw myself, at best, as a museum security guard with a sign that said "Do not touch the exhibits."

Ultimately, enrolling in art history seemed the most sensible decision. It was a compromise between interest and practicality. However, after two years, I realized that endless reading, textual analysis, and essay writing had ceased to bring satisfaction. I missed the action, the process, the feeling of creating something myself.

Nevertheless, I am sincerely grateful for this period. University gave me a foundation, an understanding of historical context, visual codes, and the logic of form development. This knowledge remains with me to this day and directly influences my work.

It was at university that I first learned about the profession of graphic designer. It was a revelation. It was as if someone had suddenly shown me a room I'd never suspected existed.

I suddenly realized that design isn't just "pretty pictures." It's a language. It's structure. It's meaning packaged in form. It's a combination of history, psychology, aesthetics, and communication. At that moment, my inner puzzle finally came together, and I realized what I wanted to dedicate my life to.

Until then, I hadn't even considered that behind posters, logos, visual identities, and media, there was a specific person with a profession, a mindset, and a responsibility. It all seemed to exist on its own.

I started taking extracurricular classes in design and marketing. This was a breath of fresh air for me. No more endless texts and theoretical papers; I was finally working with my hands, thinking visually, and acquiring skills that were applicable in real life, not just on paper.

What particularly appeals to me about design is that it's a form of psychotherapy and deep introspection. To understand people, you must first understand yourself. You must learn to separate the personal from the universal, to identify your primary reactions, fears, and impulses. Understand how your brain reacts to color, shape, sound, rhythm, and pauses.

And only then does an understanding of how human attention works come. How it can be directed, held, and captured. By understanding yourself, you begin to understand others.

Design is also a constant dialogue with history. Almost everything has already been invented. Innovation comes not from a vacuum, but from the ability to search, analyze, and rethink the past and present. That's why it's so important for me to study a brand, its context, its history, and its environment, only then can I offer a truly accurate visual solution.

I sometimes compare people to lemurs. At one zoo, they were given peeled bananas for a long time. At first, they ate them with pleasure, but then gradually stopped. Then the workers started cutting the bananas differently every day and the lemurs started showing interest and eating them again.

Almost the same principle applies to people. We respond to form, presentation, and novelty, even if the essence remains the same.

The topic of design is endless, and I could talk about it at length. But there's more to my life than that.

Why did I come to Greece?

I came to Greece as a member and employee of the organization Esai En Roi. My responsibilities include graffiti projects, radio shows, administrative work, graphic design, and personal initiatives aimed at drawing attention to the organization's activities.

I've already completed many interesting tasks in December; I don't intend to limit myself to the basic tasks I've already listed!

I hope I've managed to tell you about myself in a way that gives you the impression of a living person, not just a collection of facts.

See you later.

Bye.

by @le_me_vision