Asya Demidova is a

multidisciplinary designer
who thrives off both mess
and organisation
The Moscow-born and Dublin-based
designer takes us behind the scenes of
her wide-ranging (and utterly joyous)
creative process.

—
20 August 2021
3 minute read
Finding order amongst the chaos, Asya Demidova thinks
of herself as having two traits: not only is she incredibly
organised, she’s messy too. This has turned into “the
ultimate combo that helps me a lot daily,” she tells It’s
Nice That. A multidisciplinary designer and art director,
Asya’s tendencies have enabled her to build imaginative
worlds in both the physical and digital spheres. From
joyful characters to bubbly lettering, her work transcends
mediums as it flits between branding, creative direction
and a medley of techniques in 3D, AR and animation.

Asya grew up in Moscow but later moved to Dublin, which

is where she currently resides and spends her time
cycling around on her foldable bike. In her younger years,
she always had an inkling that she’d end up doing
something creative, despite studying for a degree in
economics before completing her second degree in
design. “I felt my call and interest,” she says about finding
her feet in the creative industry. Excited by her new path,
she began developing her own unique style and
channeling her interests in both 2D and 3D.

Whether it’s doodling in her sketchbook or building

geometrical structures, Asya likes to absorb as much as
possible from the waking day – finding inspiration in just
about anything and twisting her shapes into fully realised
characters. This can be seen throughout the entirety of
her portfolio, but most notably in her 2D project crank
kitty crew, featuring a simplistic line drawing of a friendly
feline sporting a colourful head of hair. When it comes to
3D, she always strives to test out new technologies and
media, as seen in her projects for The New York Times,
Pull&Bear and abstract worlds. “3D allows me to
communicate and create an engaging experience,” she
says. “I’m especially into creating different 3D worlds,
where you can actively choose how you want to see the
world and what you want to focus on.”

Asya Demidova: cool girl (Copyright © Asya Demidova, 2021)

Everything Asya puts her mind towards has been built

with a lot of care and attention. A typical project begins
with extensive research and a deep dive into the topic at
hand. Sometimes, she’ll take her sketches and morph
them into new angles and compositions, reworking the
original idea and generating new ones in the process. She
also works regularly with clients, which is a collaborative
part of her job that she thoroughly enjoys. “When
building concepts, I love to create strict rules which allow
me to focus on better communication, and then rules
which break them,” she says. “I love to stay visually
playful and it adds a personal touch.” Just like her ability
to be both organised and messy, Asya’s approach to
design and illustration is equally broad – she likes to
break boundaries just as much as she likes to work with
structure.

Recently, Asya was tasked to work on Finna, a swimming

brand founded in 2020. Living a healthy life herself, she
was thrilled to take on a project in connection to sport,
developing the brand and creating 3D backgrounds and
artworks. “I used organic shapes, typography and grids
following the movement wave traced throughout the
design,” she explains. There are plenty of signature Asya
trademarks running throughout the identity, like the
bubbly, shiny textures and creative compositions. What’s
more, the brand participated in the FINS Swimming World
Championship for the first time this year, making it an
exciting project to be part of.

Elsewhere, Asya was given the opportunity to build an

identity for #beeasykid, which is an “adaptable” clothing
brand for kids with disabilities. Asya and the team worked
on the website, social media, communications and
character design, as well as 2D and 3D illustrations.
Additionally, she’s also working on a 3D animated video
to raise awareness around adaptive clothing – garments
that make those who wear them feel comfortable,
included and accepted. “Those small things can make
the change,” she says. “Inclusivity is the main goal, as
many people are unaware that dressing can be an issue
for kids.”

Next in line for Asya a series of illustrations for digital

magazine zollfreilager and its special issue, Figures of
Figuration, which is created with the Zürcher
Theaterspektakel, a theatre festival in Zurich. Not to
mention a new series of illustrations named under
SoftRealms, set to launch later this month. There’s clearly
lots more to come in this playful world of Asya’s.
Asya Demidova: abstract worlds (Copyright © Asya Demidova, 2021)
Asya Demidova: abstract worlds (Copyright © Asya Demidova, 2021)

Asya Demidova: BFF (Copyright © Asya Demidova, 2021)

Asya Demidova: Finna (Copyright © Asya Demidova, 2021)

Asya Demidova: Finna (Copyright © Asya Demidova, 2021)

Asya Demidova: The New York Times, Amazon's Open Secret (Copyright © Asya
Demidova, 2021)
Asya Demidova: The New York Times, Can Food Delivery Work For Everyone?
(Copyright © Asya Demidova, 2021)

Asya Demidova: The New York Times, The Subscription Buffet May Be Over (Copyright
© Asya Demidova, 2021)
Asya Demidova: Soft Realms (Copyright © Asya Demidova, 2021)

Asya Demidova: Pull&Bear (Copyright © Asya Demidova, 2021)

Asya Demidova: crankitty crew (Copyright © Asya Demidova, 2021)
Asya Demidova: crankitty crew (Copyright © Asya Demidova, 2021)

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Hero Header

Asya Demidova: crankitty crew (Copyright © Asya

Demidova, 2021)

About the Author

Ayla Angelos
—
Ayla was an editorial assistant back
in June 2017 and has continued to
work with us on a freelance basis.
She has spent the last seven years
as a journalist, and covers a range of
topics including photography, art and
graphic design. Feel free to contact
Ayla with any stories or new creative
projects.

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