Folk art manufactured
Different paths led me to the Yardecol - bug manufacture producing souvenir production for the cities all over Russia - from Kaliningrad to Vladivostok. One line of this fabric was devoted to making custom-made decals for glass, ceramics, and metal. What is your first thought about decal? Mine was some paper piece you may put with water on any surface to stick the design. Actually, even temporary tattoo children obsessed with you may also call decals for your skin. So fabric decals are almost the same but to make the color print permanent you need to fire and glaze objects. At that point in time (now it is different because the technology part doesn't remain the same), you had to follow the possibilities of print machines - to use certain amount colours for example.
Another line was experimenting with exquisite Russian maiolica art. Yaroslavl is a well-known center of this unique ceramic and porcelain craft. Every object is made from red clay, then it gets gradually covered with double glaze, all completely hand-made from cover to cover. Double burning enhances the color and gives the surface its signature precious shine. Back in old days, only noble and wealthy citizens could afford maiolica works. So ambition of Yardecol was to find a compromise between mass-production speed and the high price of a fully hand-made process.
My work
It was never routine! One day I was drawing some prints for decals or vector compositions. Once per week, I was on duty to prepare files for print - decals production is very special and requires a separation of a layer in colours. And if you screw it costs are high and it will affect the deadlines of sales
Another day I could spend making sketches for our 3d-artists because all shapes for maiolica we developed and made internally in the factory. And of course plenty of reviews, adjustments, and brief sessions for the new city line. Just imagine you get a task to make all souvenir line for Amursk (Russia so big so firstly you Google where is f**k is it?!). Then you start to do your research what makes this city or area special? Maybe a rare flower, an animal? River, mountains? City highlights? What if there is only one Lenin monument and that's all?!
"I got skills"
- Corel Draw - two words, one pain. Terrible software, but must have for fabric print machines. I mastered this software and then forgot it as a nightmare. Actually, not completely, I met time to time some logos in CDR files.
- Hand-drawing with a graphic tablet.
- Making endless researches for client's projects and for internal tasks - my favorite part. It was a good match with my education and the reason I decided to take this job initially.
- Opportunity to work agile - endlessly improve your work after Q&A sessions.
Despite I liked to work as an industrial designer it was never a perfect match. That's why I was mastering other tools which I might need for another designer's job.