I NEVER START WORKING BEFORE I CAN ENVISION THE FINAL RESULT.

I have a few Moleskines, but most of the time, they’re nowhere to be found, so I end up sketching on random pieces of paper, receipts, stickers—anything I come across. A lot of times, these sketches from the early stages get lost in the process, or sometimes the ideas get transformed into something new. Whatever I am working on, I try to maintain the original concept. Beginning artists and designers often face a problem when they get carried away by the process and let it guide them. As a result, they get total rubbish because they missed something vital in the first stage.

For an artist, the heart is most important. Today, about 90 percent of my work is pure instinct and only 10 percent is based on logic. This is the only way to approach a new project if you don’t want to risk someone saying, “I’ve seen something like this before.” By working this way, you can end up with something that is not imitation, but is uniquely yours.

Working across disciplines is very exciting, and many talented designers and artists can do that, but to be honest, it’s a bit strange for me. It’s almost like trusting a translation of Japanese poetry to an interpreter working with Russian and English texts.

Nike Reuse-A-Shoe was one of my most interesting projects during the past six months. It’s very rare that I get complete freedom like I got with this project. Usually, I can get that only in my personal projects. I think I was probably inspired by a Renaissance painting or a short story by Dostoyevsky. I’ve been reading lots of Russian classic literature lately.

Everything comes spontaneously for me. I don’t have a nine-to-five job. My profession is my life. So, my brain is in the “on” mode twenty-four hours a day. I never trash anything. In fact, I prefer using the word decline or change. There can be up to ten or twenty versions if the project is big and if there’s sufficient time.

I never start working before I can envision the final result. The “come what may” motto can apply to your personal life, but never to work. There is never an unforeseen situation in graphic design or illustration or in creating a typeface.

Figuratively speaking, there’s never a brick falling down onto your head when you’ve planned something thoroughly. It’s better to think for a couple of days and then implement the project in a couple of hours.

I often experiment with new forms. I already have quite an impressive collection. When there’s a commercial commission, I test it against my newest ideas to see if it fits.