Artem Babaev: Do What You Love, Achieve Good Results
Art Director
by Elizabeth Lavis
|24 Feb 2025
Artem Babaev’s personal philosophy is a simple, self-fulfilling directive that fuels his design. “When you do what you really love, you will achieve good results,” he says. Babaev, the official Art Director and unofficial creator of beautiful visuals at Studio Akademia, also has some sage advice for up-and-coming designers. “Be more kind to yourself. When you’re too critical of your own work, it starts to prevent your process because you start comparing your design to more experienced and famous people and thinking it will never be on the same level,” he says. “I also advise you to not only look at trending or famous designers but be inspired by graphic design work from the 20th century.”
Babaev lives in Moscow, Russia, but was born in Novosibirsk. It is not the most beautiful city in Russia,” he says. “It looks totally gray. Perhaps I became a designer because I wished to add more color and beauty to my environment.” His path initially took him in a very different direction than design: economics, but he quickly realized that it wasn’t something he wanted to dedicate himself to. Instead, he tapped into his younger self’s passion for street art. “In high school, I was inspired by graffiti culture,” Babaev says. “I used to spend a lot of time making sketches. Later, I started receiving commercial work offers and began using computer graphics to make more qualified designs.”
Immersive Corner installation with naked eye effect for MTS B2B products by Studio Akademia
Today, Babaev begins most of his design work with a creative concept. “For each creative concept, we select mood boards, references, and sketches,” he says. “After that, I draw the primary visual concepts. If the client likes the proposed direction, we refine the concept and scale the work.” The initial creative concept and work are balanced by the administrative side, which helps shepherd the project along.
Ultimately, for Babaev, a design is successful if it’s catchy, memorable, and aesthetically pleasing. Campaigns can take anywhere from a few weeks to several months, depending on the complexity and project size.
Babaev establishes rapid rapport with his clients by being fully transparent, keeping them apprised of shifting deadlines, and staying realistic about the progress. He also works with each client’s needs to ensure they’re comfortable with the process. “Some clients want to be aware of each iteration of the project and even take part in the creative process, help with materials, and offer their ideas,” he says. “Some just want to see the almost finished result.”
When Babaev isn’t working, he’s taking time to recharge and travel. “I like to go hiking or skiing in the mountains,” he says. “It’s great to go somewhere with no internet.” His long-term plans also involve harmony with nature. “I’d like to have my own country house with a mountain view in five years,” Babaev says.
On a personal note, Babaev plans to continue prioritizing his physical and mental health, discover new countries and places, meet interesting people, and continue cultivating meaningful and rich relationships with his relatives.
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