- RoleGraphic & Web Designer → Design Operations Coordinator (In-house)Project TypeBrand Design • Marketing Design • Design Operations • Creative Coordination • Print Production • Merchandise • Web Design
- IndustryFinTech • Forex • Financial ServicesMarketsUkraine • CIS Markets
Its portfolio included MMCIS, Kondakov Asset Management, Mill Trade, FxFactor Magazine, and the “Good Deeds” Charity Foundation — each with distinct audiences, communication goals, and brand touchpoints.
The organization itself was a fast-growing IT company serving the Forex trading industry. Over 3 years, it scaled from 25 to more than 500 employees, expanded into a nationwide financial network with regional offices across Ukraine, and became one of the leading companies in its market segment.
I joined as a Graphic & Web Designer, supporting multiple brands simultaneously. As the business rapidly expanded, my role evolved beyond visual design into Design Manager to coordinate the daily operations of a 12-person Art Department.
Alongside delivering creative work, I became responsible for workload planning, cross-functional collaboration, approval workflows, executive reporting, and ensuring consistent delivery across dozens of parallel marketing initiatives.
This role marked my first experience in Design Operations, combining design expertise with process management, stakeholder coordination, and business-oriented thinking.
- Scope of WorkBrand & Marketing Design
Brand communication • Marketing campaigns • Web Design • Landing Pages • Digital Advertising • Print Design • Editorial Design • Presentation Design • Environmental Graphics • POS Materials
Design Operations
Team workload planning • Creative workflow coordination • Design request management • Priority planning • Delivery tracking • Daily status reporting • Resource allocation •
Cross-functional Collaboration
Marketing • PR • Product • Development • Legal • Executive Leadership
Production Management
Print production • Prepress supervision • Vendor coordination • Manufacturing consulting • Quality control - Key Contributions
- Grew from Graphic Designer to Art Department Coordinator within 3.5 years.
- Coordinated the daily operations of a 12-person design team.
- Introduced structured planning, prioritization and reporting processes.
- Became the primary communication bridge between business stakeholders and the creative team.
- Coordinated end-to-end approval workflows involving executives, legal, marketing and production teams.
- Managed production and vendor relationships for premium printed materials and branded merchandise.
- Supported multiple brands simultaneously throughout periods of rapid business growth.
Impact- This role fundamentally transformed my perspective on design.
- I learned that the effectiveness of creative teams depends not only on design quality, but on well-designed processes, transparent communication, and strong collaboration across business functions.
- The experience laid the foundation for my future roles as Design Lead and Head of Design, where I combined creative leadership with operational thinking, cross-functional collaboration, and business strategy.
- Key CompetenciesDesign Operations
Creative Operations • Workflow Optimization • Resource Planning • Delivery Coordination • Design Process Improvement
Leadership
Team Coordination • Stakeholder Management • Cross-functional Collaboration • Executive Communication • Vendor Management
Design
Brand Design • Marketing Design • Web Design • Editorial Design • Print Production • Premium Merchandise • Environmental Graphics
Situation
During my time at the company, one of its flagship brands experienced rapid business growth, expanding from approximately 25 employees to more than 500 within three years while opening offices across major cities in Ukraine.
This rapid expansion required the simultaneous development of hundreds of branded assets while maintaining visual consistency across every customer and employee touchpoint.
Task
Support the company’s business growth by coordinating the design and production of marketing, environmental, and operational brand assets delivered within ambitious timelines and across multiple parallel initiatives.
Design Approach
Coordinated the creation and delivery of brand assets across digital and physical environments, including office branding, promotional campaigns, printed communications, presentations, POS materials, vehicle branding, racing team graphics, outdoor advertising, and regional office launches. Worked closely with marketing, business leadership, production partners, and the internal design team to synchronize priorities, approvals, and production schedules while maintaining a unified visual system throughout the company’s rapid expansion.
Project Impact
Enabled consistent brand implementation during a period of hypergrowth, supporting the launch of new offices, nationwide marketing campaigns, promotional events, and customer-facing environments. The project demonstrated how structured design operations and cross-functional coordination can accelerate business expansion while preserving brand consistency at scale.
Situation
The company positioned both its corporate and executive brands within the premium financial services market. Every physical customer touchpoint—from business cards to executive gifts — needed to reinforce trust, exclusivity, and high-end brand perception.
Task
Design and coordinate the production of premium branded merchandise and VIP materials while maintaining exceptional quality across a wide range of products, materials, and international manufacturing partners.
Design Approach
- Developed concepts for luxury merchandise, executive gifts, premium print materials, and branded apparel.
- Collaborated with manufacturers across Ukraine, Turkey, and China, selecting appropriate materials and production technologies for each product.
- Supervised the production process from concept development through prepress, prototyping, quality control, and final delivery.
- Worked extensively with premium finishing techniques including soft-touch coatings, selective and hybrid varnishes, embossing, foil stamping, custom hardware, jacquard ribbons, designer papers, luxury packaging, branded gold coins, and bespoke business cards.
Project Impact
Created a consistent premium brand experience across physical touchpoints while developing deep expertise in luxury print production, material innovation, and international manufacturing coordination. This experience later became a strong foundation for my work in premium branding, retail design, and high-end customer experience.