The designer behind Laine’s new look
Last month we revealed a whole new look for the Laine website as well as the Laine Magazine. The new look was created by Kyiv-born Marina Veziko, one of Finland’s leading designers and the Graphic Designer of the Year 2021. Learn more about how the new look came together and how the world changed since we started working together!
How did you become a designer?
As a child, I used to draw a lot and also made my own “magazines”. But I didn’t have anyone in my family or friends who was working in the creative field, so I didn’t know professions such as designer or illustrator even existed. I ended up studying graphic design sort of by accident, after a few gap years of trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. I enrolled in a community college to study something else but ended up taking a graphic design course because it sounded fun. The teacher of that course encouraged me to apply to a design school and I’ll be forever grateful to her for that.
Biggest achievements in your career?
Being nominated Graphic Designer of the Year 2021 in Finland by Grafia was truly a highlight! Having had the opportunity to have an award exhibition at Design Museum and to design the exhibition architecture together with the amazing Hanna Anonen was so much fun!
How did your collab with Laine begin?
Jonna Hietala, the co-founder of Laine, reached out to me after one of my former teachers had recommended me for the project. I met with Jonna and Sini Kramer, the other co-founder, and they told me about their rebranding wishes and visions regarding both the publishing house and the magazine. It felt that from the very first meetings we were all on the same page and the whole process was very natural and smooth.
How did you approach this design project? What inspired you and what were some things you wanted to include in the project?
The name ‘Laine’ (eng. wave) is very fruitful in the sense that it immediately sparks all sorts of ideas. There are countless ways to visualise a wave and I knew right from the start that I want to somehow incorporate that into the logotype in a subtle way. My strengths are actually not in logo design at all, but working on the new Laine logo was very enjoyable and I love how it turned out! Regarding typography, colors and overall layout – we wanted to make it both modern and timeless at the same time. Fresh, but not too trendy. Classic, but not too dull. I’m very excited to see how the Laine community will feel about the new look.
How do you keep your ideas fresh?
Oof, a tough one. Well, the most important thing for me is to not take on projects or clients that are too similar to my past client projects. For example, I’ve done two cosmetics projects (which I loved doing), so I would be very hesitant to work on more cosmetics unless the angle would be something totally new. I prefer when each project is different from the previous one. That forces you to come up with a fresh approach each time.
Tips for anyone stuck in a creative rut?
Talking, talking, talking. At least for me, it is helpful to bounce around ideas with other creatives, in the dinner table or on a walk. Also, there’s no shame in the Pinterest game! Sometimes it helps to get inspired by what others have done. And by that I don’t mean copying their work, but either realising “oh, seems like this has been done a thousand times already, so I better not do that” or “wow, the thinking behind this is very creative, how could I be as witty when approaching my project?”. When schedules are hectic and deadlines tight, there’s little room for testing out new ideas or styles. So for that, the only cure is saying “no” more often and taking on less work (something I’m still learning).
The world has changed since we started this project, as a Finnish-Ukrainian, how have you coped during these difficult times?
The past six months have definitely been overwhelming and stressful, for every single Ukrainian both in Ukraine and abroad. Everyone knows someone who has been affected by the war in one way or another. The worrying is non-stop. If there’s a silver lining, the war has heavily shifted my priorities. I love my job, but I now have a much healthier approach to it. Work is not everything, there are far more important things. Also, to cure my immense homesickness, I’ve been consuming Ukrainian music and films a lot, trying to improve my Ukrainian, eating traditional Ukrainian dishes… It feels more important than ever to embrace and preserve our culture and language.
See the new look in Laine 15. Order your copy now!
See more Marina's work
Picture of Marina: Johannes Romppainen