You need a designer who solves problems, not just creates layouts. Let me show you how I do it!
My approach to projects
My name is Maria Korneva, and I’m a communication designer. I design how a company communicates with its audience: through visual identity, packaging, books, and typography. I start each project by asking, «What needs to be communicated, and to whom?» — and only then do I develop the visuals.
Semyonkovo Architectural and Ethnographic Museum
Brand identity
The Semyonkovo Museum features examples of wooden architecture dating from the mid-19th to the early 20th century. What makes the museum unique is that it presents historic buildings not as museum pieces behind glass, but as living homes where life unfolds and Vologda’s history continues to be woven.
Challenge
Refresh the visual identity by grounding it in Semyonkovo’s local identity to make the brand recognizable and differentiate it from competitors.Target audience
Local families with children They want to spend their free time meaningfully and introduce younger generations to their local culture firsthand, giving them something to be proud of.Tourists They want to escape everyday life and discover an «authentic Russian village, ” experiencing genuine heritage rather than stylized representations.Cultural researchers They want access to authentic regional structures and value culture presented through documented historical evidence.All of them seek an authentic connection with culture.Positioning
We preserve the living world of a northern village, where the warmth and strength of local culture can be felt.Solution
The visual style is based on a metaphor: the museum’s historic buildings are imprints of history.Hair Care Product Line
Packaging
The project was developed as part of a team for the Art Masters competition, with Natura Siberica as the client. My task was to design the label and packaging shape.
Challenge
Develop packaging design for a hair care line that conveys the natural origin of ingredients gathered in the Altai Mountains.Solution
The packaging design is inspired by the landscape of the Altai Mountains, while the graphic system is based on the concept of nature’s unseen presence, expressed through the shadows of Altai sea buckthorn branches, as if cast onto the packaging surface.Birch Bark Manuscript Calendar
Multipage Publication
The first birch bark letter was discovered in 1951: a message written on birch bark. Archaeologists have continued to find them ever since, and each discovery broadens our understanding of how people lived hundreds of years ago. The letters of Onfim, a seven-year-old boy from 13th-century Novgorod, are particularly well known. He practiced writing on birch bark, tracing letters and syllables and drawing warriors and animals.
Challenge
Design an anniversary calendar that introduces readers to birch bark letters and uses Onfim’s letters to reveal everyday life in medieval Rus’.Solution
The calendar is based on twelve letters discovered by Onfim, one for each month. Each page features one of the boy’s original birch bark letters and illustrations of seasonal activities in medieval Rus’, drawn in Onfim’s style, featuring his characteristic little «head-foot» figures.A distinctive feature of the calendar is its use of the 13th-century numbering system: because numbers in Rus’ were represented by letters of the Slavic alphabet, the calendar employs this system to mark dates, combining it with the familiar modern numbering system for convenience.«New Gzhel» exhibition (brand concept)
Brand identity
