Sevastopol specialists, with the support of Tavrida.ART and Depot, created merch for government projects

At the educational program “Design Laboratory: Merch is the non-verbal language of a brand,” 74 young designers and marketers from 27 regions of Russia had the opportunity to implement their first state project. They came to the Meganom Academy site to learn a new approach to creating merch that would help brands convey their mission to external audiences and reflect the company’s values ​​as effectively as possible.

Having studied everything about the production of advertising products — from the formation of ideas to methods of implementation — the participants developed concepts of functional and attractive merch for Tavrida.ART partner companies: ANO «Russia — Land of Opportunities», the aggregator project «Drugoe Delo», support programs young state and municipal employees “GosStart” — and the art cluster “Tavrida” itself.

Young specialists from Sevastopol also came to the “Design Laboratory: Merch — the Non-Verbal Language of a Brand” program.

This is my first time at such a large-scale creative event. If I say that I am delighted, it will not be enough! It was very interesting and useful to hear lectures from top industry experts on how work is structured in large design studios, to share my own experience with other participants, and to evaluate my professional level. I especially want to highlight experts Konstantin Lobanov and Anastasia Tretyakova, who told us in detail how to promote ourselves, how to grow in design and make a powerful and high-quality product,” graphic designer Anastasia Polyanskaya, who worked on creating merch for the ANO “Russia – Land of Opportunities,” shared her impressions.

I came to the program to share my experience and gain new ones. Learning always brings growth. In a short period of time, you must build communication within the team, get into a working mood, be able to prove your point of view, and sometimes give in. These are the characteristics of working in a team. I “upgraded” my marketing skills, learned a lot about the specifics of working with merch: what is important to consider and how to create merch that will be worn by thousandssays marketer Natalya Osipova, whose team developed merch for GosStart employees.

The concepts presented by the participants conveyed the meanings inherent in the customers’ projects. Thus, the merch developed for Tavrida.ART — raincoats, water bottles, key chains, vests, caps and much more — is visually connected with the creativity and tasks of the participants who come here to study: for example, to create something new, to leave their bright mark in the history of the art cluster, determine self-identification as a creator.

It was no coincidence that each participant came to this race; everyone has talent and a unique vision. Therefore, all the works turned out to be different, each interesting in its own way. I had no expectations regarding the process or results. I saw the main goal as creating a high-quality intensive course on creating merch for the participants. And here a lot depended on us. The program was quite intense, and the deadlines were tight, so strict adherence to timing and a charge of energy were needed to work closely together. We did a good job with this. The participants also did an excellent job and showed a level of involvement and awareness that many employees of large companies can only envy. As a result, we received very interesting ideas and merch concepts that can reveal a new side to brands for their target audiences. We hope that these ideas will be finalized and implemented and the world will be able to see the material result of our joint work, — said Anastasia Tretyakova, executive creative director of Depot.

The best concepts will be further developed by the participants on the basis of the “Art.Molodost” brand (a project of the “Tavrida” art cluster). The final product will be presented in 2025. The authors of the best concepts will also have the opportunity to enter the talent pool of Art.Molodost designers.

Depot experts and invited industry speakers — leading experts in the field of marketing and design — helped participants form an idea of ​​merch and its production, as well as work with customers. Among them: executive creative director of the Depot branding agency Anastasia Tretyakova, commercial director of Depot Anna Kalinicheva, creative director of Depot Olga Prokhorova, art directors of Depot Alexandra Shchit and Alexander Petukhov, head of the user experience competence center in the Moscow Department of Information Technologies Gennady Mokhov, brand — director of the Wemakefab agency and the Dprofile platform Konstantin Lobanov and others.

source: press service of the art cluster “Tavrida.ART”