Third row. Fourth seat from the right. A young woman with a ravenous appetite for architecture is sitting in a chilly lecture hall at Lviv Polytechnic National University. If she only knew that a few years from that very seat she’d be creating visualizations for some of the world’s best architects. Meet one of our Visual Designers. Meet Uliana Yanishevska.
It’s 2013 and she has a eureka moment — one which is as sudden as it is powerful. While looking at architecture, she realizes that it’s not only the design that plays a crucial role in the success of a project. Nor is it the floor plan. It’s the visualizations right in front of her. And yet, there isn’t one single course in 3D, CGI or the art of visualization during her whole master’s program. She decides to dive into that world on her own — 3ds Max. Vray. Corona. But let’s take it from the beginning.
“The team spirit, and the huge amount of graffiti while looking for various murals made this project one I won’t forget.”
Uliana Yanishevska
If you’d sit across Uliana, you’d be struck by her directness. Her fearless attitude combined with a hefty scoop of sarcasm. Maybe it’s exactly that courageous mindset that resulted in her leaving Western Ukraine, her hometown Lviv, for the Baltic coastal town of Gdańsk. 700 km to the north — a new country, a new city, a new university. This is where Uliana Yanishevska unpacks.
With one Master’s Degree in her suitcase, and a second degree waiting to be initiated. She enters a Master’s Program for Architecture, but what soon starts to increasingly take up both her time as well as her interest outside of the classrooms isn’t the drawings, diagrams or the design concepts, but the thought of how to visualize her projects in the best way possible — how to capture their potential. One eureka moment, and there simply was no going back.
Now imagine the possible sliding doors moment when Uliana’s friend, working for a Swedish visualization company called TMRW, happens to mention that they’re looking for a new colleague. Luckily for us, by that time the rumor about TMRW Challenge had reached Uliana — this now freelancing 2D Artist. A rumor which was just enough to catch her interest.
“It’s about sparking a story: to dive into a mood, add the right lighting and build movement. Be it through someone running into a cab or simply trying a new perspective!”
Uliana Yanishevska
One month later, on a windy Monday morning in April 2019, Uliana Yanishevska becomes the fifth member of our Gdańsk team. And it doesn’t take long before this gutsy master of natural lighting finds herself in projects with architects from Foster + Partners. BIG. Gensler. Moreover, Forth & Central is one she’s definetily added to the list of once-in-a-lifetime projects.
“With Forth & Central we wanted to show the features of each building as an independent architectural complex, while still tying together the 10-building Arts District. The team spirit, and the huge amount of graffiti while looking for various murals made this project one I won’t forget.”
“It’s rather her curiosity and that unstoppable Ukrainian drive that has resulted in Uliana earning the trust of both clients and colleagues. That, and her dark sense of humor.”
For Uliana, crafting a striking visualization was, and never is, about technical perfection, even though these aspects naturally have a part to play. It’s about sparking a story: to dive into a mood, add the right lighting and build movement. Be it through someone running into a cab or simply trying a new perspective! And to be frank, it’s exactly these attributes that become essential when teaming up with world renowned architects — if you ask her.
Uliana’s solid background in architecture has given her a valuable understanding for construction, angles and dimensions, and the ability to speak the same lingo with both architects and real estate developers.
However, it’s rather her curiosity and that unstoppable Ukrainian drive that has resulted in Uliana earning the trust of both clients and colleagues. That, and her dark sense of humor which makes up for the best comebacks in our internal Slack channels.
When we ask Uliana, now Team Lead, to give her best piece of advice to aspiring Visual Designers, she says without hesitation:
“I think that people are afraid to apply for a job because they feel that they need to perfect their craft and improve their portfolio before putting it all out there. But I can promise you: once you join, you’ll learn. So have the courage and take a leap of faith!”
A classic Uliana Yanishevska attitude. One, which makes you equipped to face just about anything. One, which makes you equipped for tomorrow.
Let’s cut to the chase:
Uliana in 26 seconds
- Joined TMRW in April 2019 as the fifth Artist at the Gdańsk office.
- Favorite project: Springdale Green for Gensler.
- Clients: Brookfield Properties, NBBJ, Gensler, Foster + Partners, KPF, SOM, Bosa.
- Best source of inspiration: The world around you. Be sure to walk with your eyes open — and not immersed in your screen!
- Never misses: The Monday morning routine that consists of a cup of coffee (black) and listening to the soundtrack of Mortal Kombat (from 1995, ofc) together with the rest of the team.
