Hi! I'm Ira. I’m a designer and non-stop advocate for the power of emotional branding.
For more than 12 years, I've been working at the overlap of business strategy and aesthetics helping tech companies build relationships with their early adopters through the language of shape and color.
These days I lead visual design at Protocol Labs where I build creative processes for Crcle agency and help their talented design team do the best work of their lives. Previously, I led branding and design at Jolocom, where I started my journey in decentralized web after years spent in software development and, before that, advertising agencies.
In addition to my work at Protocol Labs, I help the DWeb community with design and organize DWebDesign meetups in Berlin.
Over my career, I had the privilege to work with huge worldwide known brands like Lindt, Avon, Amway, Daimler AG, John Deer and TUI, and with pioneering fintech giants like Wirecard, Deutsche Bank, NDB and ING Bank.
But my true joy came from collaborating with small teams. I became a part of the growing culture of entrepreneurship, left the Big Four, and joined the software development world to help German and Nordic tech startups connect with their early adopters through design.
In 2018, an unexpected new career adventure brought me to the emerging world of Web3 and DWeb. There I found my community and my personal new mission: to bring more designers to the decentralized web! I hope that all together we will make DWeb look more beautiful and human, and thus help teams around the world achieve success in decentralizing control of our technology and changing our digital future for the better.
Interviews,
publications
Branding the Decentralized Web. Interview-based article by Wendy Hanamura / Internet Archive blog, 2019.
Open-source design resources / Jolocom blog. 2018.
Why did we organize the Dribbble Berlin meetup? / Jolocom blog, 2018.
Lessons Learned: The DWeb Summit UX/UI Workshop Internet Archive blog (part 1). The full article is published on Jolocom blog, 2018.
How To Get A Logo Accepted: 8 Steps To A Better Design Workflow. Smashing Magazine, 2016.
Dribbble Timeout. Interview, 2016.
Mentoring, speaking
and other activity
2022
Organized the 4th DWebDesign meetup “Onboarding: The next level”.▉ Facilitated a workshop for designers on the very first loop of customer onboarding — branding and visual communication — at Devcon.▉ Mentored at ETHBerlin.▉ Gave a talk “Before you start designing” at DWeb Camp 2022.▉
2021
Gave a talk "Website as a city, website as a building" about the design behind getdweb.net website at the DWeb meetup.▉
2020
Gave a talk about minimum viable branding as a fist step to a product design system at World Information Architecture Day Berlin.▉
2019
Organized the 3rd DWebDesign meetup “Open source design and Design for open source”.▉ Mentored at Data Natives Hackathon.▉ Gave a talk “How to use journey mapping to build a better event communication strategy” at UXpressia meetup.▉ Gave a talk at Web3Summit 2019 about branding strategies for Web 3.0 products.▉ Facilitated a value proposition design workshop at DWeb Camp.▉ Gave two sessions at UX Camp Europe 2019 about the design communication strategies for effective user-onboarding to deep-tech products.▉ Organized the DWebDesign #2 meetup - Typonight.▉ Gave a talk "Make it stand out! 3 steps of visual design strategy to differentiate your product" at DesignLab Berlin.▉ Organized the first Dribbble meetup in Berlin and facilitated a panel discussion “A state of branding and UI design in startups” with BCG Digital Ventures, Cogs agency and Onefootball GmbH.▉ Mentored teams at T-Labs Hackathons in Berlin and Barcelona.▉
2018
Mentored teams on design and user onboarding at the 1st IPDB hackathon. Also helped with the event brand identity and communication.▉ Facilitated workshop on a better onboarding of non-tech users to dapps and blockchain products at Web3Summit.▉ Gave a talk "3 steps of visual design strategy to differentiate your product" at Berlin UI/UX Designers Meetup.▉ Joined E-Commerce Berlin Awards 2018 jury panel evaluating nominees in Best Agency and Best Communication Platform categories.▉
2017
Gave a talk "You’re allowed to talk to stakeholders. Do it!" at Dribbble Warsaw Meetup.▉
2016
Gave a talk about the emotional branding design process at Design Practice meetup.▉ Gave a session "How to create emotional connection with customers" at ProductCamp Berlin.▉ Gave a talk "Beyond product features" at Codemotion Warsaw.▉ Facilitated the workshop on branding for digital products at UXcamp Europe 2016.▉ Mentored at Devmuster hackathon.▉
earlier
Gave a talk at the first Polish Dribbble meetup Gdańsk.▉ Organised Behance Portfolio Reviews Warsaw.▉ Won the Wordshop Academy Logo competition.▋ Won the Central Open Data Hackathon Warsaw.▉ Won the Warsaw Startup Weekend (Pollbear app).▉ Gave a talk at Behance Portfolio Reviews Kharkiv.▉ Won Premija Design Awards (1st place in Branded Packaging category).▉ Won Kingston USB Design Ukraine (3rd place in Eco-packaging category).▉
ⓒ 2022