Bored Panda reached out to Ilya, who kindly shared more about his logo redesigns.
First of all, the artist wrote about his creative process: “There is nothing complicated about this process. The main tool is imagination. I look at famous brands and imagine how this object would look in the Middle Ages. We are moving away from minimalism and towards more detailed art. For example, if you take the Spotify logo, it is not entirely clear what the lines mean. This logo can symbolize many things, and this would not work for the Middle Ages. But if we draw three musical pipes instead of lines, it immediately becomes clear that we have a music service in front of us.
“When the idea has matured in my head, I start drawing sketches. Sometimes, the idea is so obvious that one sketch is enough for me, but there are times when I need to make 10 sketches to make a really good work. Then comes the drawing of the work. For my style, I use the canons of medieval painting. This process is the fastest since the artists of the Middle Ages did not particularly care that a person had the correct anatomical shape or that an object was symmetrical. Everything is quite primitive but understandable to the viewer.
“I also add irony or mockery to many of my works. This is normal for that time. If we look at the marginalia, we will see how the artists of that time knew how to joke, knew how to do really funny things in their illustrations.”
We were wondering which logo redesign is Ilya’s favorite. However, he responded like this: “All of my works are favorites. I understand that everyone will find their favorite logo from my concept (or not, that’s okay), but as a creator, I treat my works like my children. There are works that really get more likes than others, but for me, it’s just public opinion. I can say that my most popular works among my subscribers are YouTube, Lacoste, Puma, Windows, Mercedes-Benz, McDonald’s, Nokia, and Walt Disney.”
Since the artist did his fair share of research on medieval times, we asked if he would have been interested in visiting it for a day.
Ilya wrote: “The Middle Ages were one of the worst periods for humanity. There were epidemics that were practically not fought, constant feudal wars, and you definitely [wouldn’t] have any insurance.
“I would definitely visit the Middle Ages if I was guaranteed life and freedom. I would visit large medieval cities, look at castles, and also sit in local taverns and try beer. I would be interested in communicating with people who are completely different people with a different way of thinking. It would be cool to watch knightly tournaments.
“I think that in the Middle Ages, I would become an icon painter. I would paint icons in some temples in the Byzantine Empire. I would have a large family, and I would definitely have a lot of sheep and cows. I definitely would not want to become a warrior or a knight. Let my main weapon be not the sword but the pen.”
Ilya also shared what he hopes his audiences take away from his creative logos.
“Critical Thinking: My work can provoke reflection on how modern culture and consumption affect society. An ironic discussion with a historical context can help people see the absurdity of some modern trends.
“Historical Perspective: Looking at modern brands in a medieval setting can spark a certain interest in the history and culture of that era, as well as show how values and ideals have changed over time.
“Aesthetic Pleasure: My artwork can be attractive and inspiring. The mixture of styles and eras allows you to see a unique piece of art.
“Entertainment: Irony and humor make my work accessible and exciting for viewers. People can enjoy the play on words and images, which makes my art more accessible.
“Social Critique: The use of different brands allows you to raise important issues of consumption, ecology, social responsibility, and globalization, which can stimulate discussions on these topics.
“Inspiration for Creativity: My works can inspire other artists and creative people to experiment with genres, styles, and themes, a cycle of how different eras and ideas can be mixed.”
Lastly, Ilya added: “I want to tell you that our time is not so long. It is very short. Do things that you were afraid to start doing but really wanted to. Live, smile, have fun, and live a full life. If you can create, then definitely create. Our life, unfortunately, does not have an infinite form, but creativity lives forever. Many artists of the Middle Ages could not imagine that their ridiculous and funny pictures would reach us and be discussed by millions of people.”
