DAFES | Design, Art, Fashion, Education & Startups

Illustration category winners ofDAFES AWARDS '25competition! 🥇 I place Carnival of superstition — a captivating series of vivid illustrations created for a book exploring global superstitions. Author: Aleksandra Bocheverova 🥈 II place Teplo — a mural concept designed to transform the facade of a heat power plant, to bring brightness and warmth to an industrial space. Author:Katerina Kiseleva 🥉 III place Mythicos — an educational board game designed to make learning Greek both visual and playful. Author: Afina Elefteridi. #DAFESAwards #creativeawards #illustration

The winners of the DAFES AWARDS '25 in the Local event category! 🥇 I place — "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly. The airport” — a performance inspired by “The Little Prince” by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, reimagined within the atmospheric space of the former Minsk-1 airport. Author: Antonina Rusinovskaya. 🥈 II place — “NOVYBURG: a personal phygital exhibition” — a three-part experimental project blending digital and physical formats. Author: Arina Vasilieva. 🥉 III place — “From the fairytales of the World: DIY musical instruments concert” — a performative concert featuring hand-crafted instruments. A deeply personal interpretation of fairy tales from different cultures through sound and collective creativity. Authors: Alina Antimonova, Mariam Hasanbaeva, Ekaterina Izbrekht. More award categories will be announced tonight — stay tuned! #DAFESAwards #creativeawards #performance

Please welcome the winners of the DAFES AWARDS '25 in the Concept art category! 🥇 I place Concept design of the 19-th century working study — a concept of interior design for a game location, rich in historical and cultural references. Author: Arseniy Kolesnikov 🥈 II place Concept of the city for the Game NEW EDEN — a visionary cityscape for an open-world sci-fi cyberpunk game, modeled with principles of sustainable urban planning. Author: Arseniy Kolesnikov 🥉 III place Concept art for the animated Series “Crab and Squid save the ocean” — a vibrant visual concept for a 2D animated series — playful, educational, and environmentally driven. Author: Natalia Schizalova Winners from other categories will be announced soon — stay tuned! #DAFESAwards #conceptart #gamedesign #creativeaward

Weekend Reading Recommendation: “Restitution: The Return of Cultural Artefacts” by Alexander Herman What: A clear and compelling overview of restitution—what it is, how it’s negotiated, and why it matters. From colonial legacies to the ethics of modern museums, the author examines the tension between historical injustice and present-day responsibility. Why: If you’re following the ongoing discourse in the art world, this book is essential. The restitution of cultural artefacts is one of the most urgent topics in today’s cultural debates. For whom: Art lovers, museum professionals, cultural historians, and anyone interested in the intersection of art, justice, and global history. Difficulty level: Light and accessible—suitable for all levels of art knowledge. #ArtWorld #BookRecommendation #WeekendReading

The winners in the Educational course category of DAFES AWARDS '25! 🥇 I place:

“Interface design for industrial facilities” — a practical course giving designers the necessary skills to create intuitive interfaces for complex products. Author: Maria Kostykova

🥈 2 projects have shared the II place:

“The textbook on Fine Arts for the 2nd grade” — a course nurturing imagination and critical thinking in children. Author: Julia Belousova.

And

“Methodological guide for 1st year students of the field of Game Design" — a structured guide to the fundamentals of Game Design. Author: Eleonora Ushakova.

🥉 2 projects have shared the III place:

“Pro Zine. Personal brand development through zines” — a practical course explaining how to use zines for marketing and business development. Author: Uliana Vorobyova.

And

“Packaging design training course” — a practice-based program covering every stage of packaging design. Author: Anastasia Ilchenko.

#DAFESAwards #DesignEducation #creativeawards

New day — new winners! Announcing the distinguished projects awarded in the Image series category of DAFES AWARDS '25 competition! 🥇 I place Freedom — A visual exploration of the search for personal Ikigai — the Japanese concept of life’s meaning and purpose — as a path toward inner happiness and creative fulfillment. Author: Afina Elefteridi. 🥈 II place The Mirror of Formlessness — A poetic series of photographs created through the cyanotype negative process, evoking a sense of the ephemeral. Author: Ye Ziqing. 🥉 III place The artists — a portrait series honoring iconic female figures from different artistic eras — a quiet homage to the legacy of creativity across time. Author: Alina Veiyzel. More award categories will be announced soon! #DAFESAwards #art #photography

JW design winners! 💎 We are delighted to present the winners of DAFES AWARDS '25 in Jewellery design category! 🥇 I place — organic: [OUT OF STOCK]

This collection is a poetic reflection on modern life, an attempt to reimagine and repurpose the everyday supermarket visuals — tags, receipts, can openers.

Author: Anastasia Aleksandrova 🥈 II place — HUGO

A collection inspired by Victor Hugo’s masterpiece “The Hunchback of Notre-Dame”. Referencing gothic cathedral silhouettes and personages of the novel, this work explores architecture and literature through jewellery design.

Author: Anna Olehnovich 🥉 III place — Moscow—Petushki

An expressive tribute to Venedikt Erofeev’s cult classic. The collection boldly mixes high and low cultural codes, turning literary legacy into wearable irony.

Author: Daria Kovalchuk ✨ More categories coming soon — stay inspired and follow the celebration of creativity with DAFES! #DAFESAwards #fashion #jewelry #designawards

Let’s start this day with some good news! We are happy to announce the winners of DAFES AWARDS '25 in Board game & Game design categories 💫 Board game:

🥇 I place — Mythicos, the board game for learning Greek language. Author: Afina Elefteridi. 🥈 II place — PolyHod, an educational board game on the subject of enterprise economics. Authors: Juliana Stepanova, Polina Korol, Daria Lebedeva, Sophia Kulakova. 🥉 III place — Hraniteli, a board game that tells about the significance of historical epochs, key historical figures and events. Author: Alexandra Petrosyan

Game design:

🥇 I place — Obsidian , a platform side-scroller with horror and puzzle elements. Author: Vladislav Galchutkin. 🥈 II place — Tomahawk , a computer Sci Fi first-person shooter with elements of parkour. Authors: Anton Kiyko, Vladislav Galchutkin. 🥉 III place — STICK TRICK , a computer top-down game with action and puzzle elements. Author: Vladislav Galchutkin

#CGI #DAFESAwards #creativeawards #design

We are thrilled to announce the winners of DAFES AWARDS' 25 in the Media Design category: 🥇 I place — VZN

A magazine exploring the fusion of fashion and art, examining how these realms affect our identity, reflect contemporary trends, and shape new cultural narratives.

Authors: Irina Shevtsova, Maria Vostrikova, Anastasia Litvinova, Ha Mi Le 🥈 II place — Video magazine Love Acts

A video magazine that delves into culture, history, and art through the lens of love — in all its diverse forms and expressions.

Authors: Nina Gabaraeva, Margarita Ignatyeva, Dina Ganeeva 🥉 III place — Hypatia

A media project spotlighting young successful women in the field of STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) across Russia — celebrating innovation, intellect, and female leadership.

Author: Maria Protopopova More award categories will be revealed soon. Stay with us and celebrate creativity in all its forms! ✨ #DAFESAwards #creativeawards #design

DAFES Choice Best of April 2025 ✨ I Place

• "Perfect shapes and live reality" by Maria Gusareva, HSE Design Lab, Svetlana Sebyakina

II Place

• "#nature. Land Art in Russia: Timeline of Events" by Elena Guseva • "Act of Creation: Back to Life" by Evgeniya Starikova

III Place

• "Outlands" by Shi-chang Zhu • "Collage: Smash it, Smear it, Stun it" by Tatyana Fadeeva • "Encyclopedia of Media Art" by HSE Design Lab, Tatiyana Fadeeva • "Temple of the Laborers" by Sergey Kolchin • "Exhibition: The Tale Disobeys the Little Bird" by Anastasiya Shabashova, Roman Mironov

🖇️ view all winners here Don’t miss your chance: upload your project to deziiign.com and join the next DAFES Choice in May 2025! #DAFESChoice #design #art #fashion #education #startups

🌟 Highlight of TELLING STORIES evening: grand DAFES Awards 2025 ceremony On the TELLING STORIES stage, the most promising and talented professionals in the country have gathered. Representatives from 20 creative industries, 50 competition categories, and dozens of award-winning projects.

Your work embodies our most daring dream: we’re creating the design of tomorrow today. 🚀

💚 Thank you for sharing this important day with TELLING STORIES! #DAFESAwards #HSECreativeOpen #TellingStories

Welcome to TELLING STORIES 2025! A major creative industries festival by HSE Faculty of Creative Industries is back — gathering professionals, young talents, and everyone working with ideas, images, and narratives in culture, media, and design. → This year’s theme: Stories. As language. As tools. As form. From visual and audio storytelling to spatial and embodied experiences — explore storytelling in all its dimensions.

Dive into a full day of lectures, workshops, and open talks with 50+ speakers from culture, media, design, tech, and education. Be inspired, connect, and create with the creative community.

In collaboration with DAFES, the festival will also host the Grand Finale of DAFES AWARDS & HSE CREATIVE OPEN 24/25 — celebrating the best projects in graphic design, fashion, CG, creative coding, and stage art. 📍 Where? Digital Business Space, Pokrovka 47 📅 When? May 24 🕚 Festival: 11:00–20:00 🏆 Awards Ceremony: 17:00–19:30 (Main Hall) Join us! #DAFESAwards #HSECreativeOpen

Design Trend Explained: Anti-Design 🔄🎨 Sometimes bad design… is actually good design. Meet Anti-Design, the movement that breaks every rule on purpose.

Born in the 60s as a protest against “perfect” design, Anti-Design celebrates chaos — clashing colors, stretched text, weird layouts, low-res images. You’ve probably seen it on posters, websites, even album covers.

Why does it work?

Because it grabs your attention, challenges your expectations, and feels alive. In a world where everything looks polished and minimal, Anti-Design stands out by being deliberately wrong. Of course, it’s easy to go too far. Bad design stays bad if it’s not intentional.

The secret? Breaking rules… but knowing them first. #daily_design #design #antidesign #posterdesign

Architecture Meets Fashion: Brutalism on the Runway 🏛️👗 What connects massive concrete buildings and the world’s biggest fashion houses? The answer is Brutalism — a raw, unapologetic architectural movement born in the 1950s. It’s known for its rough concrete textures, geometric shapes, and heavy volumes. But Brutalism didn’t stay in architecture — it quietly made its way onto the runway.

Designers like Rick Owens and Balenciaga transform Brutalist ideas into fashion. Oversized shoulders, sculptural silhouettes, thick fabrics, and monochrome palettes turn the human body into a walking structure. These looks are often described as "wearable architecture."

This crossover challenges the idea that fashion must always be light or flattering. Sometimes, it’s bold, heavy, and architectural — like the concrete giants you see in Berlin, London, or Belgrade. #daily_fashion #fashion #architecture #brutalism

Know the Name: Rei Kawakubo ✨ Rei Kawakubo, the genius behind Comme des Garçons, changed the way the world sees fashion.

In the 1980s, while others followed trends, she introduced black, asymmetry, and raw edges — shocking the Western industry. Her work challenges beauty standards, redefining garments as sculptures, not just clothing.

From the “Lumps and Bumps” collection to the Met Gala exhibition in her honor, Kawakubo’s philosophy is clear: “The future of fashion lies in what hasn’t been seen before.” Have you ever looked at her work? #daily_fashion #fashion #design

🇸🇬 Design, identity, and the future — Singapore at Milan Design Week 2025 Inside a 13th-century Milanese church, the exhibition Future Impact 3: DESIGN NATION told a powerful story of how design helped shape modern Singapore. From nostalgic icons like hawker plates and the Singapore Airlines kebaya, to futuristic objects like AI-powered textiles and fungi air purifiers, the showcase traced 60 years of national creativity.

Curated with care and clarity, the exhibition moved beyond trends — spotlighting sustainability, cultural memory, and inclusive innovation.

It’s proof that a nation’s identity can be designed — and its future, imagined with empathy and intention. #design #daily_design #art

✏️ Artists vs. AI: Meet #StarterPackNoAI AI-generated doll images are flooding social media — glossy, uniform, and eerily soulless.

But illustrators are fighting back with the viral #StarterPackNoAI trend, hand-drawing their own “starter pack” portraits to celebrate real creativity, emotion, and personality.

From quirky details to deeply personal stories, these artworks prove what AI can’t replicate — a human touch. Artists are using this trend to take a stand: for sustainability, artistic authorship, and the soul of visual culture. Swipe past the plastic. Support what’s made by actual hands! #daily_design #design #art #illustration

DAFES Choice Best of March 2025 ✨ I Place

• BUTTON by Maria Krasina • Gromkiy Font by Nastya Kashina • 6B41 by Anna Subbota

II Place

• uusumine by Ekaterina Shulyak • Deus_ex_machina.txt // Visual Bible & Robots Study by Nataliya Kazakova • Interactive web-poster “INTER” by Darya Sarkisova

III Place

• KROP Magazine by Valeriya Lenskaya • rats. by Arina Chakyр • OBLIVION by Anna Kirienko

🖇️ view all winners here Don’t miss your chance: upload your project to deziiign.com and join the next DAFES Choice in April 2025! #DAFESChoice #daily_design #creative_awards

🎉 DAFES AWARDS is still open for submissions! Join an international creative competition that celebrates fresh, daring ideas in design, art, tech, and beyond. Whether you're a student, emerging creator, or professional — there’s a category for you. Why apply?

— Gain international exposure — Get your work reviewed by top industry experts — Expand your creative network — Boost your portfolio with a respected award — Become part of the global DAFES community

Categories range from:

— Graphic Design to Game Development — Illustration to Motion & Sound Design — Product Design to Digital Art — Photography to Experimental Projects — Animation to Board Game Design

🎓 HSE Creative Open is a dedicated track for students and recent grads — your first big step into the creative industry. 📅 Deadline: May 12 Submit your project now → dafes.net/awards #DAFESAwards #HSECreativeOpen #CreativeCompetition #design #art #fashion #education #startups