DAFES | Design, Art, Fashion, Education & Startups

The winners of the DAFES AWARDS '25 in the Video essay & Algorithmic music categories! Video essay:

🥇 I place — What no angel knows. Author: Nikolay Saveliev 🥈 II place — (not) the face. Author: Polina Minchenko 🥉 III place — Mirroring· High Score Pears. Author: Youdan Zhang Zhang

Algorithmic music:

🥇 I place — Geographya. Author: Artem Malyshev 🥈 II place — fictiveVoid: Echo of the Generative Flow. Author: Dmitriy Senko 🥉 III place — A world of wonderful rooms. A video game-opera for voice and electronics. Author: Vadim Genin

Thank you for being a part of the DAFES AWARDS '25! We are truly proud of your creativity and dedication. May this recognition be just one of many milestones in your professional journey. We look forward to seeing your new ideas and artworks in the next season! #DAFESAwards #videoart #contemporarymusic #creativeawards

We are thrilled to announce the winners of theDAFES AWARDS '25in the Best research publication & Visual research categories! Best research publication:

🥇 I place — The thread of history: Russian folk costume in the context of modern fashion. Author: Elizaveta Andrievskaya 🥈 II place — Mono-ha: is it Japanese minimalism or something different? Author: Maria Rogova 🥉 III place — Self-portrait in contemporary photography. Author: Maria Stirmanova

Visual research:

🥇 I place — Landscape as a reflection of Finland's national identity. Author: Victoria Gaeva 🥈 II place — The cultural and emotional significance of kimonos in Yasujirō Ozu’s films. Author: Anna Kireeva 🥉 III place — 6B41 Author: Anna Subbota

The winners of the remaining categories will be announced tomorrow — stay tuned! #DAFESAwards #artresearch #artcriticism #visualresearch

Labubu before hype In 2015, Kasing Lung, a Hong Kong-born artist, created Labubu as part of his comic series "The Monsters". Despite the mischievous look, Labubu is not a monster — she’s a Nordic elf in a magical universe. Personage was soon converted into a collectible toy. In 2021, a set of Labubu figures was sold at Sotheby’s as part of the “Contemporary Discoveries” auction, signaling its potential early on. In 2019, a collaboration with Chinese retailer Pop Mart boosted its popularity. But why did it become such a phenomenon? Two key reasons: 1 - Blind-box magic: buyer can’t choose it — they come in sealed surprise boxes. This scarcity and randomness turned the toy into a collector’s grail. 2 - Celebrity effect: In April 2024, Lisa from BLACKPINK showcased her collection of Labubu figures on social media, and the trend exploded... Today, Labubu leads the wave of “ugly cute” collectibles, like Huggy Wuggy or Teletubbies did before. Are you into this trend? #Labubu #ContemporaryArt #Sothebys

We are excited to announce the winners of theDAFES AWARDS '25 in the Comics category! 🥇 I place — How to: 5/2 — a witty and ironic guide to surviving office life without losing your mind. Author: Kseniya Isotova 🥈 II place — Lyuda — a deeply personal visual memoir dedicated to the author's grandmother and the fragility of memory. Author: Kseniya Isotova 🥉 III place — Students’ Street — a collection of short stories about four young women navigating adulthood in an old shared house at Students’ Street. Author: Aleksandra Bocheverova #DAFESAwards #creativeawards #comics #illustration

A few days ago, Banksy’s latest artwork appeared in Marseille, France. It features a lighthouse stencilled on a wall with the inscription: "I want to be what you saw in me." A nearby bollard casts a false shadow, cleverly forming the lighthouse beam, turning the scene into poetry. In past decades, street art has emerged as a critical form of social commentary. This is in no small part due to Banksy's influence. His success has paved the way for other street artists to become key players in the art market—a phenomenon known as “The Banksy Effect”. Few contemporary artists provoke as much curiosity and debate. His overnight stencils deliver sharp social critique wrapped in irony. From hanging works in museums to shredding one at auction, Banksy continually rewrites the rules of engagement. Although best known for graffiti, his practice spans paintings, installations, and performances. What do you think: is Banksy a visionary, or just good at provocation? #Banksy #StreetArt #Graffiti #UrbanArt

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