Taras Pasternak approaches product design through the balance of usability, visual craft, and business thinking. With a background that combines graphic design, UI/UX, SaaS products, branding, and Webflow development, he focuses on creating digital experiences that are both functional and visually distinctive. His work spans web and mobile applications, design systems, AI-powered products, and marketing-focused digital experiences, combining strategic thinking with a strong visual foundation.
In this interview, Taras shares how designing hand-drawn maps during college first sparked his interest in design, why visual uniqueness is becoming increasingly important in the AI era, and how future interfaces may become more adaptive, minimal, and personalized. He also reflects on the growing value of craft-driven design and creating products that feel more human in an increasingly automated digital world.
“Craft design will not completely disappear; on the contrary, it will be an advantage in the market.”
Why have you decided to step into the design field? What inspires you and why?
I started my journey in design back in 2015. At that time, I was still studying in college. There we designed maps and manually drew and colored them. I liked this process so much that I even started helping with it for my classmates, for a pizza or a couple of beers 🙂 Then I tried to find any information on how to make money from drawing and found a local freelance exchange where I started drawing logos. Initially, it wasn’t going very well; I was learning and studying the tools simultaneously. But some attempts somehow yielded quite interesting results. People bought these logos from me, and I got a decent part-time job at that time. Since then, I have dreamed of visually making the surrounding world more beautiful, paying attention to all the signs in the city and when traveling.
The signs specifically inspired me the most; I always imagined what and how I could improve, and if the design was good, I was simply fascinated by it. Now, I am inspired by the design of products that look unique (among all the new AI-generated designs), fresh, and holistic.
How do you measure the success of your design?
Currently, I work on UI/UX (product) design, and in this field, assessment is based on user feedback and analytics data. Usability, the speed of passing the user flow, conversion, an intuitive interface, and other metrics are key, but the aesthetic side of the interface is also very important to me. In the era of AI-generated interfaces, I believe that craft (manual) design with a unique approach, attention to detail, and the use of interesting graphic techniques will be valued even more. It is important to stand out among thousands of other products.
What is your biggest challenge in design creation process?
The biggest challenge is the lack of information and finding the right solution. Sometimes you need to do several iterations, choose the best ones from them. Later, test them and understand if any of these solutions are actually successful. If not, then another round of iterations and getting feedback from users. The lack of real users is often a problem when the product is new.
What principles do you follow when creating attention grabbing design?
To draw attention, increase focus on what is important, I usually use basic design principles: color theory, hierarchy, typography principles, design system and consistency, working with contrast and composition. In addition to this, I try to develop an author’s style for my designs that will add uniqueness or unusualness.
What in your opinion will be the future of design? Or next big change?
I think in the future designers won’t start with a blank canvas but will generate concepts with the help of AI. They will set a certain direction, mood, and style, provide additional context about the business, and receive numerous design concepts. The most suitable ones will be chosen from these and refined (either manually or also with the help of AI). I believe that generative tools will never be able to provide a completely finished result, of the same quality that a human can achieve. However, with the right vision and guidance, one can achieve a good result that will be polished manually (finalized). Craft design will not completely disappear; on the contrary, it will be an advantage in the market. This very approach will feel human, “have a soul,” and cost more. As for interfaces, I don’t think we will see the familiar look in the future. Instead of the usual interface control elements, we will see very simple UIs, controlled with voice or text (which we already have), we ourselves (as end-users) will customize the interface appearance and specify what we want to see. A lot of data and functionality will be hidden “under the hood,” and we will only see the necessary content at that moment. Interfaces will “learn” and change for each user (self-customize).
Key Facts
- 10 years of total design experience
- 7 years in UI/UX and product design
- Specializes in SaaS products, web apps, websites, and design systems
- Experience in Webflow development, branding, typography, and UI animation
- Worked on AI-powered tools, CRM systems, consulting apps, and browser extensions
- Strong background in graphic design and visual storytelling
- Focused on creating clear, scalable, and visually distinctive digital products
- Believes that craft-driven and human-centered design will become even more valuable in the AI era
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