For International Day of Charity, celebrated on September 5th, «Life Rules» collaborated with the «Yandex. Help» service to compile a map of good deeds, featuring stories of those for whom charity has become a standard part of daily life.
Project Goal
For the September issue of PJ, it was necessary to design the layout and create two full spreads with five micro-stories each, aligning with Yandex’s corporate style and featuring the personal narratives of the characters.
First Spread Sketch
Project Stages
1. Source Research
The first phase of the work involves a detailed analysis of the text’s content and the individuals behind the words.The editorial team selected public figures from diverse fields as its subjects—ranging from entrepreneur Dmitry Beskromny to Tony Tolmatsky, a musician and son of the famous rapper known by the pseudonym «Detsl.»
In each narrative, I endeavored to portray not only the story’s meaning but also the character of the protagonist. For instance, Irina Agafonova, the director of the charitable foundation, playing the role of a taxi driver, illustrates two roles—that of a leader and that of an assistant.
2. Stylistic Choice
Yandex’s corporate style features rather conventional vector illustrations, which served as key references for creating my own.From the provided visual language, I borrowed a strong emphasis on form and the accent line. I added my own elements—more saturated colors, including an accent color, and a more dynamic rendering of the characters.This resulted in a synthesis of the established corporate style and my own creative decisions, where the composition and the interplay of elements play the primary role.
Screenshots from the official Yandex.Help series
2.1. Working with Context
During the process, in addition to the narratives, it was important for me to accurately reflect the social context and demonstrate that the aid is directed at ordinary people. For instance, in the story about free rides for those who have difficulty moving independently, it was crucial to avoid creating a sense of inadequacy or dependency and to show that external assistance does not equate to a full life—it simply makes it more comfortable and convenient. The same principle applies to humanitarian aid for seniors: when we discuss supplies, it doesn’t always have to be about grains and other necessities; sometimes, aid is also about gifting a beautiful new dress.
Such optics in illustrations helps to highlight the underlying issues and makes them more thought-provoking to perceive.
2.3. Layout
The editorial concept is that all narratives should be unified by a single line, illustrating the unity and «cycle» of aid. I decided to develop this idea by presenting the path as a transformation from one image to another: coins smoothly transition into bubbles, a highway flows into an scuba tank hose, and tomatoes gradually morph into red fish. The second twist is resolved more cohesively: the road gently transitions into a doorway and back again.
Project Outcomes
The result was worthy: high praise from the editorial team of the magazine and the Yandex.Help service. The work was accepted without revisions and printed in the September issue of the magazine «Rules of Life.»
