Mobile March, 2023 - December, 2024
Zvuk (aka Sound) — Russian Music Streaming App
Nearly two years as a product art director at Zvuk have been a time of significant changes and bold ideas. Together with the team, we made tremendous progress, taking the product to a new level.
During this time, we launched a modern and user-friendly web version of the non-authenticated zone, redesigned the headers for parent entities to make navigation simpler and more intuitive, and brought the magic of track recognition into the product. We also designed a control center — a hub for accessing the service's key features, bringing everything essential into one place.
One of the most important challenges was shaping a new product identity with Charmer Studio. We explored fresh solutions and experimented with approaches that could inspire users. Personally, I created hundreds of design concepts during this time, many of which became the foundation for further work and pushed the team toward bold, unconventional decisions.
Below, I’ve tried to gather the most interesting pieces of work. Many of these won’t be visible in the final product — they’re part of my behind-the-scenes process.
The design of our new website is based on a fundamental idea: music and sounds, though intangible entities, can take on tangible forms in our perception. They become like showcases, pulses of color, and radio waves, ready to be touched, explored, and experienced.
From a design perspective, we aim to create an atmosphere reminiscent of visiting a cozy record store, where every visitor is free to curate their own musical journey. The main sections are designed to feel like "shelves" displaying beautiful album covers. For newcomers, we offer the option to consult a "guide" — in our case, the mood tuner and search function — to help navigate the variety of music available.
In terms of design and product, we strive not only to make the experience tangible but also to simplify the perception of reality, drawing inspiration from the physical elements of the world around us. Features like horizontal scrolling through large layers, strategic emphasis across different surfaces, and illustrations created with bold marker strokes all contribute to a relaxed yet vibrant atmosphere that is both recognizable and captivating.
Our design is an ode to simplicity, flatness, and tranquility. It appeals to the most essential yet profound senses and meanings, inviting us to experience music on a whole new level.
Product design: Yury Kirsanov
Motion design: Alexey Komarov
A space designed to bring together mechanics for user retention and re-engagement. It provides access to app settings and shortcuts to entities that are valuable to both users and the business. The goal is to highlight that Zvuk is part of a larger ecosystem, showcasing key features like "Spasibo" bonuses and other important ecosystem benefits. Which specific properties of the ecosystem should we emphasize?
The Control Center is like a high-speed highway with roadside cafes that people stop at when drawn in by an attractive sign. Our task is to fill the Control Center with useful widgets, ensuring that the roadside cafes beneficial to the business become just as popular and sought after.
A whirlpool is born when streams of water converge at a single point, collide, and create a circular motion. This metaphor inspired the visual representation of the music recognition process.
Just as a speaker captures sound waves, our service absorbs all surrounding sounds, filtering and isolating what’s essential. Album covers are drawn into a circular motion, as the chaos of sounds transforms into a clear and precise melody.
This imagery highlights the magic of technology: how scattered noise is turned into a familiar song, like the flow of water finding order at the heart of a whirlpool.
Product design: Alena Skripka
Icon design: Alexandra Blazhevich
Motion design: Artur Andreev
In Collaboration with: Sergey Tomilov
Charmer Studio