The creative engine of the project Design Wings is talented people who have graduated during the last five years, have ideas and knowledge, and are willing to put their skills into practice. They create design solutions based on digital, innovative, and circular economy principles that can shape the future of business.
Design Wings is a practical opportunity for talented people to gain experience and contribute to the future of business by developing competitive design products and services based on digital, innovative, and circular economy principles. The project involves 19 start-up designers, each working in two periods of creative activity, each continuing for five months at one of the participating companies. The main tasks for designers are:
- To create and develop design solutions focused on the implementation of the principles of digital and circular economy at the companies participating in the project;
- Communicate and collaborate with the mentor and the company involved in the project to achieve a typical creative result;
- Participate in project training and other activities;
- Share feedback on achievements with the project team once a month and contribute to the final report preparation;
- To achieve successful results, cooperate with the project Design Wings team and other organizations.
The main benefits for designers are:
THE OPPORTUNITY TO GROW SUCCESS
The designers participating in the project, Design Wings, will reveal their competencies in micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises and contribute to the successful development of the country's cultural and creative industries sector, business competitiveness, and growth.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
While creating design solutions, designers will work and pursue a typical creative result with competent project mentors with extensive professional experience.
KNOWLEDGE AND IMPROVEMENT
The training provided during the project will help all participants take on the challenges ahead and quickly penetrate new knowledge about digitization, innovation, and the circular economy in the design sector.
RECOGNITION AND COMPENSATION
We selected 19 project participants who received scholarship contracts for ten months. They are expected to become competitive players in the labor market by the end of the project. The estimated amount of the scholarship is 2000 Eur /monthly (all necessary costs for tools, programs, licenses, etc., are included in the scholarship indicated).
Related documents:
Description of the selection of designers
Full presentation of the project (in English)
Paulina Starikovaitė
Visual Communication Design
Paulina is a graduate graphic designer with a BA from Northumbria University, UK. The design studies course was particularly focused on developing design research competencies. This has shaped her strong analytical skills, which have become an integral part of the basis for design solutions in every project she works on. In the field of communication design, she most enjoys the process of designing creative advertising, looking for unique solutions that capture the attention of the viewer. In 2021, she participated in the D&AD competition with the Netflix OOH integrated advertising solution. In 2020, a poster she designed that draws attention to people's need for mass shopping for hygiene products by leaving empty shelves in stores during a pandemic, won a prize in the NE1 Christmas Windows competition and was featured in Newcastle City Magazine.
First phase: UAB "Medicata filia", mentor Jolanta Rimkutė
Second phase: UAB "Natura medica", mentor Jolanta Rimkutė
Lukas Avėnas
Industrial Product Design
After winning the Young Designer Prize twice for projects created during his bachelor's and master's studies at the Vilnius Academy of Arts, Lukas went on to work with various companies in Lithuania, Europe and abroad. The broad experience gained working on projects ranging from accessories to transport allows for a unique and interdisciplinary approach to problems. "With things we shape our environment, and then the environment shapes us. Everything is important: from the shape of a paperclip to a city plan", - says Lukas. Having developed products mainly in the fields of electronics, electric transport and home accessories, Lukas has won local and international design awards, such as the Good Design Award and the A' Design Award. His work has also been published in Lithuanian and international magazines, popular design websites and on TV.
First phase: UAB "Uvireso", mentor Denis Orlenok
Second phase: UAB "Ruksa", mentor Denis Orlenok
Deimantė Gudelytė
Visual Communication Design
Deimante started design studies at the College of DuPage in the USA, and later continued her studies at Kaunas College in Lithuania, where she obtained his Bachelor's degree. The opportunity to study in such different countries has opened up a very broad perspective on the world of graphic design. The accumulated diverse knowledge helps her to adapt to the rapidly changing design trends and innovations, as well as to discover new, interesting and unexpected design solutions for each project. She enjoys drawing colourful vector illustrations, designing print objects, brands, visual identities and websites, which she often enriches with animations. Deimante started receiving requests for design solutions during her studies in America, when in 2016 she had the opportunity to design a flag and a brochure for the internationally renowned charity Rotary Club. In 2020, she designed the brand and website for the IT services company Universalus. In 2021, a website and app design for the start-up Reaching for Zero, illustrated with the book Choices for Healthy Living (by Ramute Moye).
First phase: UAB "Knortas", mentor Pijus Cicėnas
Second phase: UAB "Smigė", mentor Pijus Cicėnas
Deividas Kačiušis
Process, Interfaces and Service Design; Visual Communication Design
Deividas is a graphic designer with a Master's degree in Visual Communication, who graduated VTDK and VDA universities. Having discovered a strong passion for visual identity and digital product design during his studies, the designer has linked his professional future to these two fields. Prior to this project, the designer has gained experience in providing a wide range of design services to a variety of companies, ranging from small design agencies to a digital product start-up abroad. This wide range of experience allows him to flexibly adapt to the company's needs and offer a diverse range of design solutions.
First phase: UAB "Sekasoft", mentor Martynas Birškys
Second phase: UAB "Aispeco", mentor Martynas Birškys
Augustė Buinevičiūtė
User Experience, User Interface, Visual Communication Design
Augustė has a very broad range of expertise in multimedia. She graduated Vilnius Tech University, where she studied multimedia and computer design, where all her studies were mainly focused on technical understanding of how computer graphics works - programming, algorithms, but also creativity. The studies gave a strong analytical thinking, attention to detail, the ability to analyse and to put things together quickly. All of these skills are particularly valuable in UI/UX design, as they allow you to understand how applications work from a deep level, and in communication design, where every element is thought out and chosen with purpose. Auguste often combines psychological aspects in her design solutions, thinking about how it will affect the human subconscious and how it will leave a lasting impression. What she enjoys most about her profession is the result and the value she can create for the business.
In 2019 he participated in Demola's creative practice, working on 2D animation projects.
In 2019, she was selected among the 100 most promising students of VGTU, participated in a conference with company representatives.
In 2020 participated in the sprint "Women for global changes" with the "Made in silence" brand as a UI/UX designer.
Since 2021 she has been volunteering for the conscious dating app Bliss meet, where she helps with communication design.
First phase: UAB "Packus", mentor Lukas Ruškys
Second phase: Irenos Zykuvienės odontologijos klinika, UAB "Geras odontologas", mentor Lukas Ruškys
Dzmitrij Kakhaniuk
Multidisciplinary experimental Graphic Design.
Bachelor of Arts in Design Studies ‘22 - EHU, Vilnius.
Since 2016 has been developing various skills in visual arts, focusing on experimental approaches in 2D, 3D, animation, and photography.
Specializes in design research and technical, historical, and political projects. He has worked in different political and cultural contexts, teams and educational institutions in Lithuania, Belarus and Cyprus. Worked as a research consultant at the "Splitting the atom" exhibition at CAC in 2020. In 2019 participated in Belarusian Fashion Week as a print designer of the "Save our planet" slow-fashion capsule collection.
Currently prioritising the study of mixed media, concept art, motion design and storytelling.
First phase: UAB "Lidaris", mentor Pijus Cicėnas
Second phase: UAB "Kertušas", mentor Pijus Cicėnas
Miglė Rukštelytė
User Experience, User Interface, Visual Communication Design
In 2021 Miglė graduated with a BA in Graphic Design in Falmouth University, UK. This study programme provided her with theoretical and practical knowledge of different types of communication design projects and allowed her to try her hand at creating different solutions for graphic design projects. The course focused heavily on the design process and problem analysis. This has shaped her design research process, based on in-depth analysis, which she applies to various projects. In the final year of her studies, Miglė worked with her course mate to develop concepts for environmental graphics and exhibition spaces, using immersive and experiential design to celebrate the sustainable solutions initiatives of Falmouth and Exeter Universities. Using graphic solutions, the designer aimed to engage and inform audience groups, inviting them to join in solutions that create a sustainable future. During and after her studies, Miglė further developed her knowledge in the field of process, service and interface design, which encompasses the areas of UX (user experience) and UI (user interface) design. In between and after her studies, she worked as a freelance designer creating visual communication solutions for companies, foundations and individuals.
First phase: UAB "Kapinių valdymo sprendimai", mentor Lukas Ruškys
Second phase: UAB "Gražūs leidiniai", mentor Lukas Ruškys
Gabrielė Liaugminaitė
Visual Communication Design
Gabrielle holds a MA and BA from Leiden University, the Netherlands. Her studies focused on analytical and critical thinking in the analysis of works of art. At the same time she studied applied art at the Willem de Kooning Academy of Fine Arts in Rotterdam. She now uses the skills acquired in both studies in her design practice. Gabriele's main interest and expertise lies in the creation of visual identity.
First phase: VŠĮ "Gatvės gyvos", mentor Martynas Birškys
Second phase: UAB "Kauno Petrašiūnų darbo rinkos mokymo centras", mentor Martynas Birškys
Ramunė Raslavičiūtė
Product Design, Fashion Design
Ramunė graduated with a BA Fashion Design and Textiles from the University of West London (UWL). Her BA thesis focused on the question "Can newly invented sustainable fabrics replace polluting materials in the fashion industry?" and explored the sustainability potential of the fashion industry. She had a first-hand experience of these materials at the Premier Vision textile fair. Undertook an internship in garment design and production at "Robert Kalinkin" (Lithuania) fashion house and "All Saints" design studio. At "Mados injekcija", he presented the clothing collection "Subculture", which explores the link between night culture and clothing.
After winning a scholarship for the course, she studied advertising production at The Atomic Garden Vilnius. Here she gained knowledge of campaign development, which she applied to the communication of "De Ribas" jewellery and Ardor11 project space.
Her interest in new technologies in product development led her to take part in the Makers Academy organised by VGTU, where she had to study innovative circular economy-based manufacturing. At the Robotics School, in a two-day workshop, the students got acquainted with 3D printing technology, creating and printing a product. Ramune also has experience in fashion shoots, styling advertising campaigns and curating exhibitions.
First phase: UAB "Vitameda", mentor Jolanta Rimkutė
Second phase: UAB "Modi 2", mentor Sandra Mockutė-Cicėnė
Gintarė Petkevičiūtė
Product Design, Visual Communication Design
Gintarė studied at the Vilnius Academy of Arts, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Design in 2020 and a MA in 2022. During her bachelor's studies, she started to analyse the topic of social design, exploring habits, searching for solutions to societal problems, and empowering the tools that design provides. Gintarė continued her analysis in this field during her Master's studies, conducting social research on Lithuanian prisons. The project "Deviant behaviour change: design approaches. A case study of the social integration of prisoners" was awarded the Good Design 2022 diploma and its process was published in magazine "Centras". During her studies, Gintarė did design internships at company "Plasta" in Vilnius and at Theodora Alfredsdottir's design studio in London, organised the design auction "Design is looking for a home", and participated in the exhibitions "Design Processes - Relation" and "Me and the Forest". The experience gained has allowed the designer to make a valuable contribution to various projects in the product and graphic design fields, as well as being instrumental in the development of the checkerboard interpretation Versus.
First phase: UAB "Valerijonas", mentor Sandra Mockutė - Cicėnė
Second phase: UAB "Oda Lt", mentor Sandra Mockutė-Cicėnė
Justė Bukauskytė
Product Design
Justė graduated from Kaunas University of Technology, Industrial Design Engineering with excellent grades. This speciality combines engineering and design, so the spectrum of acquired skills is very wide: knowledge of materials science, engineering technologies, design, and design helps to create purposefully and make appropriate engineering and design decisions. "As a result, the product you create will not only be aesthetically pleasing, but more importantly, functional", - she believes. Justė's final bachelor thesis "Mobile device with sustainable energy source" was awarded the best final project in the 2022 bachelor course. At the "Technorama" technology and innovation exhibition, the final bachelor's thesis was awarded the company's prize.
Phirst phase: UAB "Integrated Optics", mentor Denis Orlenok
Second phase: UAB "Dzūkų baldai", mentor Denis Orlenok
Elzė Janutaitė
Visual Communication Design
Elzė graduated in graphic design from the Vilnius Academy of Arts, and in the last year of her studies she worked as a freelance designer. Her work has contributed to the development of various brands. Combining bold solutions with the client's needs, Elzė is able to create a visual identity. In order to develop and deepen her knowledge, she has worked in various genres, from posters to animation, the latter of which was submitted to the Media Art Festival ENTER'20.
For Elze, the most important thing is to convey a message in a visual form, and she likes to touch on various social issues in her work. This was also reflected in her final work, a 3D animation depicting migraine triggers and their impact in everyday situations. The designer says she is fascinated by how simple shapes transformed into three-dimensional objects can enrich different visuals, add value and differentiate a brand from others.
Phirst phase: UAB "Šokolado gama", mentor Pijus Cicėnas
Second phase: UAB "Medaus namai", mentor Pijus Cicėnas
Viktorija Valužytė
Graphic Design
Viktorija holds a Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design from the Vilnius Academy of Arts. During her studies, she studied the principles of visual identity, web design, book design, but her favourite area was illustration design. After her studies, she worked as a graphic designer at Kaunas University of Technology, and then started working at a social media agency. In 2017, she participated in the Skopje Poster Festival poster competition and won the prize, and in 2021, she participated in the Kaunas International Illustration Biennial competition, where she made it to the finalists' exhibition. From 2020, she is studying animation production remotely at the School of motion in the USA. Currently, the designer specialises in framing and animation.
First phase: UAB "Muzikija", mentor Sandra Mockutė-Cicėnė
Second phase: UAB "Kvalitetas", mentor Sandra Mockutė-Cicėnė
Gerda Liudvinavčiūtė
Product Design
Gerda has the Master's degree in Product Design at Vilnius Academy of Arts, where she researched original product design, focusing more on the process of design creation - unconscious, questioning the usual rules of design creation. Thus, the designer is constantly looking for different creative approaches and methods to create, which she then applies in various projects.
In 2016, the designer founded the contemporary jewellery design studio CELSIUS 273. Gerda's work has been awarded twice with the "Good Design" award, and she has also won the silver medal in the European design competition "A' design 2021" and many other international awards. Since 2020, the designer has been granted the status of professional artist by the Ministry of Culture and her designs are sold at the Mo Museum, Guggenheim Bilbao. Gerda has been commissioned to design brooches for Pope Francis, has held several exhibitions in Lithuania and has represented Lithuanian design abroad - Tokyo, Paris, Budapest, Sarajevo, Bilbao, Vienna, etc.
The designer has worked in creative advertising agencies, collaborated with various companies and organisations in Lithuania, created corporate gifts for Kaunas 2022, Kaunas Tourism Centre, Fazer Lietuva etc.
UAB "Lašų duona", mentor Denis Orlenok
Monika Pernavaitė
Visual Communication Design
Monika has a BA in Graphic Design and a MA in Visual Communication Design from the Vilnius Academy of Arts. She specialises in branding and UI/UX. According to her, this includes further brand development, digital and tangible product development and design, event advertising and social media content. In 2020 Monika became a member of the Lithuanian Design Association. Her achievements include the finals of the most popular design channels on YouTube: 'The Futur' and 'Young Guns 2'. During her studies, she studied sustainable, eco-friendly design, analysed and developed material sustainable packaging design and an innovative digital product - a mobile app for sustainable lifestyle with gamification function. During her studies, Monika gained useful knowledge that consumption has become one of the main ways of lifestyle communication, through which self-creation takes place, social identity is understood, and brand communication in a consumer world contributes to the development of a growing personal value orientation. After learning about sustainable design solutions in print and digital, she has applied this knowledge to a wide range of projects, encouraging clients to choose the greenest solutions available.
First phase: Kazimieras Simonavičius University, mentor Lukas Ruškys
Second phase: UAB "Švenčionių vaistažolės", mentor Lukas Ruškys
Viktorija Stundytė
Product Design
Viktorija graduated from the Vilnius Academy of Arts with Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Product Design. In 2020, she founded Platemetrics, a design studio for tableware, where she continues her study and observation of people’s eating habits, which began during her studies. The designer presents ideas on how tableware can shape the eating experience towards positive changes in people’s diets and beyond. The designer is concerned with societal issues of eating habits, health and the environment, which is why the Platemetrics projects focus on the importance of food, eating rituals and their influence on people and the living environment.
Viktorija Stundytė is the winner of the Young Designer Prize 2021 in the category of Design Research and Theory, and the winner of the First Prize in the category of interior elements, lighting fixtures and tableware in the annual Lithuanian design competition GERAS DIZAINAS 2021.
She has worked on collaborative projects with the organic farm Paskui saulę ir ožkas, the food design studio Less Table, and with Low-Tech Lab, a French institution focused on useful, accessible and durable innovation.
Second phase: MB "Studija Kartu", mentor Jolanta Rimkutė
Indrė Makarevičė
Fashion Design
Indrė gained 10 years of experience in marketing, after graduated from the BA Fashion Design programme run by Vytautas Magnus University in collaboration with the University of Central Lancashire (UCLAN, UK) in 2020. During her studies, she delved into the practical, analytical and technological aspects of fashion design. The focus was on empowering different creative tools, exploring new ones and developing a coherent concept. Indre's final collection was a gender-free collection called United, which highlighted the relevance of choices and invited us to think about the commercial standards that differentiate men's and women's fashion. The designer's work is a careful observation of humanity that celebrates neutrality and values non-conformism as the essence of indviduality.
In 2022, the designer founded Unum et idem, a fashion brand for the Scandinavian market, with the ideology of the unity of body, mind and soul as its philosophical axis, based on the principles of sustainable, slow fashion. The circular economy is a major focus. A clothing return system called Second soul has been developed, where the designer aims to reclaim second-hand, worn-out items she has designed, in order to resurrect them and maintain a zero-waste textile policy.
Second phase: Linas AB, mentor Jolanta Rimkutė
Leonardas Sindaravičius
User Experience, User Interface Design
Leonardas graduated from the Vilnius Academy of Arts in 2020 with a Bachelor's degree in Design and in 2022 with a Master's degree. Recently, after exploring the human interface with digital spaces and creating an alternative platform for displaying and viewing digital art, the designer has decided to link his future with user interface and experience design. The association of his career with this field of design was not accidental. According to Leonardo, UI/UX design is the most influential aspect of current daily life and will only grow in importance in the future. After his studies, the designer honed his UI/UX design skills on his own and in specialised courses.
During his studies, Leonardo took advantage of the Erasmus+ opportunity twice, studying at ULisboa Faculdade de Arquitectura and Politecnico di Milano. As a result, he has experience in the development of both physical and digital products and a strong theoretical background in communication, management and trend forecasting. He has worked on complex interdisciplinary projects in teams with international students, and has applied his design knowledge to create display solutions for the IKEA store in Vilnius.
In his spare time, Leonard occasionally takes photographs, having won a photography competition organised by Fuori Concorso and Classic Driver in Italy.
Second phase: Gooliver UAB, mentor Lukas Ruškys
Benedikta Kanytė
User Experience, User Interface, Visual Communication Design
Benedikta graduated with a BA in Product Design from Vilnius Academy of Arts in 2021. During her studies she studied the role of design in shaping sustainable habits in society. The focus was on the research and application of organic materials in objects and their secondary use, which was reflected in the designer's final bachelor's thesis and in projects developed in collaboration with Alt Lab in Lithuania and Blue City Lab in the Netherlands. Interdisciplinarity has always been the designer's main creative engine and source of inspiration for solving pressing problems through design. This has led her to further develop her expertise in user experience and interface design. Digital products are one of the most significant tools for shaping people's consumption, communication and sustainability skills in modern society. Ensuring that the solutions developed are functional and long-lasting is therefore the designer's main goal. After her studies, Benedikta furthered this knowledge on her own, through UI/UX design courses, working in a digital design agency and as a freelance designer in the field of visual communication.
During her studies, Benedikta did internships in furniture design companies and gained experience in product design as an exchange student at the Willem de Kooning Academy in Rotterdam. After graduating with a Bachelor's degree, she worked at the Venice Architecture Biennale with the Lithuanian Space Agency.
Second phase: Lauksva UAB, mentor Lukas Ruškys
Gintarė Kunigonytė
User Experience, User Interface, Visual Communication Design
Gintarė graduated from the interdisciplinary BA in New Media Design at Jönköping University, Sweden. During her studies she became interested in UX/UI design. She was particularly interested in the balance of creating interactive, expressive and norm-breaking design solutions that are at the same time intuitive and user-friendly. Therefore, for her bachelor thesis, Gintarė chose to explore the emotional feelings and attitudes of different generations towards traditional and expressive design solutions for the same purpose on online platforms.
The designer studied at Northumbria University in the United Kingdom as part of an exchange programme. During the programme, she explored how design can contribute to solving social, cultural and ecological problems. Her interest in technology led her to develop the concept of an interactive exhibition where consumers use their mobile phones, accompanied by engaging social advertising on the theme of plastic pollution.
Later, Gintarė did a six-month internship at anschlaege.de design and communication studio in Berlin, Germany. During the internship she worked on various visual communication, publishing, UX/UI design projects. After the internship, she was entrusted with a website design project presenting the integration of virtual reality while visiting concentration camps in the state of Brandenburg. With the design in place, the agency won a tender to further develop the project and work with the Cultural and Historical Society of Brandenburg Land. After this achievement, Gintarė continued to focus on UX/UI design and developed several solutions for German museums, cultural organisations and projects.
After her studies, she continued working with various companies in Europe and the United States, as well as in the cultural field in Lithuania, and further developed her UX/UI design skills. She is inspired by different design trends and looks for connections and balance between modern minimalism and brutalism, experimental design. Interactivity is also important in Gintare's work.
Second phase: UAB "BOD Lens", mentor Denis Orlenok