Hello, my name is Natalia Dovhal. I am a Designer, I run design-led research investigations, build interactive experiences for socially oriented, future-facing studios of London, deliver confident results for large scale business enterprises. My practice’s recurring themes are Innovation, Future Sensing, Interactive Storytelling driven by social and environmental matters.
Working With Superflux, Sensing Ambient Futures for The Omidyar Network.
User Research, Layout and Illustration, Concept Development, Prototyping, Future Mapping, Visual Communication, Workshop Curation and More
Gamified Microsite, Brief for The Future Laboratory
Web Design, High Fidelity Prototype, Edited and Finalysed in After Effects, 3D Environments, built in Unreal Engine.
Visual Identity, Graphic Design, Social Media Curation, Live event Capture, Community and Local Council Projects.
Series of Workshops With The Old Royal Naval College
Qualitative Research, Live Interviews, Workshop Curation, Film and Editing, Model Fabrication, Exhibit Design.
Working With Dash’N’Dem
Developing Live-Action Role-Playing Game Scenario, Narrative Design, Illustration, Graphic Design, Film Editing.
Challenge: Translate the report’s content on the future of luxury into a highly engaging visual experience, introduce the research theme and encourage viewers to buy the full report.
Proposed Solution: I used a gamification technique to promote desired marketing effect. The microsite offers a miniature creative and digital consumer journey. Using a webpage, visitors can explore the report through an interactive 3D environment.
This game-like space is a first-person journey across several ‘points of interest’ that reveal highlights from the report and eventually lead to the report purchase page.
This specific landscape powerfully highlights the theme of ‘Anti-Social Sanctuaries’ that plays a vital role in the report. The Artificiality of this particular landscape resonates with the concept of non-tactile luxury, similarly to how we see brands move their products into augmented reality spaces.
Using the cursor (circular shape) at the centre of the screen, the visitor can control the direction they are moving in. Bottom left of the screen, the user can see the link to the report if they wish to proceed at any
given point.
As time elapses and the user travels through the landscape, highlights from the report will become revealed to them. After a predetermined time, they will be transported from the environment, returned to the link and encouraged to purchase the report.
Software Used: Unreal Engine, After Effects, Photoshop.
2021
Throughout my experience with Superflux, I had multiple inputs into different projects. However, a considerable part of my efforts went into the Ambient Reality foresight report. I was in charge of the layout and illustration of the report. This report collects insights from the ethnographic and foresight research and critical sensemaking process carried out by Superflux for Omidyar Network.
My role in creating the report was also mapping, and organising found information, filling in the research gaps, opening new directories by providing new theme-specific research.
The process of sensemaking was critical to this project’s journey, enabling Superflux to surface unexpected connections and interdependencies and question earlier biases and assumptions. Alongside project manager, I have designed a series of digital exercises in Miro and assisted in a workshop curation.
Workshop tasks allowed participants to reflect on the research through different lenses, revealing how biases and assumptions can shape how we view ambient technologies. Workshop findings provided a solid ground for reports direction and development.
Using report insights, I have developed illustrations and collages to accommodate the esthetical presentation of the research. Each image is a unique reflection of the theme addressed in each spread of the report.
2020/2021
Space Waste Mission
Interactive Experience, Video Game
“Space
waste mission provides you with an opportunity to become an orbital trailblazer,
de-orbiting defunct satellites and maintaining an essential pathway for outer space
pioneers. Accompanied by an artificially intelligent bot, you will finally have time and space to contemplate your existence.”
“Space waste mission provides you with an opportunity to become an orbital trailblazer, de-orbiting defunct satellites and maintaining an essential pathway for outer space pioneers. Accompanied by an artificially intelligent bot, you will finally have time and space to contemplate your existence.”
To address self-directed research on the prominent issue of human-made waste in space, I have designed a video game that draw’s a line in between players self - contemplation and the real issue of human-made waste in space.
A conversational bot is the main character, supervising the player on their journey through the clattered orbits of waste. The game offers a slow-paced environment allowing the player to explore the features of the bot and debris information uncovered in the process.
Show 2019, Royal College of Art.
Theses are examples of props designed in the process of a project’s path development, mostly visual Identity experiments.
Software used: Unreal Engine 3D, After Effects, Premiere Pro, Audition, Illustrator, Photoshop.
Voice-over: Luke Riches
Soundtrack: Adragante - Space Heart
Special Thanks to Ken Hollings, Thomas Deacon, Halim Lais
Working With Petrossian
For over a year, I have collaborated with Petrossian’s London distribution team on various visual assets designed to propel sales in the UK. From posters and web representations to large sales brochures. I have expanded the brand’s premium feel, making my designs effectively attract new clientele to enjoy the brand. The success of my outcomes resulted in their incorporation abroad, specifically in Hong Kong, Switzerland and France.
Dom Petroff is a Petrossians sub-brand; I have played a vital role in its ongoing global rebranding process by designing series of assets that are currently reintroducing brands products worldwide.
Above are examples of complete product catalogues and digital representations that are actively used in the UK and abroad at the moment.
Software Used: InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop
2020 - 2021