
Pavel Pekanov
Designer
Location
Moscow, Russia
Toptal Member Since
July 14, 2020
Pavel's been delivering branding, UI/UX, visual/product design, and creative direction since 2004. He served as the head of design at a fintech unicorn, where he ran all of the company's creative efforts that helped settle a $100-million round. Pavel is interested in gaming, crypto-banking, internet banking, and fintech and designs with complex interfaces that are human-oriented and straightforward. Pavel is the second runner-up in Hacker Noon Contributor of the Year - Product Development 2020.
Pavel is available for hire
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Jonah Direct Foreclosure Management
Material DesignMUI (Material UI)Landing Page DesignInteraction Design (IxD)UX WireframesDesign Systems+ 19 more

Amazing Creatures
User Experience (UX)Game DesignInterface DesignIdeationLogotypeCreative Concept Development+ 35 more
Work Experience
2017 - 2022
Founder | Creative Director
Chasing Dreams Games
- Hired and managed an international cross-functional mixed in-house/remote team that was able to develop and produce a complex product in 18 months.
- Utilized previous cryptocurrency and fintech experience to create a cryptocurrency/edtech game product.
- Designed three game-design documents and two game pitch presentations and launched one cross-platform mobile MMORPG. Designed marketing materials and promotional visuals for social marketing campaigns.
Technologies: Unity3D, Excel 2016, Figma, Zoom, Notes, Blender, Cinema 4D, 3ds Max, Visual Design, Art Direction, Web Design, Color Theory, Information Architecture (IA), User Interface (UI), Logo Design, Creative Direction, Wireframing, UI Design, Prototyping, User Flows, UX Flows, User Experience (UX), Branding, Product Design, Mobile App Design, Mobile UI, Pitch Decks, Adobe Creative Suite, Sketch, Cryptocurrency, User Research, UX Design, Game Design, iOS, Blockchain, Android, User Personas, Logotype, Icon Design, Interface Design, Game Development, Key Visuals, Graphic Design, Ideation, Promotional Websites, Visual Storytelling, Storytelling, Presentations, App Design, Promotional Videos, Pitch Preparation, Investor Presentations, Human-centered Design (HCD), Game Production, Gameplay Development, Design Leadership, Blockchain & Cryptocurrency, Storyboarding, Mobile Games, Gaming Platforms, Gaming, Design Guidelines, Design Strategy, User Journeys, High-fidelity Mockups, Low-fidelity Mockups
2019 - 2019
Product Designer
Cake DeFi
- Designed the company brand, brand visuals, and brand storytelling, including the logotype, colors, typography, and marketing visuals.
- Identified, addressed, and designed solutions for the company product's issues.
- Conceptualized and created the company and product family websites.
- Translated the company write-up into a compelling visual story.
- Conceived, designed, and delivered the creative concept for the company's main product: DeFi Blockchain and DFI Token.
Technologies: Adobe Creative Suite, Trello, Slack, InVision, Craft CMS, Sketch, Blender, Web App UX, Product Design, Design Systems, Ideation, Interaction Design (IxD), Key Visuals, User Research, Stakeholder Interviews, Blockchain & Cryptocurrency, Crypto, High-fidelity Mockups, Low-fidelity Mockups, B2C, Visual Design, Web Design, Information Architecture (IA), Logo Design, Wireframing, Prototyping, User Flows, Branding, Cryptocurrency, Web UX, Web UI, User Personas, Icon Design, Visual Storytelling, Storytelling
2014 - 2018
Creative Director | Head of Design
QUOINE/Liquid
- Designed brand identity, logotypes, colors, and typography for the company and product family.
- Delivered the product design for the product's family and company websites.
- Conceptualized and directed an entirely new visionary product and developed marketing materials that aided the company’s record-breaking $100-million fundraiser.
- Recruited and directly managed a senior design team.
- Developed company-wide processes for the design and product departments.
Technologies: Basecamp, Asana, Trello, Jira, Skype, Slack, Abstracts, Craft CMS, Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite, Fintech, Design Leadership, Blockchain, Web App UX, Mobile App UI, Mobile UX, Personas, User Stories, Dashboard Design, Rapid Prototyping, Product Design, Design Systems, Ideation, Interaction Design (IxD), Mobile Apps, Key Visuals, Responsive Web Apps, Web App Design, Mobile App Design, Mobile Design, User Research, Presentations, App Design, Data-heavy Design, Human-centered Design (HCD), Responsive Web Design (RWD), Stakeholder Interviews, Pitch Decks, Pitch Preparation, iOS, Blockchain & Cryptocurrency, Cryptocurrency Exchanges, Trading, Crypto, High-fidelity Mockups, Low-fidelity Mockups, Website Redesign, Design Strategy, Design Guidelines, User Validation, B2C, Business to Business (B2B), Style Guides, Gaming, Storyboarding, Usability, Visual Design, Art Direction, Web Design, Information Architecture (IA), User Interface (UI), Logo Design, Creative Direction, Wireframing, UI Design, Prototyping, User Flows, UX Flows, User Experience (UX), Branding, Cryptocurrency, UX Design, Data Visualization, Web UX, Web UI, User Personas, Logotype, Icon Design, UI Components, Interface Design, Promotional Websites, Visual Storytelling, Storytelling, Investor Presentations
2012 - 2017
Designer | Art Director | Creative Director
Online Freelance Agency
- Designed the creative concepts and provided the product design for eCommerce and SaaS platforms for early-stage companies and startups.
- Provided creative solutions for niche and new products targeting ease of customer conversion and onboarding.
- Assembled and directly managed product teams, budgeted, and validated product specifications.
- Delivered redesigns and rebranding projects for multiple clients.
- Placed top-10 by earnings in 2013 at the platform.
Technologies: Skype, Slack, Trello, Asana, Basecamp, Adobe Creative Suite, Sketch, Web App UX, Mobile App UI, Mobile UX, Personas, User Stories, Dashboard Design, Rapid Prototyping, Design Leadership, Product Design, Ideation, Interaction Design (IxD), Mobile Apps, Marketplace Design, Key Visuals, Color Theory, Responsive Web Apps, MVP Design, Web App Design, Mobile Design, App Design, Data-heavy Design, Human-centered Design (HCD), Responsive Web Design (RWD), Stakeholder Interviews, Pitch Decks, High-fidelity Mockups, Low-fidelity Mockups, Design Guidelines, User Validation, B2C, Business to Business (B2B), Style Guides, Android, Storyboarding, Usability, Visual Design, Art Direction, Web Design, Information Architecture (IA), User Interface (UI), Creative Direction, Wireframing, UI Design, Prototyping, User Flows, UX Flows, User Experience (UX), Branding, UX Design, SaaS, SaaS Design, Data Visualization, Web UX, Web UI, Icon Design, Website Redesign, UI Components, eCommerce, Interface Design, Graphic Design, Promotional Websites, Storytelling
2004 - 2015
Designer | Art Director | Creative Director
Self-employed
- Delivered branding and corporate websites for established businesses.
- Designed experimental platforms and products for early-stage companies.
- Ran an educational and consultancy design practice for students.
- Grew past a local presence and established international contracts.
- Hired, assembled, and managed a ten-people team of front-end and back-end developers and designers.
Technologies: Basecamp, Asana, Trello, Jira, Skype, Slack, Abstracts, Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite, Web App UX, Mobile App UI, Mobile UX, Personas, Dashboard Design, Rapid Prototyping, Design Leadership, Product Design, Ideation, Interaction Design (IxD), Mobile Apps, Marketplace Design, Key Visuals, Color Theory, Responsive Web Apps, MVP Design, Web App Design, Mobile App Design, Mobile Design, User Research, Presentations, App Design, Promotional Videos, Data-heavy Design, Human-centered Design (HCD), Game Production, Gameplay Development, Responsive Web Design (RWD), eCommerce UX, Stakeholder Interviews, Pitch Decks, iOS, High-fidelity Mockups, Low-fidelity Mockups, Website Redesign, Design Strategy, Design Guidelines, User Validation, B2C, Business to Business (B2B), Style Guides, Gaming, Gaming Platforms, Mobile Games, Android, Storyboarding, Usability, Visual Design, Web Design, User Interface (UI), Logo Design, Creative Direction, Wireframing, UI Design, Prototyping, User Flows, User Experience (UX), Branding, UX Design, Data Visualization, Web UX, Web UI, User Personas, Logotype, Icon Design, UI Components, Interface Design, Graphic Design, Promotional Websites