Meet the Designer Using His Work To Make an Impact In Ukraine—and Abroad

Like many independent professionals of his generation, Oleksii Skrypnyk grew up assuming that as an adult, he’d don a suit and tie and head to an office job.

While at university, though, he realized he would prefer to work in a more casual, creative environment. The sort of office where he could don a T-shirt and shorts before turning the designs in his mind into reality.

“I found I loved animation,” Skrypnyk said. “Especially the part where a client outlines what they need and I’m building a whole story in my head—imaging how something can be visualized, how the characters will look, and how I can create transitions.”

After his graduation, Skrypnyk tried out a few creative roles before landing at a Ukrainian ad agency and ultimately rising to the role of creative director.

He enjoyed his work and clients at the agency—but then Russia’s annexation of the Crimean Peninsula created an economic ripple that pushed Skrypnyk’s career off of its original path.

Discovering fulfillment as an independent professional

“After Russia occupied Crimea, Ukraine’s domestic advertising market fell down due to the economic depression,” Skrypnyk explained. “Big companies started to cancel their large advertising projects.”

At first, Skrypnyk kept working for his agency employer on a limited, part-time basis. But with lingering uncertainty about when and where the next project would come from, he decided to switch to independent work.

“I had to think about the future—all of our agency’s projects were on hold, and nobody knew for how long,” he said.

As he was a natural hard worker, it wasn’t uncommon for Skrypnyk to work 12- and 15-hour days when he first started working independently. And he liked that he had the ability to work from anywhere, at any time.

“I was living my best life. I worked from home mostly, but sometimes from cafes, restaurants, or coworking centers,” he said. “I was like someone you might meet in any hotel in Europe—sleepy guys working with their laptops in the hotel’s reception area.”

Skrypnyk grew an impressive roster of design clients, including international companies like Johnson & Johnson and Upwork. He regularly produced 2D and 3D animations, NFTs, GIF animations, and even print assets to help his clients reach their audiences through all channels.

While his extensive design experience was key in making this successful transition to independent work, he found that his people and project management experience helped as well.

“It was helpful because when working independently, you’re not always just responsible for your own job,” he said. “You can be responsible for managing all the parts of a larger piece, and you should be able to organize that process brilliantly. You have to be responsible, and you should understand the work of other people.”

This ability to look at the big picture has also helped Skrypnyk continually deliver top-tier service to his clients.

“You’ve got to work over your head. You can go to your client and offer not just one concept, but two or three,” he said. “For example, if I’m meeting with friends in a bar and I hear people nearby talking about a problem that’s relevant to my client, I’ll try to get their insights. Then later on Monday I can call the client and say I got new feedback from a real person who is struggling with a related problem.”

Skrypnyk spent the first few years of his self-employment steadily building his business and portfolio—but then he found his life changing once again due to forces out of his control.

Learning how to work while in a country at war

When Russia attacked Ukraine in February 2022, Srkypnyk was, as usual, working independently on projects for multiple clients.

“I’m a super responsible person who never misses a deadline,” he said. “So even on the first day of the war, I was trying to work. There was an explosion here in Kyiv, but I had obligations for clients who were waiting on deliverables from me. And to me, the idea of missing a deadline felt somewhat worse, even, than war. But then it became more complicated.”

Skrypnyk realized he had to redirect his focus from work to making sure that he and his family were safe and well stocked with supplies like medicine, drinking water, and cash for food.

“You have to take care of yourself and your safety,” he said, reflecting on the early days of the conflict. “Work can’t be the first priority because you have to take care of your life, and you don’t want to die from the bombing.”

Skrypnyk has since been able to resume his design and animation work—and has maintained his Top Rated Plus status and high Job Success Score despite the disruptions of war.

As it turns out, his experience as an independent professional has proven to be a huge benefit during such an uncertain time.

“In this situation, working on Upwork is really essential because I can stay here in Ukraine and I can still work as usual. I can pay my bills. I can help my mother and father.”

Helping others is a huge motivator for Srkypnyk—both at home and around the world. His work allows him to do this in more ways than one.

Using design to help others around the world

Skrypnyk aims to help others on a global scale by choosing clients and projects that have a positive impact on health and wellness.

“If your work can make this world better and help different people, then that’s a really cool thing. That’s what I’m fighting for every day.”

“I believe that when we create good, impactful advertising messages, we’re touching the lives of different people—even if we’ll never meet them personally or know where they live,” he said.

Srkypnyk points to his work with Johnson & Johnson as one example of how advertising design can have this kind of positive impact.

“Let’s say someone is trying to quit smoking,” he said. “They’re trying to find a solution that will help. Johnson & Johnson has the Nicorette brand, which is designed specifically to help people quit smoking—and I’ve worked on that brand. So I know that my design work can reach that person and help them achieve their goal of quitting smoking.”

Supporting fellow Ukranians at home

While Skrypnyk’s work allows him to share helpful information with global audiences, it also allows him to directly assist other Ukranians impacted by the war.

“A significant part of my income is donated to people in Ukraine who have lost their houses,” he said. “I personally know a lot of people who were directly impacted when the Nova Kakhovka dam collapsed. My close friend’s family was living near the dam, and their city does not exist anymore.”

Skrypnyk also does what he can to support his country’s defense—including remaining in Ukraine in the event that he’s called to join the army.

“I’m supporting the Ukrainian army and the people who are now trying to fight for our freedom, allowing me to stay relatively safe,” he said. “And if anyone else is also trying to find a way to support Ukraine during this hard time, I think the best thing that they can do is hire more people from Ukraine.”

Skrypnyk explained that many independent professionals in Ukraine are also donating their income to help others.

“We really appreciate all of the people who are expressing support to our country, and to the people who are trying to help in some way,” he said. “This is really important for us and we appreciate all of the help and the good words that people are sharing from all across the globe. And if you can do it, hiring in Ukraine helps a lot.”

Skrypnyk is currently working with corporate clients in need of animation and design services, including presentation design. To learn more about Skrypnyk and explore working with him on your next project, visit his Upwork profile.