Together with my coursemates from the Art Academy of Latvia, we had
the opportunity to visit Alexey Murashko, one of Latvia's most renowned
book designers’ kitchen / studio to take a closer look at his work.

We visited his apartment, which also served as his studio. His
kitchen table was practically overflowing with books he had
designed, and there was plenty to look through.

Alexey told us about his thought process, the challenges he faced
and how he found creative solutions for each project.

Sometimes these solutions were surprisingly simple.
Scotch tape could be used to bind a book that was too large
for traditional stitching. A lack of material could become
a reason to experiment with combining different materials.

What fascinated me most was how many of his most
creative design solutions came from limitations rather
than ideal circumstances.

As a second-year graphic design student, I was also amazed by
just how deeply one could explore a single project. Alexey could
talk about one book for two hours, revealing layer after layer of
decisions and considerations that I would never have noticed
just by looking at the finished product.

It was an eye-opening experience that changed the way
I thought about publication design and made me realise just
how much more there was to explore. This was the semester
when I designed “The Kardashev Scale” that later became
a Finalist in Latvian Design Award. Thank you, Alexey!

Visiting Alexey Murashko’s Kitchen

Riga, Latvia

2024