Igor Makhotin
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Igor Makhotin
By late 2020, I became the sole designer for 10+ company products after my colleague's departure. I was handling everything from print materials to interfaces but couldn't cope with the workload. The design backlog stretched months ahead, forcing business stakeholders to hire freelancers, which diluted our already weak brand.
Scaling the Design Team
Challenge
I knew radical changes were needed. Continuing meant inevitable burnout and growing business dissatisfaction. Key issues:
  • Physical inability to service growing product portfolio
  • Lack of specialization (impossible to excel in all design areas)
  • Brand control loss due to freelancer involvement
  • Risk of losing initiative to others
The biggest challenge: I had never managed a team before. I needed to scale while learning leadership on the go.
Solution
I started with a design audit and prepared a presentation for top management. My plan split design into two directions:
  • Product design — three specialists for three product teams
  • Graphic design — two specialists for marketing and operations
Understanding company salary constraints, I made an unconventional decision: searching for talent in regional design studios. Benefits:
  • Lower salary expectations while maintaining expertise
  • Rich multi-client experience and market sense
I successfully hired three product designers from one studio who already worked together.
The crucial moment was our first team meeting. I was completely honest about my lack of management experience and acknowledged they were all better designers than me. I explained my vision: "My job isn't to be the best designer, but to create conditions for you to be the best." This radical openness built team trust.
Results
The transformation exceeded expectations:
  • Time-to-market accelerated tenfold
  • Company products doubled
  • In 2024, CEO named us the benchmark for customer orientation
  • All product teams expressed gratitude to designers in year-end reviews
Bonus
Now I rarely interact with business directly - the team handles it. Yet I often hear we have the most open, friendly, and effective team in the company. I learned: you don't need to be visible to be noticed. What matters is that people notice my designers - they're the ones who made this possible. Their effectiveness is my responsibility.
Key Lesson
Team scaling success depended on honesty and trust, not processes or structures. Acknowledging limitations and willingness to learn together created true partnership. I'm proud to have surrounded myself with remarkable people and strong specialists. Communication and empathy remain key to success in any situation.