Darya Naidenov is a senior digital designer at T-Mobile where she helps advance the creative envelope through social, web and digital brand experience. Previously he worked with various start-ups and SS organizations to create and execute design strategies to advance the brand identity of each individual company. Darya holds a master's degree in digital technology and culture from Washington State University. He enjoys exploring the intersection of industry and technology, where the creative conceptual concept develops into compelling digital solutions.

Deck 7: Can you tell us a bit about your career journey? What inspired you to follow your current role in T-Mobile?
Darya Nydenov: I have always been interested in human psychology, especially in understanding the social and cultural implications of our personal decisions and vice versa. This fascination with my passion for art made an impact, leading me to design. This space allows me to collaborate in various other fields to create clear and beautiful communication. I began my journey in the more conventional areas of design, including customer design, printing and advertising. Many of my jobs were non-profit and involved in educational marketing. I enjoy where people meet them and create relevant and sophisticated messages for them. My skillset eventually led me to work with startups, SS and technology companies where design thinking takes on a whole new medium. I have moved into the web, social and application design space.

Now more than ever, empathy and understanding towards human communication became more effective. When I first moved to Seattle, I was confronted with a growing digital creative team on T-Mobile. It’s not a big team, but it had strength. The “no-bullshit, put your ego aside and let’s become something beautiful” was the attitude I was attracted to. With the introduction of 5G, it is an exciting time to be with T-Mobile to educate and inspire people about our connected future.


D7: How do you organize your mobile team and what design method do you follow?
DN: Our team is made up of writers and designers, working together as partners. There are levels of leadership and seniority as in other departments. Zoom in and you'll see the skill and enormity of skills of each individual contributor. In the title “Digital Designer” you will find coders, painters, product photographers, dreamers, strategists and much more. We combine our skills and collaborate to create experiences that not only meet business needs and customer expectations, but also advance the cultural envelope of design. And it's pretty awful fun!
D :: What qualities of organization, team, team member, culture, etc. that make you feel empowered?
DN: As well as making the T-Mobile customer crazy, it is also committed to the staff and it falls into all categories and aspects. While the culture of our digital creative studio is to get the shit done, there is usually enough space and creativity. People around me are not afraid to question the authorities and there is no such thing as stupid questions. To make this happen, we all have to be human. This creates a sympathetic space for mistakes to be made, which is essential for growth and fights corporate stagnation.

"The most powerful tool today with the human voice, all its flaws, melody and beauty D" D7: Why can digital design be such an attractive area right now? What advances have you noticed about diversity in the world of design?
DN: Digital design is constantly evolving as a new way of telling stories. Basically these stories are only effective as relevant. The only way people will listen is if the message applies to them. And what could be the way to make the diversity of humanity work without being mirrored in the message and its creators? As we give our humanity, people start paying attention. The human voice, with all its flaws, melodies and beauty is the most powerful tool today. While we are far from perfect, I see a power of empathy that manifests itself in accessible messages, diverse parties, and fair representations.

"Being an expert in your domain gives you the ability to feel confident in your work while respecting the craftsmanship of others who do the same." D7: What are the most difficult challenges for a designer in his career? How have you adapted your skills and knowledge to your challenges?
DN: The world of design is constantly changing. New tools are being created, ideas are being created and cultural trends are being cut. It can quickly become overwhelming for designers to try to stay on top of their field. This is one of the main drivers of Impostor Syndrome. Design has great value for keeping pace with current technologies, but it is important to become a subject matter expert to build a foundation that can be expanded later. Being an expert in your domain gives you the ability to feel confident in your work and respects the craftsmanship of others who are doing the same work. From this point of humility and mutual respect we can begin to share our methods and build from each other. It extends beyond digital design, where multi-branch teams view their work as an open source that Available for learning.
However, allowing people to do just that is ultimately a powerful thing that team members can do for each other. Because what matters in the end is the impact of the message and how it resonates with its audience. There are trends and new technologies to support you, but what is needed is the story being told. It is this focus that can be lost in the corporate world where designers can feel that they are being told how to solve a problem instead of delegating the task to us.

D7: What is your favorite quote?
DN: True inclusion occurs only when we present our pure, imperfect soul to the world, our sense of inclusion can never be greater than our level of self-recognition. - Brain Brown


About T-Mobile

T-Mobile USA provides wireless voice and data services to the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S.-Virgin Islands by the T-Mobile and T-Mobile brands under Metro. On April 1, 2020, T-Mobile USA and Sprint Corporation completed their merger with T-Mobile, now the full owner of Sprint.

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