Milvydas Mazonas, Director of Creative Studio at Omnisend: “There are too many identical, faceless brands, and we help make them stand out”

Not only is Milvydas Mazonas the Director of the Creative Studio at Omnisend, he’s also a great person to interview. We can guarantee you’ll leave this page with superb insights, whether you work in design or a different field entirely!

We cover a lot of ground – his thoughts on the role that technology plays in the modern creative process are fascinating – and feel that choosing one topic over others in this intro is like choosing a favourite child. But here goes.

“Right now, AI image generators aren’t great – they’re better suited for abstract visuals and small tasks,” Milvydas said when we asked for his thoughts on current AI art tools. “But I think we’re only six to 12 months away from a major breakthrough in AI design solutions.”

He added: “Take a simple task like needing a profile image for a website visual. For a real person, you’d need a lot of permissions and paperwork. But with AI tools, you can handle this in minutes, creating not just one but an entire library of personas that perfectly match your brand’s style.”

Lastly, a quick word on Omnisend, which was named one of Europe’s top 500 fastest-growing companies by the Financial Times. It started as an email marketing platform ten years ago, but now describes itself as an omnichannel marketing automation platform. Its aim: to help ecommerce marketers build lasting relationships with their customers.

Huge thanks to Milvydas for taking the time to answer our questions with such depth and thought – we hope you enjoy discovering what he has to say.

What trends in graphic design are you most excited about right now, and where do you see the industry heading?

Design matters. I feel like the market now understands where time and effort are necessary, and where they’re not. There’s no point in spending a lot of time on something that’s going to sit on the bottom shelf – no one will see it, so why waste a designer’s time and skill? Keep it simple. Businesses are putting huge effort into creating great user experiences and visual memorability, which is leading to bolder, more intuitive and more striking designs. Designers love working on bold projects.

There are too many identical, faceless brands, and we help make them stand out by creating visual stories – we love this challenge, helping companies differentiate themselves by crafting a distinct visual identity. A good example is the visual rebranding of government companies and services. Every year, these designs improve, and even super-conservative businesses are starting to embrace bold designs more and more.

In simple terms, the industry is leaning towards a “less is more” approach. Keep it simple where simplicity enhances readability, and go bold where standing out is necessary. There’s a return to the classic Bauhaus movement, where design is pared down to essentials – simple, functional and free of excess.

Over the course of your career, what is one technological shift you’ve witnessed in graphic design that really stuck with you?

First, the transition from digital to print has been transformative. Monitors have advanced to the point where we can see almost 100% accurate colours that will appear on the final print. This colour accuracy saves countless hours of back-and-forth adjustments, allowing us to produce work with confidence that what we see on screen is a near-perfect representation of the final product.

Another big thing, as mentioned beforehand, is the move towards the development of tailored tools. Software companies are really listening to designers, updating their products regularly, and creating features to meet specific needs. This customisation in design software lets us focus on creative work instead of navigating technical hurdles, making the entire design process much smoother and enjoyable.

Then there’s the importance of foundational skills, what I like to call “Design 101″. Most of my team members received the same task when they applied to an open position in my team: creating a PDF one-pager with more content than can comfortably fit on two pages. What this does is test each designer’s ability to manage space and showcase design basics. All good designers have strong layout and alignment skills. As always, the devil is in the details, and while tech and AI are altering the design profession, foundational skills remain essential. Power without control is nothing.

Recommended interview: Živilė Nečejauskaitė, Director of Marketing and Communication at NRD Cyber Security: “Generating quality design items has become easier and quicker”

When thinking of your creative process, at what point does technology come in? What role does it play in different stages, from concept to final design?

Design solves problems. Often, people tend to overthink or exaggerate issues that could be fixed quickly with the right tech. Every design task happens in stages: Brief (problem), Creative (solution), Production (execution) and Scaling. In the past, tech solutions only came in at the Production stage, mainly for executing the ideas, but now technology is integrated from the very start, even in the Brief. AI and other specific tools can streamline the briefing process, making it easier to identify and clarify problems upfront.

Designers constantly learn and adapt, and part of that learning process is keeping up with new tools. The market is full of solutions tailored to specific problems, allowing designers to tackle unique problems with efficiency. Now, nearly everything can be automated and executed in the background, freeing up designers to focus on high-impact work while their tools handle repetitive tasks on autopilot. This gives us the gift of speed – something every creative process can benefit from.

Tools like Figma feel as if they were made by designers, for designers. It’s super intuitive, and collaborative, and keeps pace with the fast-moving demands of modern design. Notion, too, goes beyond just a note-taking app, with its AI capabilities, it’s transformed into a powerful organisational tool that helps streamline ideas and tasks that much faster.

How has technology changed the way you collaborate at work? And in your view, has it improved or worsened navigating creative differences with clients or team members?

In my view, collaboration is one of the areas where technology has had the most transformative impact. Tools like Miro, Figma and Asana allow real-time collaboration and customisation, speeding up project timelines in ways that weren’t possible before. For instance, with Miro, visual brainstorming can be done with teams spread across locations, and it’s just as effective, if not more, than gathering around a physical whiteboard.

Figma, on the other hand, enables designers and stakeholders to work in the same space, allowing comments and feedback directly on the designs. This creates a structured feedback process that’s immediate and clear. Instead of dealing with email threads or waiting for scheduled meetings, we can instantly respond to comments, make adjustments and even invite clients to see progress as it happens.

Once again, speed is key. These tools help bridge the gap between creative and non-creative stakeholders, as they’re intuitive on all levels. In general, I think this has not only sped up production but also made navigating creative differences easier, as everyone has a shared view of progress and goals.

With the rise of AI and automation in design, how do you see the role of a graphic designer evolving in the next few years?

Right now, AI image generators aren’t great – they’re better suited for abstract visuals and small tasks. But I think we’re only six to 12 months away from a major breakthrough in AI design solutions. Take a simple task like needing a profile image for a website visual. For a real person, you’d need a lot of permissions and paperwork. But with AI tools, you can handle this in minutes, creating not just one but an entire library of personas that perfectly match your brand’s style – since you can use the image itself as a reference. Again – speed.

Currently, AI is mostly used for small tasks or by non-designers. For non-designers, what’s available in the AI market right now is mind-blowing, though there’s often little attention given to the quality of prompts. There’s definitely a need to learn how to write them better.

In our case, AI visual generators are helpful, but they only cover a small part of what we need. We’re testing many AI image generators just to stay on top of things, so we’re ready to adapt quickly as the technology evolves. Adobe Firefly fits our needs well, as it allows image-based prompting – a feature that’s very appealing for brands. You simply upload an image reflecting your unique style, add a text prompt, and the result is an image in your brand’s colours and style. Once again, what this gives us is speed and efficiency.

Recommended reading: Midjourney website now lets you generate images without Discord

What advice would you give to aspiring graphic designers looking to break into the industry today?

Graphic design isn’t just a skill – it’s a passion, even a lifestyle. The key elements for any aspiring designer are speed and adaptability. Designers need to be constantly learning and growing, as the landscape and tools are always evolving. So mastering new skills, and staying current on trends should be part of your daily practice.

Beyond simply learning, it’s crucial to find a problem-solving methodology that works best for your style. Each designer has a unique approach, and discovering your method will make tackling challenges more structured and productive. A well-mastered process saves valuable time, which then frees up space for creativity and exploration – both of which are at the core of what makes design exciting.

Staying aware of the latest tools, especially with the rapid development in AI, will also set you apart. Embrace these changes, as they can help you work smarter and focus on what matters most.

Finally, attitude is essential, and a positive mindset can take you far. I recommend reading Fish: A Proven Way to Boost Morale and Improve Results – it’s a great reminder of the power of attitude and how it affects your work and relationships in the industry.

How do you stay updated on the latest design technologies and software advancements, and how do you decide when to integrate new tools into your workflow?

Every week, I have an event called “Design Research” blocked off on my calendar. During this session, I go through subscribed emails, design newsletters, articles and industry stories to get a broad view of what’s happening in the design world. Sometimes, I’ll focus on a specific topic, like web design, where I research award-winning websites or catching up on what’s new in the field.

When it comes to integrating new tools into our workflow, the approach is slightly different. My team and I test a variety of tools regularly, but I believe that new tools should address a clear need. There usually has to be a specific reason for adopting a new solution, such as when I notice a designer spending too much time on production tasks. If a process is slowing down productivity, that’s our cue to search for tech solutions that can optimize or even automate those aspects, letting designers focus on more creative work.

Before fully integrating a tool, we go through a testing phase, evaluating how well it fits our workflow and if it genuinely saves time or enhances the design quality. If the tool passes these tests, we incorporate it into our process.