# Yordan Stoyanov — Digital Creative Director & Designer

> Freelance designer and digital creative director based in Sofia, Bulgaria. 10+ years helping growing companies in the EU and US turn strategy into high-performing brands, websites, and digital products.

## Bio

I work with founders and teams who've outgrown scattered design decisions and need structure, direction, and consistency across brand, web, and product. My role is simple: turn ambiguous goals into clear, scalable digital experiences that actually support growth.

I approach design as a strategic business tool, always grounding creative decisions in clear objectives, market positioning, and long-term vision. I work solo under my own name. For projects that need development or motion beyond my scope, I bring in trusted collaborators I've worked with before. The client always has one point of contact, which is me.

## Services

### Strategy
- Brand strategy — positioning, messaging, and identity foundations
- Digital strategy — how brand, product, and web connect into a coherent system
- Web strategy — structure, content hierarchy, and conversion logic

### Design
- Web design — marketing sites, product pages, landing pages
- UX/UI design — interfaces for digital products and platforms
- Brand identity design — logos, visual systems, brand guidelines
- Digital product design — end-to-end product thinking and interface design
- Creative direction — overseeing visual output across a project or team

### Development
- Frontend prototyping — high-fidelity interactive prototypes for validation

## Process

Strategy first, then design. Every project starts by understanding what the company is trying to do, who it's for, and where the current work is falling short. Design follows from that, not the other way around. Each phase ends in a working artifact — a brief, a prototype, or a shipped site — not a slide deck.

## Typical Engagement

Most projects fall between 4 and 8 weeks. Smaller scope like a landing page or an interface refresh sits at the shorter end. A full brand and website together sits at the longer end. Engagements are scoped per project, not per hour.

## Selected Work

### Payhawk Corporate Card
- Sector: Fintech, B2B SaaS
- Services: 3D Design, Motion Design
- Case study: https://stoyanov.works/work/payhawk-corporate-card
- Payhawk is Bulgaria's first unicorn — a fintech building corporate cards and spend management for European companies. I worked on the 3D direction and motion for the launch of their corporate card, exploring how the product reads across surfaces, lighting, and contexts.

### NV Engineering
- Sector: Construction, Engineering
- Services: Brand Identity, Web Design, 3D Design
- Live: https://nv-engineering.eu/
- Case study: https://stoyanov.works/work/nv-engineering
- Visual identity for a company specializing in plumbing, heating, ventilation, and metal constructions. The logo integrates the letters "N" and "V" to form a symbol that simultaneously represents a plumbing pipe, a ventilation shaft, and a construction element. Includes custom 3D mockups for helmets, laptops, business cards, and letterheads.

### Y&B Digital
- Sector: Web Design & Dev Studio
- Services: Art Direction & 3D Design
- Live: https://www.yandb.digital/
- Case study: https://stoyanov.works/work/yb-digital
- Artistic direction and abstract 3D designs to elevate Y&B Digital's brand identity. The challenge was to balance clean minimalistic aesthetics with the technical sophistication that Y&B Digital embodies as a no-code development studio.

### 200% Studio
- Services: Web Design & Strategy
- Live: https://200pct.com/
- Web design and strategy for a production studio.

### RAKAMAKAFON
- Services: Website Design
- Live: https://rakamakafon.eu/
- Website design for Bulgaria's only vinyl pressing plant.

### Marka Collective
- Services: Website Design
- Live: https://www.markacollective.com/
- New website for one of Bulgaria's leading branding studios.

### Other Projects
- proof. — Website design for Bulgaria's leading ad agency (https://proof.bg/)
- Green Life — Web design for a real estate investing company (https://greenlife.bg/)
- Autonomy Capital — 3D & Motion Design for a macro investment company (https://autonomycapital.com/)
- Damvent — Web design for an engineering company (https://damvent.com/)
- Yonick Studio — Web design and Framer development for a 3D Design Studio (https://yonick.studio/)

## Clients

200%, 3ozbar, AROMA, Autonomy Capital, ClimaCom, Damvent, Daye, DBank, Diamant, DJOVAL, DSK Bank, eDesign, effie, Electrohold, EXE, Frank, Funtopia, Glorier, Green Life, Guts and Brains DDB, Head Hunters, IAB Bulgaria, Marka Collective, Payhawk, Posoka.com, Proof., RAKAMAKAFON, Realto Group, SK-II, SkinCeuticals, TitanGate Equity, Vivid Labs, Y&B.

## Awards & Recognition

- Awwwards — Honorable Mention (https://www.awwwards.com/sites/200)
- CSS Design Awards — UI Design, UX Design, Innovation Awards Special Kudos (https://www.cssdesignawards.com/sites/200/47007/)
- Bulgarian Web Awards — Website of the Year, Startup or Small Business
- Stash Media — Feature article (https://www.stashmedia.tv/yonick-studio-just-called-on-the-nothing-phone-3a-pro/)
- Motionographer — Feature article (https://motionographer.com/quickie/yonick-studio-nothing-phone-3a-pro-product-launch-concept/)
- Behance — Featured in 3D Motion Design category
- Motion Design Awards — Video of the Day (https://www.motiondesignawards.com/project/2142/nothing-3a-pro-x-yonick-studio-4k-1)

## Experience & Achievements

- Lead Trainer at Telerik Academy — UX/UI Design Education Program
- Guest Lecturer at New Bulgarian University — Sofia, Bulgaria
- Guest Lecturer at KOD: Motion — 2022
- Design Judge at a student design competition — "I can here and now"
- Participated in "TAAP: Organism"
- Participated in a Start Up Pre-Accelerator Program — Start It Smart
- Featured in: Codrops, Webzibition, Supahero.io, Muuuuu, Muzli, Behance, Motionographer

## Articles

- MCPs Explained for Designers (2026-05-05) — What MCPs are, why they matter for designers, and how I'm using them in my own workflow. https://stoyanov.works/articles/mcps-explained-for-designers
- Design Studio or an Independent Designer? How to choose and why. (2026-02-24) — https://yordan-stoyanov.medium.com/independent-design-partner-or-design-studio-how-growing-businesses-can-choose-with-more-clarity-71696da3d420
- Designing With Machines — What AI Tools I Use and Why (2026-02-24) — https://yordan-stoyanov.medium.com/design-ai-tools-what-i-use-and-why-1c103d9413fc
- We've created a national platform for Design Agencies in Bulgaria (2026-02-24) — https://yordan-stoyanov.medium.com/why-we-created-a-national-platform-for-design-agencies-in-bulgaria-fe5ebabe3c02
- Cinema 4D Tutorials — 25 YouTube Channels I've found so far (2026-02-24) — https://yordan-stoyanov.medium.com/youtube-channels-with-cinema-4d-tutorials-extensive-list-8d58d2c41c38

## Frequently Asked Questions

### What does Yordan Stoyanov do?
Yordan Stoyanov is a freelance designer and digital creative director based in Sofia, Bulgaria. He works with growing companies in the EU and US on web design, UX/UI, brand identity, and the digital strategy behind them.

### What kinds of companies do you work with?
Mostly growing companies that are post-product, post-traction, and looking to level up their brand and digital presence. Industries vary, but the common thread is companies where design quality starts to matter for trust, conversion, or hiring.

### What's a typical engagement?
Most projects fall between 4 and 8 weeks. Smaller scope like a landing page or an interface refresh sits at the shorter end. A full brand and website together sits at the longer end. Engagements are scoped per project, not per hour.

### Do you work alone or with a team?
I work solo under my own name. For projects that need development or motion beyond my scope, I bring in trusted collaborators I've worked with before. The client always has one point of contact, which is me.

### Where are you based and how do you work?
Sofia, Bulgaria. EET timezone, comfortably overlapping with both EU and US East Coast schedules. All work is remote and async by default, with scheduled calls when needed. I work in English and Bulgarian.

### What's your design process?
Strategy first, then design. Every project starts by understanding what the company is trying to do, who it's for, and where the current work is falling short. Design follows from that, not the other way around. Each phase ends in a working artifact like a brief, a prototype, or a shipped site, not a slide deck.

### Do you do branding and websites separately, or together?
Both. Brand and website are most powerful when designed together because they reinforce the same story. But if you only need one, that's fine too. Many clients come in with an existing brand and need the website to catch up, or vice versa.

### How do I get in touch?
Email yordan@stoyanov.works with a brief about your project, your team, or what you're trying to figure out. I'll reply within 1-2 business days with whether I'm a fit and what next steps would look like.

## Tools & Experiments

- Interactive Gallery — Horizontal poster slider with a WebGL gradient background that samples color from each piece (https://stoyanov.works/lab/interactive-gallery)
- Rate Calculator — Quick project quote estimator with hourly rate, hours, and discount sliders
- Brand Assets Generator — Visual generator that maps brand imagery onto circular layouts and exports composed assets (https://brand-generator.stoyanov.works)
- Bulgarian Design Agencies — Directory of Bulgarian design agencies, searchable by city and category (https://bda.stoyanov.works)

## Pages

- [Home](https://stoyanov.works/): Overview of services and selected work
- [Work](https://stoyanov.works/work): Selected case studies and project list
- [Lab](https://stoyanov.works/lab): Tools and experiments — interactive web pieces and side projects
- [About](https://stoyanov.works/about): Background, services, process, awards, and how I work
- [Contact](https://stoyanov.works/contact): Get in touch

## Contact

- Email: yordan@stoyanov.works
- Location: Sofia, Bulgaria
- Languages: English, Bulgarian
- Working with clients across: Europe, United States
- Entity: YONICK STUDIO LTD (invoicing and contracts)

## Profiles

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/y-stoyanov/
- Medium: https://yordan-stoyanov.medium.com/
- Behance: https://www.behance.net/yordan-stoyanov
- Framer: https://www.framer.com/@yordan-stoyanov/