Profile
Non-Objective is an international studio ¹ developing conceptual and visual languages — from brand vision and strategy to identities and design systems, websites and publications, texts and photography, objects and installations, art and curatorial projects. The studio exists as an evolving dialogue, not a static entity.
Founded in 2020 by Artem Matyushkin, with Katya Sikacheva as partner and co-creative director since 2025, the studio’s practice sits across creative direction, design, and communication — while extending its practice beyond design consultancy into research, art, education, and media, operating both digitally and physically. The primary criterion for any project ² is alignment: ethical, aesthetic, intellectual. Design, here, is not a service, but a conversation.
The studio does not define itself by a singular field — it operates across cultural, educational, social, and media contexts, in both commissioned and self-initiated work.
Contact
For new projects, collaborations, or any inquiry, reach out at or via our social channels @nonobjectiveworks.
Ideology
The foundation of Non-Objective is an ideology that has taken shape over years of practice. Five things guide how we work: cultural impact ¹, research ², co-authorship ³, experimentation ³, and respect for expertise ³.
Our practice is positioned to contribute to contemporary culture. Each commission is considered through the lens of impact — on individuals, institutions, and environments. Design has the ability to alter perception, whether at a systemic level or through micro-interventions in everyday life.
Alongside commercial work, we initiate independent projects in art, education, media, publishing, object design, and photography — spaces for critical inquiry, where design works as a tool for constructing meaning. These projects allow us to explore the modalities of design.
Our methodology challenges assumptions. Research destabilizes the expected. Co-authorship reshapes authorship. Experimentation defines the process. We reject design as a picture-first practice, prioritizing ideas, words, and systems of meaning — and we reject design as a service: our work is therefore project-focused, not client-focused.
Approach
From the beginning, we rejected the notion of a signature visual style. Instead, we cultivated a signature approach ¹, where conceptual language leads, and visual language follows as its method of articulation.
This approach is shaped by six principles: non-objectivity, structure, irrationality, irony, tongue-in-cheekness, and metaphor. We seek new optics — reframing defaults, articulating the obvious through the unexpected, revealing what is seen but not yet noticed.
Expertise
We develop conceptual ¹ and visual ² languages — and focus on their implementation ³, from strategy to production.
Conceptual languages include ideation and concept development, brand vision, strategy and consulting, creative direction, positioning, tone of voice, communication strategy, curation, and architecture.
Visual languages encompass visual identity, design systems, typography, visual strategy, art direction, interior design, and photo and video direction.
These languages materialize through graphic design, digital design, spatial design, editorial design, cover design, objects and apparel, industrial and product design, (accidental) naming, writing, and artworks.
Geography
Non-Objective exists beyond geography. Based across Paris, Seoul, Tbilisi, Vienna, and elsewhere, we function as an international practice ¹. For us, location works as a shifting context, not a fixed one, and physicality remains central to how we work. We take every opportunity to bring ideas into physical spaces — through exhibitions, pop-up projects, book launches, lectures, workshops — encountering new places and expanding our research through direct experience.
The studio operates across time as well as space — GMT +2, +3, +4, +8, and +9.
Extensions
The studio practice has multiple extensions ¹ — they function as lenses: ways of observing, processing, and engaging with the world beyond commissioned work.
Apropos Editions is an object-focused extension of Non-Objective — Non-Objective objectified. Initially founded as a publishing imprint, it now encompasses furniture, books, clothing, and other physical artifacts.
On:site is an online gallery launched by Non-Objective to develop exhibition, artistic, and curatorial projects in digital space — without the constraints that usually come with finding and preparing a physical venue. Accessible around the clock, each project nonetheless follows the same principle as any exhibition: contrary to the internet’s default logic, it runs for a fixed period, and disappears.
Fine Graphics Dept is a studio and experimental workshop dedicated to abstract illustration and small-format artworks, collaborating with illustrators and contemporary artists to explore forms that extend beyond traditional commercial illustration.
Praxis(abc) was an experimental brand and garment-focused research project by Artem Matyushkin and Katya Sikacheva, exploring repetition within the contemporary wardrobe. The project is currently dormant.
35KG was a curated, traveling library of over 650 books — selected for their conceptual, aesthetic, and intellectual significance, spanning art, architecture, fashion, photography, design, and broader cultural discourse. The project is currently dormant and will return in an expanded form under a new name in 2026–2027.
Team
People and their ideas are at the heart of the studio. With a core team ¹ of ten, our structure ² is fluid and project-oriented. We operate through an extended network of designers, artists, illustrators, photographers, writers, and strategists — each bringing distinct perspectives and expertise.
(N-O) Artem Matyushkin, Katya Sikacheva, Liza Tyutyaeva, Vanya Koltsov, Lena Gavrilenko, Vlada Oleynik, Nastiia Kim, Narek Vatinyan, Leyla Komarova, Dan Tulchinskiy, Artyom Kharinov
There are no current openings ³. Any new opportunities will be shared through our social channels.
Please note we’re unable to respond to unsolicited applications.
Community
Beyond the core team, Non-Objective thrives within a growing network ¹ of collaborators and friends. This extended community brings a range of voices and practices, shaping the studio’s work and thinking across time and projects. We’re grateful for every voice in this ongoing conversation.
(A) Fedor Abroskin, Afterimage, Katya Aleschenko, Sonya Anikina, (B) Polina Belikova, Roman Belyakov, Polina Bezrukova, Karim Bolgari, Nastya Bolotnikova, (C) Anya Chil-Akopova, Alexandra Chulkova, Dasha Chukhrova, (D) Mihail Derichenko, Seryozha Dmitriev, (E) Ephemera Printinghouse, Kirill Ermoshin, (F) Katya Fefilova, Daria Fomina, FORMA, (G) Vitaly Gachkovsky, Anna Gord, Anatoly Grashchenko, Anna Grishina, Dima Gurin, (H) Holystick, (K) Nastya Kashina, Galina Kazimi, Nastiia Kim, Ira Kolomina, Yulia Kondratieva, Koordinata, Maria Krasina, Nika Kraynova, Gleb Kulikov, Dasha Kuryatnikova, Dasha Kuznetsova, (L) Tim Lebedev, Daria Levashova, Matvei Losev, Luch Design Studio, (M) Andrius Macikas, Romina Malta, Marcello Maranzan, Vera Mishurina, Arsen Mollakaev, (N) Lev Nikolaev, (O) Varvara Orlova, Alexey Ositnyanko, OWN Architects, (P) Carlota Pastor, PAWS COMMS, Alina Peshnyaeva, Nadya Petrova, Polite Company Press, Katiia Prim-Borodina, Post Poetics, Sasha Posox, (R) Nikolay Radchenko, Random Projects Studio, Readymag, (S) Maria Sarzhan, Boris Satin, Julia Seleznyova, Daniil Shabak, Anton Silenin, Small Small Space, Anastasia Sorokoumova, Sasha Smirnov, Vova Spakis, (T) Asya Terekhova, Vlad Trufanov, Olia Tsupko, Anna Tsybina, (V) Ildar Valiullin, (W) Werkstatt School, (Y) Anna Yemets, (Z) Sasha Zavisha
Teaching and Talks
Alongside studio work, the team at Non-Objective teaches ¹, lectures, and leads workshops ².
Teaching at HSE Art & Design School, the British Higher School of Art and Design, Werkstatt School, and Bang Bang Education — and often joining as visiting lecturers at institutions worldwide.
Giving talks and leading workshops in educational and cultural settings, using each format as a way to share methods, exchange perspectives, and open the studio’s process to others.
Lectures
Beyond the usual studio talks about our work and projects, we sometimes give standalone lectures on subjects we care about — the state of contemporary design, how ideas come together, and narrower preoccupations: specific niches in publishing, copying in design, the overlap between design disciplines, etc. A few of them:
On a Non-Objective Future, TDFF 2026: The Future of Design. Artem Matyushkin on the future — and the future of design — we’re working toward as a studio.
The Inner Atlas of Non-Objective, HSE Art & Design School. Artem Matyushkin and Katya Sikacheva on the words, names and titles that have shaped the studio’s practice, approach and ideology.
Non-Objective Identities, British Higher School of Art and Design. A recurring lecture where we set out the studio’s approach in deliberately compressed form — through ten projects, give or take.
Why Ideas Don’t Always Need to Be Unique, Werkstatt. Katya Sikacheva on copying as a conscious, persuasive tool — where the line falls between plagiarism, homage, quotation, reference and appropriation, and whether, in an age of reproduction, uniqueness is an end worth pursuing.
On Chance in the Studio’s Approach, Koordinata. Katya Sikacheva on the part chance plays in design and in the studio’s practice, drawn out through our own project Outcomes Studies.
A Dialogue on Design: Is It Easy to Be Young?, BBE. Artem Matyushkin and Roman Belyakov on their own design youth — the difficulties of the early years, and how to meet them.
On Unconventional Publications, Podpisnie. A designer’s look at extraordinary books — often barely recognisable as books — for a team of book experts.
On Fashion Brands’ Books and the Approaches Behind Them, Koordinata. Artem Matyushkin on how fashion brands make books, and why — through the most remarkable examples.
Creative Triggers: How to Invent Without Inspiration, Werkstatt. Katya Sikacheva on how invention works inside the studio, demystifying the process and working with creative triggers.
On Favourite Books, Koordinata. Artem Matyushkin on the books that struck and inspired him most, and their design.
Identity Design in the Cultural Sector, HSE Art & Design School. On our approach to cultural projects and on finding the balance between statement and function.
Exhibitions
Non-Objective takes part in exhibitions, organises its own, and curates shows across disciplines. These include contemporary art projects, exhibitions of graphic and book design, as well as other design-related formats — from industrial and fashion design to spatial and research-based presentations:
Upcoming exhibitionSpring 2027TBA (Shanghai)
Upcoming exhibitionWinter 2026TBA (Tokyo)
Time and Design: Temporality as an InstrumentAugust 7, 2026 – October 25, 2026Koordinata (St. Petersburg)
Tokyo TDC ExhibitionApril 4 – May 17, 2025Ginza Graphic Gallery (Tokyo)
Non-Objective Times: Clockwise and OtherwiseMarch 13–17, 2025Pop by Post Poetics (Seoul)
TDC 70 Traveling ExhibitionsJanuary – December, 2024Various cities in the USA, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, Poland, South Korea, Spain, and Taiwan
Outcomes StudiesSeptember 24–30, 2024Small Small Space (Milan)
Oripeau, 2024, Oripeau (Montréal)
Form and Content: Design Books’ DesignJune 15 – September 29, 2024Koordinata (St. Petersburg)
Fulcrum: The Chairs of Here and NowDecember 15, 2022 – February 15, 2023Koordinata (St. Petersburg)
Space Embraces You, 2022, obdn (Moscow)
Oripeau, 2020, Oripeau (Nantes)
Recognition
We approach competition within the industry with a degree of skepticism — but we’re grateful that some of our work has been recognised by institutions we trust and are proud to be acknowledged by:
Tokyo TDC, Prize Nominee Work, 2025
Readymag Studio of the Year, 2024
Readymag Websites of the Year, 3rd place, 2024
TDC 70, TDC Certificate of Typographic Excellence, 2024
Readymag Websites of the Year, 2nd place, 2022
Colophon
Non-Objective is registered with Georgia’s National Agency of Public Registry. The studio operates from Tbilisi. www.non-objective.works ¹
Designed by Non-Objective, developed ² by Lev Nikolaev. Main page artwork by Nastiia Kim. Type set in ABC Diatype by Dinamo. Team portrait by Ira Kolomina. Project photography by Vera Mishurina, Katya Sikacheva, Varvara Toplennikova, Daria Fomina, Marcello Maranzan, Varvara Orlova, and Lena Gavrilenko.
Website was first launched on May 15, 2023. The current version, released in July 2026, is the fourth iteration of the site.