Polina Tien, or Polina Shemrakova, is a graphic designer and illustrator, passionate about analog media, traditional art, and storytelling ★
She majored in photojournalism and graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Moscow State University, spending several years as a photo editor at a major newspaper. After that, she went back to her art and design roots, using her experience in high-paced environments to juggle several freelance and personal projects.
More than a decade of experience in the visual communication field has allowed her to develop a wide and highly adaptable skillset. She often works with social media design, digital advertising, and motion design, but has a soft spot for physical assets, such as merchandise, packaging, and prints. Her interests include horror movies, gothic rock music, Fauvist painters, secondhand fashion, and weird fruit labels.
She’s half-Russian and half-Vietnamese. Originally from Moscow, she moved out of Russia in 2022 and traveled around for a while. She currently resides in Serbia.
She’s strongly against the war and is pro-Ukraine.
CV
Work Experience
Graphic and Motion Designer
Freeda Media
2022–2025 ★ Full-time ★ London, UK & Milan, Italy
Was the primary graphic designer at the London division of a big international agency, taking on creative tasks across the board
Created advertising and social media assets for an array of big-name brands – mostly Lavazza, but also Wimbledon, Roland-Garros, Arsenal F.C., Disney, etc.
Provided remote assistance in the agency’s shoots and event coverages for the creative team
Graphic and Motion Designer
Fretello
2022 ★ Full-time ★ Vienna, Austria
Created visual assets for the fast-growing SaaS company, promoting a consistent brand identity via social media, marketing campaigns, emails, etc.
Was the main graphic designer in the company’s collaborations with Yamaha and Thomann
Assisted in updating the brand book and implementing new guidelines
Graphic and Motion Designer
Ansaligy
2021–2022 ★ Freelance ★ Moscow, Russia
Designed social media and website imagery for the big skincare brand
Collaborated with the company’s strategists on bringing more traffic to the website using various promo codes and offers in graphic assets
Assisted in creating visuals and editing for the brand’s marketing campaigns
Graphic and Motion Designer
Creative Agency EFIR
2021 ★ Full-time ★ Moscow, Russia
Worked on digital out-of-home marketing campaigns for the agency’s diverse client base, including prominent local brands, event spaces, and restaurants
Designed diverse assets for social media, utilizing both static and motion design, to support the clients’ online presence
Created print materials, such as flyers, posters, and billboard ads, closely working with prepress technologies
Graphic Designer
Phoenix Consulting Group
2019–2021 ★ Freelance ★ Moscow, Russia
Provided regular on-demand design support for the developing consulting company
Designed visuals primarily for B2B clients, including presentations, social media, rollouts, and other digital and physical assets
Worked on newsletters, creating imagery and implementing basic code to support the designs
Photo Editor
Kommersant Publishing House
2018–2021 ★ Full-time ★ Moscow, Russia
Worked on creating visuals for the photo agency and articles in one of the biggest Russian newspapers (the circulation rate is about 90,000 copies monthly)
Spearheaded a team of 10 photographers, planning their everyday tasks and monitoring possible emergencies
Selected and edited images for the daily newspaper and the photo agency
Education
Bachelor's Degree in Journalism at Lomonosov Moscow State University
2014–2019 ★ Moscow, Russia ★ Major: Photojournalism and Media Technologies
Communication Design Course at HSE Art and Design School
2020–2021 ★ Moscow, Russia
Skills
★ Photoshop
★ Illustrator
★ After Effects
★ Premiere Pro
★ InDesign
Adobe Software
★ Graphic design
★ Illustration
★ Motion design
★ Merchandise
★ Packaging
★ Social media
★ Branding
★ Advertising
★ Publication design
★ Figma
Design Services
Languages
★ Russian (native)
★ English (C2)
★ Italian (B1)
★ Vietnamese (A2)