Art Direction for Cultural Institutions

​​​​​​​"This program is for those who, on one hand, want to engage in design and, on the other, are passionate about art and contemporary culture in all its diverse forms. Visual communications and the branding of cultural institutions often become a testing ground for bold, unconventional, and even provocative design ideas — a space for creative freedom. Saint Petersburg's vibrant cultural scene allows us to incorporate real projects from our clients and partners, including leading museums, theaters, festivals, and art galleries, into the curriculum," says Ksenia Malich, historian, PhD in Art History, and lecturer at the HSE ART AND DESIGN SCHOOL in Saint Petersburg.

About the Program

The program is intended for graduates with a bachelor's degree in design, visual arts, or a similar field. This curriculum emphasizes cultural institutions' dynamic roles at the intersection of academia, public education, media, entertainment, and technology. 

It prepares students for a wide range of environments, from traditional museums to immersive and digital venues, by addressing visual communication and branding challenges. The location in Saint Petersburg, the so-called cultural capital of Russia, with historic institutions such as the Hermitage Museum, Russian Museum, and Manege, provides unequaled access to cultural landmarks.

Students will work on genuine projects and create professional portfolios displaying their creativity and leadership potential under the guidance of renowned Russian designers. The program includes meetings with curators, conservators, museum directors, gallery managers, media representatives, independent experts, and international colleagues.  

Career Opportunities

Graduates will be prepared for the following positions:

Program Structure

Admission Requirements

Admission to the master's program is determined through a competitive selection procedure that involves an interview and a portfolio assessment. Exams are conducted online.

Interview

  • During the interview, applicants have the opportunity to fully demonstrate their level of motivation and interest in studying design, as well as to answer questions from the admissions committee about their personal preferences in art and design.

Portfolio Submission

  • Applicants are required to submit a portfolio of their design projects, as well as any other projects they have been involved in. The portfolio must include visual materials with comprehensive descriptions and possible links to online design portfolios. 

  • Diplomas and certificates from design contests can also be provided. There are no limitations on the amount of works that can be submitted. 

  • Portfolios are uploaded to a digital platform of the HSE Art and Design School.

Program Details

Duration: 2 years (full-time)
Language: English
Location: Saint Petersburg, HSE University

Contacts:

Saint-Petersburg, Kantemirovskaya St., 3A, room 239

Ksenia Malich
Academic supervisor
Ksenia Malich
Anna Prischak
Program coordinator
Anna Prischak

Curators and Instructors

Mitya Kharshak

Mitya Kharshak

Head of the HSE ART AND DESIGN SCHOOL in St. Petersburg, coordinator of regional campuses and the international programs, graphic designer, founder and editor-in-chief of the "Projector" magazine.

Kseniia Malich

Kseniia Malich

PhD, Academic Supervisor of the Master's Program and senior lecturer  at the HSE ART AND DESIGN SCHOOL in St. Petersburg, architectural historian.

Fyodor Abroskin

Fyodor Abroskin

Curator of the "Communication Design" program at the HSE ART AND DESIGN SCHOOL in St. Petersburg, type and graphic designer.

Ivan Kulikov

Ivan Kulikov

Curator of the "Communication Design" program at the HSE ART AND DESIGN SCHOOL in St. Petersburg, founder and creative director of the design group and branding agency "Terminal Design".

Darina Polikarpova

Darina Polikarpova

Instructor of the "History and Theory of Design" course at the HSE ART AND DESIGN SCHOOL in St. Petersburg, film critic, curator of the "Invisible Film Festival".

Evgeny Grigoriev

Evgeny Grigoriev

Curator of the specialization "Typography and Multipage Design" at the HSE ART AND DESIGN SCHOOL in St. Petersburg, book designer.

Ilya Bannikov

Ilya Bannikov

Curator of "Communication Design" program at the HSE ART AND DESIGN SCHOOL in St. Petersburg, artist, designer.

Yuri Shtapakov 

Yuri Shtapakov 

Instructor of the "Art Practice" course at the HSE ART AND DESIGN SCHOOL in St. Petersburg, artist, book illustrator.

International Perspective

This program allows students to gain professional experience by collaborating with cultural institutions in Saint Petersburg, as well as develop transferable skills in visual communication, project management, and cultural branding, making them highly sought-after professionals on a global scale.

Graduates are prepared to develop partnerships and foster organizational cooperation between cultural institutions in Saint-Petersburg and in their home countries, acting as cultural ambassadors who bridge cultural boundaries.

This is an exceptional chance for students to gain practical experience working for major cultural organizations in Saint Petersburg. Graduates will have globally transferable abilities to implement new solutions in any cultural institution across the world.

NEWS

ARIEL KOTZER: AN INTERVIEW ON AI AND ART

Ariel Kotzer is a designer whose career spans Jerusalem, São Paulo, NYC, and Tel Aviv. With a background in visual communication and architecture, he has created award-winning work for agencies like Pentagram and TBWA. Now, he brings his distinct vision to AI art, exploring its possibilities beyond traditional prompting. His work has been featured at Jerusalem Design Week, The AI Film Academy Awards, Artefact AI Film Festival, and Oculus Gallery NYC. While visiting HSE ART AND DESIGN SCHOOL in Saint Petersburg, Ariel Kotzer gave a lecture and joined us for an interview. He shared his insights on AI’s role in art and design, discussing its potential, limitations, and creative impact.

HSE Art and Design School at the ADCR Awards 2024

On October 10, the award ceremony for the winners of the Russian professional competition in the field of creativity, design and advertising ADCR Awards took place. This year, all the prizes in the Graphic Design / Product Design category were taken by our students. In addition, the HSE Art and Design School has once again become the School of the Year, and Leonid Slavin is the tutor of the year!

HSE ART AND DESIGN SCHOOL continues its collaboration with the Liszt Institute Moscow — Hungarian Cultural Centre

We are fortunate to continue our collaboration with the Moscow branch of the Hungarian Cultural Centre. It began in 2022 with a partner competition, which evolved into an exhibition the following year. Now, with the support of the Liszt Institute and PROGRAFIKA art space, we are pleased to host a lecture by Hungarian designer László Nagy.

HSE Art and Design School x Moscow City Tourism Committee: Global Talents in the Russian capital

Two major projects have been launched a result of collaboration between the HSE Art and Design School and the Moscow City Tourism Committee: The International Photo Exhibition for the BRICS Countries “Big Cities in Moscow” and The International Competition of Short Videos about Cities WOWMOSCOW, won by Takha Audyarahma from Indonesia. Her video will premiere on August 24 as part of the Moscow International Film Week program.

The winner of the International Competition of Short Videos about Cities WOWMOSCOW 2024

The International Competition of Short Videos about Cities WOWMOSCOW, held as part of the forum and festival Territory of the Future. Moscow 2030, has concluded. The winner was announced on August 15 at an official ceremony held at the VDNKh’s Cinema Museum. The winner is Takha Audyarahma from Indonesia.

Special prizes for participants in the International WOWMOSCOW Competition

The HSE ART AND DESIGN SCHOOL is happy to announce special prizes to be awarded to the participants in the International Competition of Short Videos about Cities WOWMOSCOW.

Finalists of the WOWMOSCOW International Competition of Short Videos about Cities

The finalists of the WOWMOSCOW International Competition of Short Videos about Cities have been announced. The competition was organized by the Moscow City Tourism Committee and the HSE Art and Design School as part of the forum and festival "Territory of the Future. Moscow 2030".

Shortlist for the WOWMOSCOW Video Competition about Cities

We are pleased to announce that a shortlist has been published for the WOWMOSCOW International Competition of Short Videos about Cities organized by the Moscow City Tourism Committee and the HSE Art and Design School as part of the forum and festival "Territory of the Future. Moscow 2030".

International Competition of Short Videos about Cities

The Moscow City Tourism Committee and HSE ART AND DESIGN SCHOOL invite young directors, animators, cameramen, and other authors working with video to participate in the International Competition of Short Videos about Cities. The contest is organized on the platform of HSE ART&DESIGN SCHOOL and the Institute of Creative Industries Development "Creative City" in the framework of the forum-festival “Forum Moscow 2030 — The Home of the Future”.

Oded Ezer's Visionary Typography: Artist Talk at HSE ART AND DESIGN SCHOOL in Saint Petersburg

On June 28, at the RASKROI space in St. Petersburg, Oded Ezer delivered a lecture focused on his numerous experimental projects, which lie at the intersection of typography and design, biology, and social phenomena.

Mitya Kharshak Delivered a Lecture at Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design

Mitya Kharshak, Head of HSE ART AND DESIGN SCHOOL in Saint Petersburg, presented a lecture on “Branding and Visual Communications of Cultural Institutions” at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design.

Design Day #2 in Yerevan

In April, HSE ART AND DESIGN SCHOOL and Russian-Armenian University (RAU) hosted Design Day #2 in Yerevan. The highlight of the event was a public talk moderated by Mitya Kharshak and Igor Gurovich, centered around the theme "Girl Power". Some of the brightest representatives of the contemporary Armenian design scene joined the discussion.

International conference THEORIES AND PRACTICES OF ART AND DESIGN: SOCIOCULTURAL, ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL CONTEXTS

HSE Art and Design School and HSE Doctoral School in Arts & Design invite to take part in the international conference «Theories and practices of art and design: sociocultural, economic and political contexts», will be held on April 10-12, 2024.

Mitya Kharshak hosted a communication design workshop at Chitkara University

In this year's edition, the focus of the event centred around the expansive domains of Art and Design, highlighting key disciplines including Animation, Communication, UI/UX, Fashion, Architecture, Interior Design, Media & Mass Communication, and Filmmaking.

Mitya Kharshak delivered lectures on branding and communication design at several Indian universities

Mitya Kharshak, the supervisor of HSE ART AND DESIGN SCHOOL in Saint Petersburg, recently embarked on a visit to India as part of an international delegation from NRU HSE. During this visit, he delivered lectures on branding and visual communications at esteemed institutions such as Subharti University, the Indian Institute of Arts & Design, the UPES School of Design, and LPU.

Posters by students and curator in the shortlist of the OITA Awards in South Korea

The results of The Oesol International Typography Award, the first annual typographic award, have been announced. Its shortlist includes the students of HSE Art and Design School, St.Petersburg, and Andy Martin, curator.

Projector. Turkish Design. Open presentation of a special issue of a design magazine in St. Petersburg and Istanbul

The new issue of the Projector magazine dedicated to Turkish design will be presented on September 13th in Istanbul by its publisher and editor-in-chief, the head of the HSE School of Design in St. Petersburg, a well-known designer Mitya Kharshak.

 

Students of the HSE Art & Design School on the short-list of Dieline Awards 2023

Case studies affiliated with the HSE Art & Design School were included on the short-list of Dieline Awards 2023. Alumni of the School Nikita Gavrilov introduced Beaky — a conceptual cosmetic brand that reimagines childhood-like bath time. Another work selected by the jury — Foodzilla — pet food packaging designed by the second-year student Zhenya Zhuk.

«Design is not all about work, it’s about the approach to solving life problems»

Misha Nekrasov, a graduate of the Communication Design profile in St. Petersburg, already during his studies managed to work with such brands as BMW, MINI, and the St. Petersburg Motorcycle Center. Now Misha works at the Creative Mind Bureau branding agency. In the interview, he told us about his creative and professional path, the principles of working with clients and gave some advice to young designers.

HSE in the ranking of the world’s best universities in the Art & Design category

According to the results of the prestigious world educational rating QS-2021, published on March 4, HSE has improved its position by entering the top 150 world universities in the Art & Design category and becoming the only Russian university listed in it.

Poster Every Day: international poster exhibition in St. Petersburg

A large-scale poster exhibition Poster Every Day is running at Brusnitsyn Arts District, St. Petersburg, until the end of the summer. The project is curated by Anna Gerasimchuk, the graduate of Communication Design. Basic course, HSE Art and Design School.

Student Works

About HSE

51 000
students
7 000
professors and researchers
311
educational programs

HSE ART AND DESIGN SCHOOL is a subdivision of the Higher School of Economics National Research University, one of the leading universities in Russia, a participant of the majority of authoritative international educational ratings (QS, ARWU, Times Higher Education, U.S. News Best Global Universities Subject).

It’s not only a huge scientific laboratory, but a representative expert platform as well: the HSE personnel are actively involved in the key expert discussions, they are members of many collegiate and consultative bodies and are opinion leaders of the most important issues in the sphere of education, social policy, healthcare, demography, labor market, transport, public administration, and technological development.

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