Employee spotlight:
Dominik Schneider

What's your role at Vapor95?

Hi! I’m Dominik. I live in Poland and generally I'm a graphic designer and visual artist and that means I create new print designs, prepare and fix digital files from artists we are collaborating with, web design, photo edits, ads, music artworks, edit videos and a lot of different things...I’m not bored at all.

What do your day-to-day operations look like and what's your schedule usually through the day?

Always starting with good coffee.

It is hard to tell because each day is different for me. Most often I'm doing new things each day and sometimes I have to continue bigger tasks. I can tell that I really love to work until late night and listen to a huge portion of music but also listen to design podcasts and quantum physics lectures during the work.

What did you do before Vapor95?

After graduating art school I was a Graphic Designer in a big industry corporation, then freelancing and selling self-made digital products for designers and now I'm here at Vapor95, happy.

How did you end up working with Vapor95?

In my spare time (after corporation drill) I was creating artworks as @super.unknown all around the aesthetics, vaporwave, retrowave, glitch art and graphics arts and that's how River found me. We started from a few designs and then I helped with some tasks and boom! We are now good friends, texting all the time, and doing cool things. Back in those days I would never tell you that collaborations with Vapor95 would be something serious for me but now, this is amazing.

Could you tell us more about what you're creating/working on right now?

In general a lot of ads, banners, and new products collections but also some cool extraordinary projects like: Secret shoe collaboration we'll announce soon, creating a dark theme for the website, new sections for the mobile app, new sticker sheets, new embroidery designs, and even a stuff for a crazy mystery giveaway we're doing (it's huge).

What has been your favorite part about working at Vapor95?

I'm grateful for the insanely open-minded people I'm working with! Also the fact that I'm working on different things and each day this is one of the best things for me. I really love the fact that I'm working around 6,000 miles away from my crew and we still have great communication (even with cultural differences). I love the fact that my ideas matter and I can experiment and dig into new styles. Of course, I'm a huge fan of Vaporwave music and the whole movement so that reason is also very important for me and that excites me a lot.

Who or what inspired you to get into design?

Inner creativity drive, drawing a lot as a child and the fact that I always loved to be surrounded by art. Graphic Design and Visual Art is the best way to express yourself without using words.

Where do you see yourself & Vapor95 in five years?

Probably as an art director of a small design crew. You know, the guy who knows how to fix all things and brings some fresh and unique ideas to the crew. Seriously, I see how fast Vapor95 is developing and expanding so it is hard to tell what will happen because it could be something really big and unpredictable. Love it, just love it.

What advice do you have for someone who wants to work in a creative field/startup/etc.?

Stay in business, watch what's happening on Behance, Awwwards and so on. Listen to what other designers have to say. Clean your mind and take proper rest, spend time with friends, play some games with them, and meet new people. People are inspiring. Visit new places because watching the same four corners is not inspiring (new places are inspiring). Take a walk with a dog (or without), do some sport activity, because the brain is also a part of our body. We have to keep moving. Pump some fresh blood to your brain.

Creativity is a resource so use it wisely to not get blocked.

For your own startup, I recommend selling things that you as a creator need in your work (assets that you made from scratch) and, of course, each thing you make has to be 110% quality.

If you had to choose, what is your favorite design at Vapor95, why?

I can’t pick favorite designs but I can pick my favorite Artists at Vapor95:

Sandro Rybak, Karborn, Vinne Art, Mizucat, Tokyo Direct, Vector, Beachghost and, of course, Macintosh Plus/Chronos & Vermillion.

(Check out our full list of Creators here)

What’s the favorite thing you’ve ever created?

I love all of my “childrens”.

If you could magically acquire one piece of art for your room (a painting, a sculpture, an installation, whatever), which would you choose and why?

Man…this one is really hard.

"Fallen Angel” by Alexandre Cabanel (1868).

Just look in those eyes and you will know why.