JUNION DESIGN & ART DIRECTION
Type
Art Direction
Company
Yandex
Link
Team
(AD) Maria Brish
(AD) Tatyana Mikolaevskaya
(CP) Alina Monakhova
(CP) Irina Nikolaeva
(LPM) Elena Landar
Junion has a wide product catalog — dozens of SKUs across categories, for children from newborns to early school age and for parents. Below are some of the products developed within the brand's design system, each grounded in the Junion DNA.
ROCKING HORSES
Industrial Design
The brief was to build a line that covered a real range — from very young children to slightly older ones, and from quiet, neutral moods to something more playful and fantastical. That meant working across form, material, and character simultaneously rather than designing a single product and scaling it. One detail that came out of the storytelling work: small plush accessories — a carrot, a star — that a child can use to feed and care for the horse. It shifts the object from something you sit on to something you have a relationship with.
WORKBENCH
Industrial design
A toy workbench with a built-in construction kit, designed around the scenario of watching an adult work and wanting to do the same. The storage was thought through carefully — compartments with holes in the base so dust and debris don't collect, side hooks for a small apron and tools. The goal was to make the play as open-ended as possible: a pegboard, a chalkboard panel, and working elements that support building, fixing, and making up scenarios. Gender-neutral throughout.
CRIB
Art-Direction
An art direction project developed alongside structural engineers. The brief was a convertible crib — one that grows with the child and fits into a range of interiors without demanding attention. The silhouette is minimal and clean, the joinery simple enough to assemble without frustration. The design stays within the Junion brand language while being neutral enough to work in spaces the brand didn't design.
ART EASEL
Industrial Design
A budget easel that doesn't feel like one. The key was making the most of what the object actually is: two removable double-sided panels, each with a different drawing surface — standard whiteboard, chalkboard, and a water-drawing surface on the remaining face. The storage tray at the base detaches completely, turning into a portable case for materials. It's a small thing, but it changes how the object gets used — it can go to a grandparent's house, to a friend's, without taking the whole easel with it.
PLAY TENT
Art-Direction
A children's indoor tent designed to disappear into a room rather than dominate it. The palette is a restrained sandy beige with references to nature — something that works against a wall without bothering anyone. Inside: a non-slip mat, considered proportions for a child to actually settle in. Small flag details add character without tipping into decoration. Assembly and folding were worked through with the designer to make sure a parent could deal with it without it becoming a project.
