Daria Naidenov is a Senior Digital Designer at T-Mobile where she helps push the creative envelope through social, web, and digital branded experiences. Previously she worked with a variety of start-ups and SaaS companies to create and execute design strategies to move each individual company’s brand identity forward. Daria received her Bachelor of Arts in Digital Technology and Culture from Washington State University. She enjoys exploring the intersection of art and technology, where creative conceptual ideas develop into compelling digital solutions.
Deck 7: Can you tell us a little about your career journey? What inspired you to pursue your current role at T-Mobile?
DARIA NAIDENOV: I’ve always had an interest in human psychology, specifically understanding the social and cultural impacts on our personal decisions, and vice versa. This fascination along with my passion for art that creates impact, led me to design. This space allowed me to collaborate with various other fields to create clear and beautiful communication. I began my journey in a more traditional area of design which included graphic design, print, and advertising. A lot of my work was involved with marketing for non-profits and educational institutions. I enjoyed meeting people where they are and creating relevant and sophisticated messaging for them. My skillset ultimately led me to work with startups, SaaS, and tech companies where design thinking takes a whole new medium. I transitioned into the space of web, social, and app design.
Now more than ever, empathy and understanding of human communication became more impactful. I encountered the growing digital creative team at T-Mobile when I first moved to Seattle. It wasn’t a large team, but it had energy. The “no-bullshit, put your ego aside and let’s make something beautiful happen” attitude is what drew me in. Our team has almost doubled in size since I joined and with the new acquisition of Sprint, it is forecasted to at least double again. With the introduction of 5g, it’s an exciting time to be with T-Mobile to educate and inspire the public about our united future.
D7: How do you organize your mobile team, and what design methodology do you follow?
DN: Our team is made up of writers and designers, working together as partners. There are levels of leadership and seniority, just like in other departments. Zoom in and you will see the vastness of skill and expertise of each individual contributor. Under the title of “digital designer”, you will find coders, illustrators, product photographers, visionaries, strategists and more. We combine our skills and collaborate to create experiences that not only meet business needs and customer expectations, but push the cultural envelope of design forward. And it’s pretty damn fun!