Barcelona, July 19th, 2023

Produx Design is a branding and no-code design studio based in Barcelona that helps companies grow with strategic design solutions. Created by designer Alex Socoloff, the agency’s services include UX Audit, Brand Strategy, Product and UI/UX Design, Web Design, Prototyping and Webflow Development.

In an interview with TIA, Socoloff described his career path, from working at global companies, to starting his own agency, and highlighted the things that make Produx Design stand out. He also listed the steps in the agency’s design process and explained how adopting a no-code approach can be beneficial for web development.

To kick things off, if someone wants to experience the authentic, non-touristy side of Barcelona, where would you suggest they go?

Alex Socoloff: Barcelona is an amazing and inspiring city for all the creatives so my top go-to places would be – Palau de la Musica, Jardí Botànic (Barcelona’s Botanical Garden) to have a great evening with friends or your significant other I recommend Bar Marsella, it was the favourite bar of Dali, Hemingway, Picasso, and Gaudi.

Which neighborhood of Barcelona have you chosen to reside in?

Gràcia is my soul place, with clean boulevards, galleries, arthouses, and cozy bistros with the most delicious tapas.

Tell us about your personal journey. How did you become Prødux Design’s Founder & CEO?

I was working in different companies around the world with big well know companies such as Ikea, Dell, Google, and many more. I had always been dreaming to have a company with a great team and my own company vision and values. So, from here, the story goes very fast. I got layoff and for me it was like a sign. I bought a domain, created a website, issued LLC and bank account in the US and the next day I was a founder of Produx Design.

Where do you spend most of your time, and what does a typical day for you entail?

Usually, I don’t touch my laptop and phone in the first hour after I wake up, a light yoga workout and a good breakfast that what energize me for a whole day. Next, it depends on what day it is, I don’t like to mix all my tasks. For example, one day I do only marketing and the next day client meetings. I don’t do much design work but still work as an art director so all the concepts should be approved by me. The rest of the day looks pretty average, gym – dinner – beach walks. I have one secret addiction which is Souls-like games, so on a weekend I have my own time playing Bloodborne or Dark Souls.

What was the toughest challenge Alex Socoloff faced when founding a business?

My biggest mistake was not making enough connections and networking, so when I started the Produx Design I was feeling like I’m standing in a crowded space where everyone knows each other and no one knows me.

From vision and concept, can you describe Prødux’s design process from the beginning?

Produx is a strategic design studio, so no matter what we are working on, branding, web design, or product design, we always start with a strategy. Then I give full creative freedom to the team. I work as an art director and I do lots of edits, but for me, it’s important that my team has total trust. That’s why I give them this creative freedom.

How do you ensure that your product development process integrates design, engineering, and user experience effectively?

Even for the early-stage startups I always ask them to connect us to their development team. We do a lot of UX research and early testing, so all our UX decisions are proven by many factors. For the UI design, we are providing the development team with every single micro-interaction prototype so we don’t miss any details.

What measures do you take to address any potential usability challenges during the UI design phase?

It’s a very good question. A lot of our decisions come from testing research and of course personal experience. Usually usability challenges come from UX phase and not UI so we prioritize the strategy and thinking process.

Can you elaborate on the benefits and advantages of adopting a no-code approach in web development?

Definitely, no-code has changed the industry so much and we are huge believers in the no-code future. Not just we can collaborate with clients better but also the fact that they can edit or publish new content on their website without any help in building trust bridge between agencies and clients. The main benefit is that collaboration between design – development – a client is so smooth and saves a huge amount of time (almost all of our designers are also Webflow developers)

What experiences or insights have you gained from being involved in the crypto industry from its early days, and how does that inform your design approach for cryptocurrency exchanges, NFTs, wallets, and decentralized file storage?

Users in the crypto space an incredibly different and very picky. One app can have beginners and super advanced users at the same time. Creating the product for crypto companies showed me how to create a user-friendly design that suits them all. It definitely taught me how to manage a project and teamwork, not only crypto but FinTech products are 80% about UX and 20% about UI that’s why we call ourself Strategic Design Studio. We put strategy on a first place.

Looking back at Prødux Design’s recent works, which project do you feel best represents the studio’s values and strengths?

We recently finished a brand design for Dorothy Network. Dorothy is a fintech app that helps people to restore their lives after climate disasters. And this philosophy matches our 100%. We put people, users, workers, and clients in the first place, and we try to understand real-life people’s problems in order to find the best decisions for them.

How would you describe the interactive industry in Barcelona compared to other major cities or design capitals?

It has its own vibe and style; you cannot confuse it. It’s very difficult to understand those feelings because people here are very emphatic and every time, they feel clients’ problems, the outcome is spectacular.

Please tell us a few actions that creative studios can start doing to be more sustainable.

Do as much networking as possible with people you respect and admire, and build your team values and culture and talk about it. No one is going to work with soulless machines. There’s a people behind every successful project.

What did you study at university, and do you believe that helped with the career path you have chosen?

I was studying at the University of Economics – Tourism. It definitely helped me to manage the business side of the company but never can substitute the experience to do actual work for the clients.

Three top tools you can’t live without?

• Notion – I’m trying to be organized as possible and it’s a great tool.
• Figma – Of course, I’m running a design agency and this is an unreplaceable tool.
• Twitter – I don’t do any social media and couple of months ago I joined it, and it’s the best decision. There are many new creative friends and inspiring people.

Which artist(s) do you find inspiring and why?

I’m a huge fan of the history of arts and I like Claude Monet, Michelangelo, and Pablo Picasso. If we are talking about digital designers those are going to be Jessica Walsh, Ikko Tanaka and Paul Rand.

What’s the next skill (tech or non-tech related) you plan on learning?

Right now, I’m working for a history of art mobile app and would love to join the artist community and finally start painting and maybe even open a small gallery in Barcelona. I would love to find my style and learn how to draw.

Please share a fun-fact that not many people know about Alex Socoloff

I worked in a Michelin star restaurant in Amsterdam and I have my second degree as a culinary art master.

Thanks Alex!

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