We updated the article in 2026 - we went through the text, links and illustrative images.
I have been making website graphics since 1998. At first, I did my own projects. Commercial since 2000. First I used PaintShop Pro, then Photoshop. I also went through the Flash period.
In Photoshop, I played the keyboard like a piano and I must have done 10,000 hours. They say that if you do something for so long and repeatedly, you should be good at it. I was among the first web designers in Slovakia and according to one survey I was even in the top 5. As soon as I finished school, I thought about starting a studio. I continued to draw, but I already had helpers. I started working with designers one after the other:
- Zuzana Moravcová
- Katka Cermanová
- Peta Chmela
- Juraj Jurík
- Lukáš Jurík
- Slávka Poláková
- Viky Antonopulu
I taught most of them to do web design, GRID, typography, draw HTML elements and components. I became more of an art director and manager than a designer.
Then Marika came, who has been helping me quite a lot for 5 years, and I got lazy. I always had a designer on hand. After so many years in Photoshop, I didn't even want to open it. I drew wireframes on paper, sometimes made some kind of wireframe in Axure, very rarely did I render the first few screens in Photoshop.
Then I came across the Sketch program. I suddenly started to enjoy it. I would say that such a minor revolution. Many artboards on one screen. Suddenly, all screens are in the design system. Export to Invision and a clickable prototype in it. Apps, websites, portals. Peck. It still felt a bit cumbersome. The designer had a Sketch file with him on Dropbox. He sent PNGs in some versions for feedback. Something else went through Invision. The client then commented on it via email or in Asana. I didn't know what the designer already has and what he doesn't have, where the final is, whether the coders have a final Sketch file or not. Collaborating agencies, in turn, sent source files from Illustrator, Sketch, Photoshop, to Indesign. Something was still missing.
Current designers in vibration:
- Marika Pavelková – chief designer
- Ľubomír Račko – animations, interaction design
- I – UX and consulting
in 2026 I accidentally learned about Figma. It's kind of like Google Docs for designers.
It took me about a day to figure it out and watch tutorials on YouTube. We moved on. It's a blast!
Figma = a revolution in design
- Everything is done online.
- You don't need disk space.
- It doesn't tear. Not even with a large number of screens.
- You also have native apps for both platforms, Windows and Mac.
- Collaboration with the client, front end-ist, designer and UX artist. You can let the client directly into the design.
- Coders measure it more precisely, can comment, or even know how to draw something themselves.
Replacement of several software
Axure – we make the wireframe directly in Figma, we do not redraw from the UX tool to the drawing tool
Sketch – all the functionalities of Sketch are handled by Figma
Invision – we can make a clickable prototype and comment on the design, resolve comments
TeamViewer – desktop sharing and explaining, you can also see the realtime movement of the co-worker's mouse
Well, I enjoy drawing again. I draw the rough sketches in front of the designer, then I just check how it clicks and how his mouse moves. I'm not waiting for the final version. It is the final version at every moment. I am involved in the process. I let the client in there and he can see the progress. Meanwhile, the coder can prepare agreed screens.
If you haven't tried Figma yet, don't wait! As Sketch did the trick 5 years ago and all UI designers switched to it, so now we will all switch to Figma. Trust me.
