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As I said earlier, Lebedev was a creative child. This quality only grew stronger with age.
After he was expelled, he became a student of Arkady Troyanker, at that time he was the art director of “Weekly Magazine” and “Itogi” and a famous illustrator and graphic designer. Troyanker still claims that Lebedev was his best student.
It was then that Artemy began to show his talent for design. And already at the age of 17, the young designer managed to come up with and implement his first project, and his parents did not help financially during this period of his life.
A little later, in the summer of 1992, our hero and his partner founded a project to develop the “A-square” design. But he worked for a short time: only until the end of the year.
And a year later, Artemy opens his own company called “Artographics”. By the way, the designer came up with the name himself. To attract clients, Lebedev created a portfolio with completed orders from non-existent clients. He created designs for books and magazines. And he was the only employee of his company who did absolutely everything: he accepted the order himself and dealt with it from start to finish.
At the same time, he worked part-time as art director of the MakTsentr company.
Studio “You Know Himself”
All of the above led him to the fact that in mid-1995 Lebedev began to professionally develop designs on the Internet. And in the same year he created the “WebDesign” studio.
At first, the designer worked alone. Without any premises. I met with customers at home. For the first project, Lebedev earned 3 thousand dollars. But later, with an increase in orders, he purchased premises and gradually hired other employees. Every year there were more and more clients. And by the end of 1997, his company’s annual turnover was already more than 50 thousand dollars.
The cost of Lebedev’s services in those years, to put it mildly, was not cheap. From 4 thousand dollars and above for work. And this price is only for small sites. Large customers paid more than 10 thousand of the same dollars. This was approximately the cost of an apartment in Kyiv at that time. In Moscow it’s even more expensive.
There were few professional website creators in those years, so the company “WebDesign” quickly became a leader.
Since June 1998, the project has received a new name. The name of its creator. Over time, Lebedev's name turned into a brand. He became known as the first designer of the Runet. The site’s company motto is “Long and Expensive.” Back then, no one had such a creative and provocative headline, and it attracted clients.
Currently, Lebedev's company is considered one of the most successful ones that offers web design services.
His works are presented in such large companies as:
- Microsoft
- Nissan
- Yandex
- Sberbank, etc.
Who is Lebedev's ex-wife
The designer’s ex-wife is Marina Litvinovich, who is now called “the woman of the new generation.” His ex-wife today is a public figure, political strategist, journalist, human rights activist, and member of the executive committee of a coalition called “The Other Russia.”
Marina was born into an intelligent family. There they not only loved her, but also instilled in her a love of knowledge, books and theater. And not in vain, because she always responded with gratitude - she studied well at school, and then easily entered Moscow State University and a French college in the department of sociology . She always wanted to study, so a little later she went to graduate school. Moreover, he had enough strength and intelligence to obtain several educations at once. At the same time, Marina mastered Internet technologies.
All her subsequent activities boiled down to her promotion in the field of politics, information analytics and network resources. Before this, the ex-wife of Artemy Lebedev worked with Boris Nemtsov, Kiriyenko, Khakamada, Khodorkovsky, Nevzlin, Kasparov and others. Moreover, she is a very brave person. There were multiple attempts on her life, during which she was seriously beaten.
And at the moment, he is actively developing the “Fund for Assistance to Victims of Terror,” the founder and director of which is Litvinovich, in Russia and Israel. The list of her powers includes organizing charity auctions and events. Independently defends the rights of victims.
At that time, when she was still Lebedev’s wife, she managed to give birth to a baby named Savva in 2001. But she actually has three children, all of them boys from different marriages. It later became clear that the relationship between the blogger and the politician broke up precisely because of his wife. They had different interests in the first place.
But Marina also decided that she wanted to devote more of her life to politics, rather than sit at home. The designer tried not to get involved in politics.
Scandals
As you already understand, the hero of this article very quickly turned into a public figure. And as a rule, such people often find themselves in scandalous situations.
Lebedev was not spared such stories. Or rather, the designer himself does not try to avoid them. He uses profanity in all of his blog posts, which naturally leads to outrage among readers.
Is it worth talking about the publication of a demotivator after the death of Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow on Lebedev’s blog? These actions were called illegal, and the designer himself was called a PR specialist.
Another famous scandal involving him occurred in 2007. He posted information on his website about the termination of cooperation with Nokia. Lebedev was brief and unrestrained in his statements. And, of course, as always, he remained in the spotlight. Nokia claims that the phone manufacturer itself terminated the contract.
In August 2010, Lebedev had a conflict with Aeroflot. According to the blogger, the employees sold him a ticket for 90 thousand rubles, but only after the flight had been checked in. As a result, our brawler was unable to use it. He wrote several angry posts on his blog and demanded a refund for the ticket. There he also organized a photobomb competition with the Aeroflot logo. Soon the conflict ended, the company returned the money for the ticket to Lebedev.
And this is only a small part of the scandalous stories with his participation.
Trips
In 2007, Lebedev went on an ethnographic journey across America. Afterwards he is going to travel across the entire country from Moscow to Vladivostok. This trip was called the “Ethnographic Expedition”.
After some time, Artemy goes on a number of similar expeditions. On these trips, in cities, he pays special attention to the design of traffic lights, road signs, curbs, and mailboxes.
In addition to such expeditions, Lebedev likes to travel alone or with groups of tourists.
The hero of our article publishes all his travels on his Instagram or VKontakte blogs. According to him, he is the only person born in the USSR who has visited all 193 countries of the world that are members of the UN.
As you already understand, Lebedev loves to travel. Perhaps even more than scandals. He visited all countries of the world. And it already ranks 22nd on the most famous travel website https://thebesttravelled.com/.
Anti-religious statements
Lebedev in his blog clearly shows his attitude towards religion.
He can safely be called an atheist. He wrote many times that stories about the Saints are like fairy tales for him. The blogger believes that Vera is a drug for the people.
Our designer does not hesitate to speak harshly or even rudely about God.
On his blog he wrote “On…God.” Yes, you understood correctly, with a small letter, and even so harshly. The head of the Union of Orthodox Citizens, Valentin Lebedev, wanted to bring the blogger to justice. But he didn't succeed. Artemy only increased his rating due to this.
Also with Marat, Gelman announced a competition to create a sign “The religious feelings of believers may be offended here,” after which Orthodox activists filed a lawsuit.
Here are some anti-religious quotes from a blogger:
“I don’t believe in the God that is advertised in churches.”
“I didn’t ask anyone to suffer for me and now I’m not going to feel obligated to anyone.”
“The gospel is just Middle Eastern folklore. What does all this have to do with me?”
Artemy speaks out angrily about charity to sick people. He believes that this money should be spent on repairing roads in Russia. Of course, this does not make him happy, but still he is proud that he has the courage and the opportunity to express his point of view in this way.
Blogging activities
Lebedev has always actively maintained his blog. His page was once, according to Yandex, one of the most successful in Runet.
In 1997, Artemy created his own website and began writing a blog on behalf of Katya Detkina. There he wrote on a popular topic at that time - reviews of the Runet. But in March of the following year, this pseudonym wrote an obituary about himself and stopped blogging.
In 2001, Lebedev began maintaining a page on the LiveJournal website. The designer wrote about 6 thousand posts on his blog, and over 3 million comments were left on them. Lebedev also publishes posts about his travels in the same LiveJournal.
In the summer of 2008, his block was blocked by the conflict commission of the LiveJournal website. The designer posted on his page a photo of an underage (according to the commission) girl. Soon the blog was restored, but the blogger was ordered to delete the photo.
In April 2020, Lebedev began maintaining a video blog on his Youtube channel. Here he shares the latest news, speaking freely.
Artemy's blog, in particular on LiveJournal, is considered one of the most successful in the RuNet. In 2013, it took 4th place among the total number of users. As I already said, here he does not hesitate to write swear words and very rudely writes his opinion on any important or unimportant issue.
Career of Artemy Lebedev
In the summer of 1992, Artemy Lebedev, together with a partner, founded a design studio called “A-square”, but worked there only until the end of the year.
And already at the beginning of 1993 he founded his own printing studio. Artemy came up with the name for the studio himself. After going through many options, he chose Artographics. In 1993, Lebedev got a job at, where he worked until 1995. In the same 1995, he founded another studio, WebDesiqn. And already in 1998, this studio received a new name - “Artemy Lebedev Studio”, which to this day is one of the largest web design studios in the RuNet.
Artemy Lebedev about cutting nails. In 2001, Artemy decides to expand his field of activity and begins to engage in industrial design. The most famous design works in this area are the Samsung microwave oven and the Optimus keyboard, which received the main prize at the iF communication exhibition.
Among the more than 1,800 works of the web studio are graphic and physical interfaces, books, magazines and logos, advertising brochures, corporate styles and signs. It should be considered one of the most famous and expensive design companies. As a rule, its services are used by large customers - rich and successful people.
A modern designer spends most of his time developing information architecture. Lebedev also conducts research in the field of ergonomics, solving problems related to the ease of use of various Internet sites. Trying once again to attract attention to himself and the achievements of his studio, Artemy often makes quite loud statements.
For example, the outrageous designer declares that it is he and his studio who are the authors of such an invention as “rubber sites” (we are talking about Internet windows that stretch across the width).
Other projects
In 1997, Lebedev created his own project called “Kovodstvo”. In it, he talks about designs, interface creation, visualization and other site work.
Since 2009, Artemy begins to collaborate with the Perm Center for Design Development. And by the end of this year he already held the position of art director there.
He also put forward his candidacy for the post of chief designer of the city of Omsk. Created logos for cities such as Yaroslavl, Perm, Odessa and even the Kaluga region.
His achievements include the “Advertising Tree” for Perm. He was sure that all advertisers would want to have space at this advertising stand. And ordinary people will take pictures with him as if he were a tourist attraction.
The designer personally developed a weight loss program for himself. And with her help I lost 20 kilograms within six months.
On his company’s website there is a section called “Spanking.” Here anyone can submit a website and Lebedev gives comments on its design.
In 2020, the designer became a participant in the Nike competition. It was necessary to make an original design for new sneakers. His project remained in first place for some time. But in the end I fell to second.
Over time, a cafe and several stores opened under the Lebedev company brand in the capital.
One of the Studio’s first government orders was the development of a corporate identity for Gorky Park in 2012. The then management of the park itself turned to the Studio - Lebedev’s fame played into the hands.
— Why did we turn to Lebedev specifically? Because he was a smart and creative guy. At that time, 5 years ago, we didn’t know any other designers in Moscow,” said Inc. former head of the Moscow Department of Culture Sergei Kapkov (he did not remember the price of the contract, but assured that everything happened within the legal framework).
Subsequently, Lebedev repeatedly collaborated with the Moscow government, for which the Studio developed the design of the Moscow metro lines, the unofficial logo of the city, designed a number of metro stations and trains, and also came up with posters in honor of the Year of Culture in Russia 2014. Artemy developed some of these projects and “introduced” them into the government on his own initiative, recalls Alla Semenysheva, Kapkov’s adviser in the Moscow Department of Culture in 2011–13.
“Lebedev does many things not because he has a customer, but because he considers it important and necessary,” says Semenysheva. “I remember he brought a map of the Moscow metro to the mayor’s office. Sergei Aleksandrovich [Kapkov] told him that we cannot officially approve it, this is not within our competence. Lebedev went to the Department of Transport, and after some time we saw this diagram in the carriages.
According to an Inc. source. at the Moscow City Hall, Lebedev continues to propose projects to officials. In 2020, the Studio wanted to make navigation and art objects in Moscow parks (the contract was not concluded due to the high cost of several million rubles), and now representatives of the Studio are negotiating cooperation with the capital’s Department of Culture.
Lebedev has repeatedly said that some of the works done by his Studio under government contracts (including the Moscow metro logo) were completed for 1 ruble. “If someone buys advertising for millions, then I buy advertising for myself for a ruble,” he explained on the Dozhd TV channel. However, this practice backfired. On February 27, 2020, the FAS Office for St. Petersburg ruled: the city Tourism Committee violated the law by concluding an agreement for the development of a tourism logo for St. Petersburg with Studio Art LLC without holding an open tender. Lebedev" at a price of 1 ruble, and now the city authorities must terminate the contract.
According to the results of a survey by the Association of Branding Companies of Russia (ABKR), among the owners of companies from the design industry there were many who were ready to develop a logo at such a price, which confirms the conclusion that the conditions of fair competition were violated, Inc. said. Executive Director of ABKR Elena Radziontkovskaya.
The total share of government orders, including indirect ones, in Lebedev’s business in different years was no more than 10–15%, estimates the designer’s former business partner Demyan Kudryavtsev. According to him, accusations of opacity against Lebedev are unfair.
— If some contractor was ordered to do a large project for the state, and he orders some part of this project, for example, design, from Lebedev, this is not, from my point of view, a state order, although this is indirectly working for the state. A private structure orders and accepts the work,” Kudryavtsev told Inc.
At the same time, government orders cannot be considered a tasty part of the business of design studios, says Ivan Velichko, co-founder of the Shchuka studio. According to him, some orders are cheap: for example, the price of the contract for the development of a mobile application for VDNKh with navigation in two versions for iOS and Android, which Lebedev completed, was only 3.6 million rubles. At the same time, participation in government contracts requires compliance with complex procurement procedures, as well as the ability to work with officials, says Andrey Savelyev, former executive director of the Firma agency:
— If you work with the state, then these are almost the most unfavorable conditions on the market. If I am asked to choose between government procurement for 10 million rubles or to take 10 commercial clients for 1 million rubles each, I will choose the second. We must understand that government agencies are not staffed by brand managers, with whom we are accustomed to communicating, but by officials, and it is difficult to come to an agreement with these officials.
Personal life
Oddly enough, such a scandalous person as Lebedev does not make his personal relationships public. He makes no comments on this matter.
What is known is that he was married to journalist Marina Litvinovich. In 2001, their son was born. But the union could not be saved. Afterwards, information appeared on the Internet that Artemy had three more children. There was also information that the blogger was married 4 times. Last time on designer Alena Lebedeva.
Currently Artemy is single. There are many rumors about his unconventional orientation. Or maybe there is still something to hide? It remains a mystery.
The blogger himself recently made a statement on his page. He said that he had his tenth child. That now he has 4 boys and 6 girls. And soon he will talk on his blog about raising a new generation.
Of course, many question his words, because, as you already understand, this man loves to be the center of attention. But only he himself knows the truth.
Childhood of Artemy Lebedev
Artemy Lebedev is the illegitimate son of the famous writer and TV presenter Tatyana Tolstoy and philologist professor Andrei Lebedev.
On his mother’s side, Artemy is the great-grandson of the famous writer Alexei Tolstoy. The parents decided not to send their son to kindergarten and gave him home education. They believed that this would have a better effect on the child's character.
From the age of seven, little Artemy’s favorite pastime was writing logos from the first letters of his friends’ names.
Artemy Lebedev - son of writer Tatyana Tolstoy
Artemy studied poorly at school and constantly skipped classes. During his studies, he managed to change three Moscow schools: No. 274, No. 583 and No. 57. He studied for one year at the Baltimore Patkville Hiqh School in the USA. The boy came to America with his mother, who taught Russian literature in Baltimore.
But a year later Artemy left his parents in America and returned to Russia. According to him, it was during this period that he developed a hatred of everything American.
Growing up in a family of writers and constantly hearing conversations about literature, Artemy decided to enroll at Moscow State University. M.V. Lomonosov to the Faculty of Journalism. He entered the university, but failed to obtain a higher education. Student Lebedev was expelled for absences from his second year.
State
According to the latest data, in 2020 his company earned more than 50 million rubles.
It is also known that the designer is not the only legal entity. This includes partners.
In some interviews, Lebedev admits that he earns more from advertising on his blog than in his business. For example, he can receive about 180 thousand rubles for advertising on his LiveJournal page. And the post on Facebook is about 80 thousand. Moreover, advertising on his Telegram channel costs approximately 100 thousand rubles.
In general, it’s difficult to call a designer poor.
