Kovodstvo

Max Khrichtchatyi — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

If something you make is unclear—it’s your fault.

I learned that at sixteen.
College.
Web projects.
Spent time with web designers.

They showed me how communication works.

Through layout.
Through words.
Through emphasis.

They mentioned a book.
Kovodstvo by Artemy Lebedev.

It covers graphic and industrial design.
Interface design.
Typography.
Semiotics and visualization.

The book was too expensive.
I read it in a bookstore.

Standing.
Page after page.
Dreaming of owning a copy.

The tone was strict.
Excuses were not an option.
Later, I met other authors with this tone.
Lebedev was first.

If something looks random—it is.
Meaning gets lost—the design fails.

The book returns to one uncomfortable idea:
design is not decoration.

Every font choice has a purpose.
Every margin shows an attitude.
Every poorly written text sends a message—not the one you wanted.

Kovodstvo feels harsh.
Even arrogant.
It removes the illusion that design problems can be fixed with taste alone.
It takes brains.

If something affects you—it stands out.
There are no laws in design.
Never will be.

Years later, I realized the book isn't about design.

It applies to writing.
To interfaces.
To products.
To meetings.
Everyday communication.

Unclear thinking always leaks.
Clarity is never accidental.

</picture>
Finally owning the book I once read standing in a bookstore</figcaption> </figure>
I eventually got this book.
But the core—the core was already with me.
Not the rules.
Not the examples.
Responsibility not only for what you say—for how you say it.

Khrichtchátyi

Kovodstvo