Misha Domshyn

Owner and wayfinding designer at Moreinfo Studio.
Participates in navigation development at all stages, from concept creation to on-site installation.
9000 km of hitchhikingThe history of working on navigation projects began back in 2012 when Misha, while hitchhiking through Europe, saw the first navigation elements in Portugal and realized how convenient they were to use. Upon returning from the journey, Misha wrote several scientific papers on the use of QR codes. During the writing process, he studied all the intricacies of urban navigation creation and the use of QR codes, which became one of the key components of the future Moreinfo project.
University yearsAnother important aspect was Misha's education - he studied at the Kharkiv National Economic University, specializing in Tourism. Already during his university years, he started collaborating with the Kharkiv City Council, specifically with the Department of International Relations, which is responsible for tourism development in the city. During his studies, he participated as a speaker and participant in numerous tourism conferences and exhibitions in various cities of Ukraine. He developed several projects related to the development of tourism infrastructure in Kharkiv, one of which was the "Green Line" (the main tourist route of Kharkiv that helps tourists explore the city in one day), which later evolved into the first full-fledged navigation project. He was the head of the Tourism Commission at the Youth Council of the city of Kharkiv. He worked with many specialists in the tourism markets of Ukraine and Kazakhstan, which subsequently influenced the establishment of Moreinfo as a tourism project with the main goal of assisting tourists and collecting statistical data for tourism flow analysis.
Creation of MoreinfoThe Moreinfo project was created in early 2013, a few months after Misha returned from a long trip across Europe. Initially, it was a student initiative of Misha and his three friends (Kirill, Maxim, and Ertan). At first, the project didn't represent anything remarkable, but later, when Misha was studying at the university, the First Capital startup accelerator was launched, and the still very raw project became a resident of First Capital. Over time, the project participated in a startup competition based on the First Capital accelerator, and Misha and his friends managed to quickly turn the project, still in its early stages, into a full-fledged MVP, which was presented at the end of 2013. This became the starting point of the project, helping to formulate the main idea and develop the basic components: the Moreinfo sign and the Moreinfo.ua platform. In 2014, after winning the startup competition, more and more people started paying attention to the project, and a long process of overcoming legal difficulties began, particularly regarding the installation of signs on protected cultural and architectural monuments. In 2016, after many years of work to overcome bureaucratic obstacles, the world saw the first Moreinfo sign, which was unveiled on August 23rd at the "Mirror Stream" monument in Kharkiv. The effectiveness of the signs was proven almost immediately as the QR code scans surpassed 1,000 in the first 5 days of the project, and detailed analysis allowed to understand what else tourists were interested in seeing in the city and where these tourists came from. Subsequently, there were many improvements and enhancements, such as the sign materials, Braille fonts, audio narration, content in 8 languages, NFC tags, and more. New signs began to appear rapidly in Kharkiv and other major cities in Ukraine, and over time, in neighboring countries as well. Currently, there are over 650 Moreinfo signs, and approximately 1,000 sign scans are conducted daily. New signs continue to appear even during times of war.
Transformation of Moreinfo and Covid-19The year 2020 began with the transformation of the Moreinfo project into a full-fledged studio that specializes in the development and production of navigation elements. Serial elements were developed, and two complete lines, park and urban, with different types of navigation elements, were released. The first major navigation project was implemented on August 31, 2020, in the city of Kamenets-Podolskiy, where signs, totems, and pointers were installed. As it turned out later, Covid-19 did not become a serious problem for Moreinfo but rather a necessary pause that helped Mike and the team thoroughly refine all the innovations and make 2021 the best year in the history of Moreinfo Studio. The key event of 2021 was the development of individual navigation for cities. Three individual navigation projects were developed for Mariupol, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Vinnytsia. The large number of projects and the creation of individual navigation instilled great optimism for the future of the studio. Mike started producing navigation elements by opening a metalworking and painting workshop and formulated new plans for creating street furniture. The winter of 2022 was very busy, with installations in Mariupol and the Cherkasy region, and work began on projects in Uzhhorod and Vladimir. The presentation of the navigation concept in Ivano-Frankivsk on February 16 became the last public event. On February 24, the war began.
WarAfter the start of the war, Mike began volunteering, and some team members joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine or the State Emergency Service. Most of the team evacuated from their homes to safer regions of Ukraine and abroad. The projects that the studio had been working on were put on hold. Some projects, such as Uzhhorod and Vladimir, were finalized, but they were in the final stages. The main work in Ukraine was suspended. All studio resources, social networks, and the website were translated into English, marking the beginning of a period of searching for international partners to continue the studio's work. The work format was completely transformed, and the studio now operated in foreign markets, subcontracting for larger international studios working worldwide. Moreinfo focused on developing maps, renders, concept elements, and planning. The past year and communication with international partners helped Mike gain an understanding of the global market and the specifics of working in different countries. Mike and Moreinfo became members of the Sign Design Society. In February 2023, Mike delivered an open lecture on the use of the FIGMA tool for navigation development and design, once again showcasing the journey undertaken in 2022.
What's next?Most Ukrainian projects are on hold, and navigation is not a significant part of Ukraine's current life. In the future, everyone is confident in the victory and recovery of Ukraine.Currently, Mike is seeking new challenges in the global market, engaging in volunteer work, and aims to bring the experience gained from international projects to the post-war recovery of Ukraine.

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