Conversations with Anatolie Micaliuc

Today we’d like to introduce you to Anatolie Micaliuc.

Hi Anatolie, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Here’s the English translation:

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I got into design by accident. The training center where I worked as an administrator shut down, and I was looking for ways to support my family. While working there, I had tried creating landing pages and simple ad banners. So I figured design could be a good next step in my career.

I applied to an information design school and, based on my entrance assignment, got one of the 10 free spots. For the graduation project, we had to come up with a project idea, create all the content, figure out how to monetize it, and then fully implement it ourselves. I ended up presenting a virtual guide to my city, featuring cozy and lesser-known spots that tourists would never hear about.

After graduation, I worked at small studios and freelanced with clients from around the world. For the first couple of years, I focused on UI design and landing pages.

During one of the design courses, I dove deep into typography and fell in love with posters. Since then, I’ve been studying the history of typography and posters — from emotional French styles to distinctive Eastern ones.

Over time, I’ve been featured in several competitions, including TDC NY, and became a regular typography instructor at a local design school — all while working as a product designer at Square.

Of course, I never stopped learning. Eventually, I moved away from traditional online courses and started seeking out individual masters to study with directly. That’s how I met Sviat Vyshniakov (London) and Peter Bankov (Czech Republic). Through their incredible courses, I got to meet a few more unique designers whose work still inspires and amazes me. I even got to collaborate with some of them. Recently, Anastasia Temirkhan and Mikhail Lychkovskiy brought together 12 designers for a team project featured in the digital Art Innovation exhibition at Times Square. The theme was a tribute to our beloved master, Peter Bankov, and the anniversary of his poster school.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There were two difficult moments.

In my final year at alma mater, I nearly gave up from the pressure. I had no direction, no clients, and no energy. The studies took all my time, and I was constantly short on money. I made it to the diploma project, but a month before the deadline, I got seriously ill. In that depressed state, I wrote to the school saying I was quitting. For me, it felt like the end.

But not for my teacher and mentor — Artem Gorbunov. He stepped in at the right moment, found the right words, and convinced me to return. I finished the project during the last few weeks, and was still rewriting the website code and presentation on the day of the defense. This story has a happy ending. The diploma received high marks, and I got invited to two job interviews as a result.

The second moment was the year my best friend passed away. It was thanks to his support (including financial) that I was able to enroll in school. When he passed, many things lost meaning, because I had been doing it for both of us. But I couldn’t just walk away, knowing how much he wanted me to succeed.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I work as a product designer on the amazing Food & Beverage team at Square. I design and help grow products for Enterprise sellers.

I joined Square with the GoParrot team when our startup was acquired in 2022. Since then, I’ve been responsible for the design and customer experience across several surfaces, including buyer-facing online ordering and seller-facing franchise tools.

Building a complex product for this type of client is both a challenge and an opportunity to create something meaningful. That’s exactly what my talented teammates and I focus on — shaping the vision and bringing it to life.

In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
AI is definitely forcing us to rethink and reinvent the industry. A lot has already been said, so I’ll point to something less obvious.

History shows that with every wave of automation and technological progress, skilled craftsmen, those who work with their hands and create custom work, become more valuable.

Creative trends and mainstream ideas are easy to copy and automate. But originality, the pursuit of inner mastery, and love for the craft are hard to reproduce — and that’s one way to stay relevant in the age of AI.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://amicaliuc.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amicaliuc/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anatolie-micaliuc/