Pola Bakhtina – Designer

I am a professional book illustrator, designer, and scenographer. I specialize in:

✑ Creative book illustration (picture books, graphic novels, editorial projects)

✑ Cover design and illustration for fiction and non-fiction

✑ Complete book layout and design (from concept to final print-ready files with illustration and typography)

✑ Pop-up and complex book structures

✑ Calligraphy and hand lettering

✑ Cross-genre projects including printed editions, posters, installations, theatrical performances, and character development from books and stories

Among my book awards are the Gold Medal at the Prague Quadrennial (2015) for the graphic novel Meyerhold’s Dream, winner of BookILL Fest (Serbia) and CJ Book Festival (Korea).

I don’t just draw illustrations — I direct books through visual dramaturgy, crafting a journey of impressions from the first page to the last. For me, illustration is inseparable from typography, format, and book design, which is why I particularly enjoy developing layouts for the titles I illustrate.

I love creating worlds, finding the extraordinary in the ordinary, and surprising readers. Each book has its own unique visual language, and I tailor it to match the text. My true passion lies in children’s books, because childhood is the moment when we are all made into ourselves.

My “bonus power” is experience with three-dimensional objects and theatrical space. I design sets for major productions, which gives me a deep understanding of complex book structures and pop-up formats. I even once created an entire performance in the form of a giant pop-up book.

Take a look and let’s collaborate on making something extraordinary.