Workspaces: Anton Bondarev, Visionary and Product Designer at Rocketbank

In an exclusive interview with Lifehacker, Anton Bondarev shares insights on crafting the perfect workspace and how he successfully brings this vision to life in practice.

Anton Bondarev

With over a decade of experience in design, Anton has spent the last two years (with a brief break) developing and enhancing applications and services at Rocketbank, part of the Otkritie banking group.

What is your role at work?

I generate ideas and ensure they are executed in the best possible way. I’m responsible for the services that Rocketbank’s clients use, making sure everything is both beautiful and user-friendly.

Another key part of my role is attracting and inspiring new team members who help us realize our ideas to the highest standard. To select the best talent, we follow a straightforward principle: we assess how candidates challenge themselves. Do they settle for what they've achieved, or do they constantly seek ways to improve?

What is your professional background?

I studied Automated Control Systems but left university in my second year because I believe real-life experience is far more valuable than lectures about matrix printers.

What are your strengths and weaknesses?

I can come up with brilliant ideas or find concise solutions to any problem within seconds.

While this is a great strength, I sometimes struggle to communicate my ideas to others as quickly. It takes me a bit more time to express myself clearly.

What does your workspace look like?

A key condition for creating outstanding services and products is the right atmosphere. My colleagues and I design our office space ourselves and even build our own furniture.

The workspace at Rocketbank is one of the best I've ever had. We designed our office environment with a clear understanding of who works here and what we’re working on. We decided on the lighting and the type of desks that provide maximum comfort.

My passion for furniture started at our office desks. When we needed large tables for the open space, we couldn’t find anything suitable—no one offered a table for eight people that allowed seating anywhere around it.

If you want something done right, do it yourself!

I dream of people constantly raising their standards of life quality. We set the bar for everything ourselves. As long as we accept low ceilings, ugly signs, and annoying ads, nothing will change.

Currently, we have produced the third generation of desks based on our designs: equipped with power outlets and minimal legs. They are so sturdy you can even dance on them, which we sometimes do at office parties.

I spend less time at my desk, mostly in the mornings and evenings when I need a mouse and a large monitor for graphic tasks.

My favorite spot is the lounge area, sitting in a chair next to a wall painted by our friend from Barcelona. We call a chair comfortable if you don’t want to get up often. Recently, we developed an internal app that lets you order coffee, lunch, or even a hookah without leaving your seat.

What gadgets and software do you use?

My laptop is three years old. The stickers on its cover represent the best moments of these years—projects, travels, meetings, and memories.

Regarding software, I keep tools to a minimum. One of my recent discoveries is Notion, which is perfect for creating any kind of media content.

At Rocketbank, we prioritize face-to-face communication and resolve issues verbally. We use Telegram actively to arrange meetings and discuss matters.

Email is reserved for external communication, such as sending invoices or asking if anyone found a hat in the office.

Does paper still have a place in your work?

Absolutely.

Paper remains my number one tool.

It allows me to visualize any idea. I prefer A3 sheets because my concepts tend to be large-scale. :)

I enjoy the feel of pencil or black liner marks on watercolor paper. Speaking of liners, I prefer black ones, which I buy at MUJI.

What do you carry in your bag?

I was surprised myself when I emptied my backpack to photograph its contents. For example, why do I have so many Japanese soda-flavored candies?

Other items include:

• an external hard drive with a Karl Lagerfeld patch;
• a small multitool;
• a business card from Osteria, a restaurant in Lisbon where I tasted the best Italian pasta;
• Rocketbank stickers that people often ask me to give away;
• a pack of Yupi candies;
• notebooks.

I carry many notebooks but usually have two with me: one for sketches and another for text notes. You can see footprints of my daughter's feet on one of them in the photo.

I always have business cards for spontaneous networking. When I meet interesting people, I give them a card so they can email us about themselves, and we invite them for an interview.

What is your daily routine?

I need five to six hours of sleep to feel rested. I arrive at the office by 11 a.m. to avoid rush hour.

I leave around 10 p.m. for the same reason. I could stay at the office until morning, but I have a wonderful family I love spending time with.

How do you pass time in traffic jams?

Instead of figuring out how to pass time in traffic, I try to avoid it altogether.

Travel time feels unproductive to me. On the subway, I often save interesting articles but rarely get to read them. Sometimes I scroll through two Telegram channels I enjoy: INTERNET9000 by Meduza's art director and Dima Barbanel’s channel.

What are your hobbies?

Most of my hobbies have merged with my work—furniture design, workspace planning, and even cooking.

We put a lot of effort into developing our in-house kitchen.

Breakfasts, lunches, drinks, and steaks are prepared inside the office on a specially built production kitchen. Currently, we have three chefs, three hookah specialists, and a barista. We designed and built the kitchen, ordering system, and logistics ourselves.

What role does sports play in your life?

I easily handle all kinds of boards: surfing, snowboarding, wakeboarding, longboarding—basically every board except an ironing board. That’s no joke.

Lifehacking tips from Anton Bondarev

I collect graphic novels.

Here is a selection of my favorites:

• Maus by Art Spiegelman;
• The Photographer by Emmanuel Guibert, Didier Lefevre, and Frederic Lemercier;
• Black Hole by Charles Burns;
• Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi;
• Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud.

To better understand comics, start with the fifth book on this list.

The first four novels, except for Black Hole, which focuses on style and atmosphere, tell true, poignant, social, and shocking stories.

Many perceive comics as mere entertainment. Believe me, after reading The Photographer—a heroic humanitarian mission in Afghanistan in 1979—you will change your mind. And Maus is the only comic to have won a Pulitzer Prize.

Final advice to Lifehacker readers

Be courageous. Don’t fear making mistakes, no matter how large or prestigious the company you work for.

The more people who use the results of your work, the greater the impact of your experiments. If you are empowered to create something, don’t just do it the way it’s always been done. That won’t bring significant benefits to the world. Only by reinventing the wheel can we advance the industry and evolve.

Photography by Oleg Yakovlev.

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