The Shadows Project
Project: Shadows Project Ukrainian Cultural Instagram Media
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Objective: To educate a new generation of Ukrainians on their history and culture in a relatable, visually engaging format. My goal was to launch a media that could breathe life into traditional Ukrainian themes, blending historical narratives with modern urban experiences that would appeal to youth.
Role: As the Creative Director, I led all aspects of operations, including content strategy, team management, research, copywriting, and design. I was responsible for developing content ideas, directing and editing my team, and creating posts myself to ensure cohesive storytelling and visual style.
Approach: I centered the project on three main pillars:
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Revitalizing traditional themes: Presenting Ukrainian culture in novel, relatable ways.
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Engaging, youth-focused content: Connecting historical narratives with modern urban life.
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Community and collaboration: Partnering with cultural creators to amplify our reach.​​​​
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Acheivements: In just under a year, Shadows Project published over 150 posts and graphic stories, amassing a following of 10K on Instagram and reaching half a million unique users. We collaborated with 10 cultural creators and museums, earning features in Vox and The Art Newspaper. Though the media ceased operations shortly after the full-scale invasion, our impact was felt within the community.
Examples of key posts​
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Holodomor Awareness Post: In partnership with the Museum of Holodomor, we commemorated the Holodomor genocide by visually representing the survival foods consumed during this man-made famine, raising awareness of this tragic chapter in Ukrainian history.
The Tinder Series: This series reimagined famous Ukrainian writers and Cossacks as potential Tinder matches, playfully introducing our audience to historical figures by framing them as modern-day dates.
Ukrainian Wedding Guide: Collaborating with a Ukrainian ethnographic account, we recreated a traditional Ukrainian wedding from 200 years ago, styled as a modern dating guide.
Reach and Recognition
In April 2022, I co-developed a post spotlighting the Ukrainian heritage of painter Kazimir Malevich, whose identity Russia had long misrepresented. Our goal was to encourage museums worldwide to label Ukrainian artists accurately.
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This post featured a clear, impactful call to action and reached over 29,000 unique users, was liked over 5,000 times, and gained traction through Ukrainian influencer Cate Underwood, who has over 100K followers. It also received coverage in The Art Newspaper.
