How Non-Objective positions design as a conversation, not service

While most studios navigate between commercial demands and creative ambitions, Non-Objective has built something different: a distributed international practice that treats design as cultural inquiry rather than visual problem-solving. Founded by Artem Matyushkin in 2020 and now co-led with Katya Sikacheva, the studio operates across Paris, Seoul, Tbilisi, Vienna and beyond, developing what they call “conceptual and visual languages” through everything from brand identities to exhibitions and research projects. Their approach rejects design as service, instead positioning it as conversation – a philosophy that manifests in their refusal to use formal briefs, their commitment to co-authorship with clients, and their parallel cultural initiatives they term ‘extensions.’ Here, Matyushkin and Sikacheva explain how they've structured a studio that functions as both business and cultural entity. TBI: Hey, Artem and Katya – how are you? AM: Hey there, and thanks for having us! Excited to chat. It’s been a pretty intense summer work-wise. I loved it, but I’m looking forward to a breather.