The app never launched — but it launched the career: my first end-to-end UI, from Adobe XD to a working React build.
MosaicArt (codename Mosaica) began as a late-night collaboration with Ruslan Kuzma — he coded, I designed. The app never launched, but it launched me.
A web concept that turns a massive photo library into one composite image, tile by tile — a digital mosaic built from your own collection.
01Outcome
The app never launched. It launched me.
The product never shipped, but the learning and the friendship stayed — it set me on the path I later turned into a career in UI/UX.
02Project context
Late nights in Uzhhorod
In Uzhhorod, I tutored a couple of people privately — Ruslan was one of them. Months in, we realized his side project Mosaica could use us both: my branding background, his code, and my first serious try at UI.
MosaicArt began as a late-night collaboration — he coded, I designed.
Adobe XD, shared screens, and very late nights.
03Iterations
Three passes at one landing page
The landing page went through three full passes — a glass hero, then a tighter brand, then a marketing-ready layout with navigation, illustration, and a CTA that finally felt at home.
Version 1 · Mosaica
Version 2 · MosaicArt
Version 3 · Pave your story
Animated prototypes — v1, v2, and the final direction.
04Learning
Learning UI for the first time
My first real stretch as a self-taught UI designer: Adobe XD, then Figma — auto layout, motion, typography, wired flows, and smart-animate prototypes. No syllabus, just reference, iteration, and a product worth finishing.
The actual Adobe XD workspace — the MosaicArt landing taking shape, December 2020.
What I learned
UI fundamentals
Branding foundations
Landing page structure
Hero section design
Adobe XD
Figma fundamentals
Auto layout
Smart Animate
Typography
Color & materials
Prototype wiring
Layout & positioning
Motion & animation
Industry patterns
05The product
From design to a working app
Photos arrive in two steps — social imports or straight from the device. Ruslan's React build made the screens clickable — uploads, libraries, the mosaic flow — while I kept refining the interface beside him.
Upload — step 1 of 2 with import options.
Working React app — library, providers, and generate.
06Reflection
You only see growth in hindsight
Looking back, I see mistakes and inconsistencies, yet for a first website it still holds up. Compared to my work today, the progress is obvious — you only see growth when you have something to compare against. I am grateful to Ruslan, who, without knowing it, showed me the path I later decided to turn into my career.
