About

I’m a Polish street photography enthusiast, generative AI visual artist, pop culture connoisseur and professional graphic & digital designer with over two decades of experience.

Since early age I gravitated towards art and technology and taught myself web design while roaming through the primordial Internet at the turn of the century. I improved my skills with graphics and composition at the High School of Arts which I graduated with diploma in visual design and photography in 2003. During this time I made illustrations and comics that were published in various magazines and co-organised online exhibits featuring many Polish artists known today. Following that I studied graphic design at the Academy of Fine Arts for a few years before dropping out and moving to London to purse a career in my profession. Soon after I was featured in numerous publications such as British web design magazine “net”, and won several awards over the years. After working mostly in the interactive design field (the golden age of flash and early days of UX/UI) and collaborating with acclaimed agencies on projects for well-known clients and brands for over a decade I founded SYROP, an independent studio to design visual identity and develop treatments for production companies and advertising directors worldwide.

Throughout my career I had the opportunity to work with the following clients: Adidas, Audi, Bacardi, Bakoma, BBC, Camelot, Cream, Danone, DOZ, Electronic Arts, Eurostar, FilmIt, Ford, Future Publishing, Go East, Hennessy, Heyah, Kraft Foods, Lemonfilm, Moët & Chandon, Mobil1, MTV, Panasonic, P&G, Point of you, Pracuj.pl, Red Bull, RWE, Škoda, Sony, Tiger, Toyota, Volkswagen, WBK Bank, Wedel, Wrigley

Over time, I developed a passion for street photography, which became my favorite artistic pursuit. During my various excursions I focus on capturing urban landscapes, street scenes, and lifestyle portraits, often infused with a neo-noir aesthetic. In 2022, I launched this blog (previously named szmns.space) to commemorate 20 years of my journey with digital photography. Recently, I’ve reembraced digital art, finding it reinvigorated by the generative AI revolution. My AI artworks blend past and future, creating a mysterious atmosphere filled with mood and hidden meanings. Each piece is carefully directed, curated, and manipulated as I reimagine ideas through neural network driven visions. My goal is to experiment, evoke emotion and expand imagination.

Who asked? No one.. nevertheless here is a list of random things I did each year:

  • 2023 / Generative AI revolution reignites my passion in digital art and illustration
  • 2022 / I get myself a cult classic Fujifilm X100S camera and get married
  • 2021 / I revive my chess interest and watch countless hours of Twitch streams
  • 2020 / In pandemic I play The Last of Us 2 which becomes my favourite video game
  • 2019 / I attempt to go iPad only and embrace digital minimalism for the first time
  • 2018 / I get an ultra compact 1″ sensor Canon G9X camera after months of research
  • 2017 / I establish Syrop, my own independent design studio
  • 2016 / I start supporting Golden State Warriors which becomes my favorite NBA team
  • 2015 / I meet my future wife and ride my fixed gear bike around the city streets
  • 2014 / I discover the reality show Survivor which soon becomes my most watched series
  • 2013 / I relocate to Warsaw on a whim and get into iPhonography scene as a hobby
  • 2012 / The remake of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo becomes my favorite movie
  • 2011 / I rent my own place and drive my classic VW Golf Mk3 around the city streets
  • 2010 / I produce, co-host and record Filmofobia podcast with my new Canon 550D
  • 2009 / I return to Poland and help expand my friend’s design agency Freakstudio
  • 2008 / I produce and co-host Nerdofonia, a shortly lived audio podcast
  • 2007 / I wait in line in the rain for the original iPhone at Apple Regent Street store
  • 2006 / I move to London and start working for an acclaimed design agency de-construct
  • 2005 / I study Graphic Design at the Academy of Fine Arts in Poznan and get a Mac
  • 2004 / I co-create Design Made in Poland that features works by many Polish artists
  • 2003 / My diploma, portfolio Simonlab.com is recognised on the international webdesign scene
  • 2002 / I start using Zenit analog camera and Canon Ixus v2 digital camera for the first time
  • 2001 / I start being published in the local comics magazine AQQ and also create its website
  • 2000 / I teach myself the basics of website design using ancient tools like Microsoft Frontpage
  • 1999 / I get connected to The Internet in the good old web 1.0, IRC and The Matrix days
  • 1998 / I get into High School of Arts, get my first Pentium II PC and a copy of Photoshop 4.0
  • 1997 / The video game I play the most on my original PlayStation console is Tekken 2
  • 1996 / I watch MTV and WCW on Astra satellite TV every day and every night
  • 1995 / The Crow soundtrack opens my head to heavy music, especially a band called NIИ
  • 1994 / I am a regular at the local video store renting and rewinding VHS tapes daily
  • 1993 / Polish reprint of Judgment on Gotham comes out and blows my comic book mind
  • 1983 / I am born in Poznan with Sun in Aquarius, Moon in Leo and Ascendant in Leo xD

If you’ve made it this far, thanks! I hope you’ve enjoyed exploring my site. Here are more links.

Simonlab™