About

The studio was established to create more value for people, businesses, and myself. I always believed I could drive progress and deliver exceptional solutions, with a full focus on creating standout digital experiences.

Why I do things

Using design thinking, I can create transformative designs and user experiences for digital products. My approach combines research, insights, and knowledge with technology and design, resulting in a new level of craftsmanship that is changing how people interact with digital products.

I believe in the power of digital tools and technologies, and I am passionate about creating design solutions that will drive tomorrow's business success. I am excited to collaborate with talented individuals to bring these solutions to life.

Michal Semela —
Founder & Designer

I have worked in the digital space for over seventeen years, specializing in advertising, UX, UI, web, and product design. My focus is on exploring new technologies and implementing design thinking to create effective and accessible designs. I have freelanced and contracted for businesses of all sizes, working for a wide range of clients and companies.

Designing is my passion, and my technical background allows me to understand how things should look, function, and feel for users. I have worked in advertising, design studios, digital studios, and on the client-side, developing products to meet their customers' needs.

I enjoy pushing digital boundaries and creating intelligent designs that are both beautiful and simple.

A laptop computer sitting on top of a wooden table.

A laptop computer sitting on top of a table.

Values

My approach to things is constantly changing and evolving. Bringing more fresh thinking into my designs and solutions.

Design focused

More than ever, we need to think about what we are creating, why we do it and who is it for creating a digital experience. I use a design-driven approach to question things and make the best possible solution.

BASIC DONE RIGHT

As people, we tend to overcomplicate things and overload ourselves. There are many options and solutions; we must go to basics and make them right. I want to build a strong foundation for our digital experience so we can build on top of it.

REMOTE AND ASYNC

I believe that we should build our lives around our personal needs and what we want in our lives. Remote work is a big topic now, but for me, it has always been the way I preferred to work and create stuff. I love collaborating with people, but I also love my space to make and think.

ADAPT TO CHANGE

When we focus on good basic things and build strong foundations, we can be flexible with everything that comes our way. Digital is fast-paced, and it changes all the time. We need to keep in mind that things need to be changed or need to adapt.

SUSTAINABILITY

We should be aware of how we affect our environment and what we can do to minimise our impact. It is not just physical products that need to be made sustainable. It's for digital as well. We still use resources and can create better carbon-neutral solutions suitable for the planet.

CRAFTSMANSHIP

I have always been fascinated by traditional crafts and people's skills, which they learned over years of experience. Digital has more change, but I believe we can bring the craft to digital space, such as what tools, techniques, and knowledge we use and apply to our projects.

A black and white photo of a lake and mountains.

A black and white photo of a city street.

Summary

I have over 17 years of experience in Advertising, Digital Studios, and Client-side

I have been working remotely for 7+ years

I have been travelling and working full-time for the past five years, visiting more than 50 countries

I work for clients worldwide, including in New Zealand, Australia, USA, Europe.

Semela Studio is a proudly inclusive organization and an ally of the LGBTQ+ community and the movement toward equality and inclusivity. As the founder and designer, I'm influenced by my travels and my multicultural background (Czech Republic, New Zealand).

I incorporate sustainable design practices into all of my projects, with a focus on creating beautiful and functional designs that are respectful of the environment.