Andrew Pourtov is a whirlwind of energy, and is clearly a driving force in Russia's highly advanced and rapidly growing identity profession. Where to begin? He leads a successful branding company; he publishes Identity,  probably the world's best magazine dedicated to our profession; he produces HiBrand, a first-class international conference in Moscow, and he created the international competition Identity: Best of the Best.

In 2000, with his wife Olga Pourtova as art director, Andrew co-founded the branding company ArtGraphics.ru. He is the author and co-author of more than 30 brand names and over 50 registered logos. As a brand strategist, senior brand consultant or project director he has led branding and identity projects for the Department of Energy of the Russian Federation, AquaVision, Unimilk, Courier Correct, Biosphere Corporation, Ural Steel, Instalsite, Kvartira.ru, Akku-Vertrieb, MIAN, Greenpeace Russia, Jadran, InformZaschita, Bilet-on-line, Optimum Communications, Almaz and many other companies. (See an ArtGraphics portfolio pdf.)

In 2004 Andrew became the publisher and editor-in-chief of Identity branding and design journal, which after its first issue received the accolade of the "The Advertisement and Marketing Debut of the Year in Russia." Identity has a unique market position. In addition to recognizing Russian and other regional brand design work, it publishes programs from the world's leading branding agencies -- Landor, Wolff Olins, Lexicon, Cato Purnell Partners, Pentagram, Lippincott, MetaDesign and others - in greater depth and visual quality than I have seen anywhere.

In 2006-2007, he produced the international conference HiBrand 2007, focused on Non-Standard Brand Strategies, which was recognized by Marketing Management magazine as "Best Сonference in Russia in 2007." I was pleased to speak, among many international colleagues.HiBrand 2008 followed, and HiBrand 2010 is in the works.

Not enough? In 2007 Andrew also launched the first annual international logo and corporate identity competition "Identity: Best of the Best."

To keep busy, Andrew has written dozens of articles about corporate identity and branding in the Russian and foreign news media. He is a member of the board of Russia's branding companies association, and participates regularly as a judge in designers contests in Russia and CIS nations. He attends all the most interesting conferences on branding, marketing and design, and periodically speaks and holds workshops at Russian and international conferences, exhibitions and festivals of marketing, branding, advertising and design. Andrew authored and teaches the course Branding in the British Higher School of Art and Design (Moscow) and Higher School of Economics (Moscow).   Tony Spaeth