Olga Severina is an LA-based graphic designer, lecturer, and the founder and curator of a PosterTerritory initiative where she launches poster exhibitions focused on contemporary social, political, and environmental issues.
Olga Severina studied Art and Visual Communication at Kharkiv State Academy of Arts and Design (Ukraine) — a school with rich artistic traditions that have their roots in Russian avant-garde and Ukrainian easel painting. She received a Bachelors's and Master's degrees in Graphic Design and holds a Ph.D. in Visual Arts.
During her studies, she became involved with The 4th Block — an International Environmental Poster Exhibition named after nuclear reactor number 4, which was destroyed in the Chernobyl disaster. This project became a crucial milestone in Olga Severina's development as an artist because it exposed her to some of the most influential works in contemporary graphics and poster art.
In 2004 Olga began her career as a graphic designer for the publishing house Personalities where she was later promoted to art director. Together with her design work, Olga continued working on contemporary poster exhibitions and in 2006 she became The 4th Block’s chief exhibition curator. In that same year, she began studying for her Ph.D. and writing articles for design magazines where she examined the contemporary poster genre and its effect on the fabric of modern society.
While writing her dissertation, she became an Associate Instructor at Kharkiv State Academy of Arts and Design, where she taught Design and Visual Thinking. In that class, she explored with her students the latest trends in environmental graphics and multimedia designs and launched a student eco-projects as a satellite exhibit for The 4th Block poster competition.
In 2010 Olga Severina moved to Los Angeles, where she began curating environmental poster exhibits while working as an art director for a design studio.
In 2011 Olga founded the PosterTerrritory initiative — a multimedia platform for international graphic design campaigns. The driving force behind this project is her sincere belief that a truly compelling poster has the power to change the world.
Her latest poster campaign Stand With Ukraine is dedicated to the innocent victims of the war, perpetrated by Russia. A few of her other projects are The World After (2020), Biophilia Poster Competition (2020), The World According to Love (2019), and Bauhaus 100 (2019).
Olga Severina serves on a jury of a variety of international poster competitions in the United States, Canada, Poland, Italy, China, and Iran. As an artist, Olga frequently takes part in international poster competitions and design events that celebrate creative excellence in contemporary graphic arts.
Olga Severina is a recipient of Graphis Gold and Silver Awards for Protest Poster 2023 (USA), Graphis Silver Award for Poster Annual 2022, 1st place award at COW International design festival (Ukraine), an Honorable Mention in Graphis Design Annual 2021, and a Special Diploma from the International Eco-Poster Triennial The 4th Block (Ukraine).