How a designer’s frustration shaped Transparent Source’s mockups

The Brand Identity: Transparent Source began with a frustration. Max, a designer with a branding background, kept reaching for mockups in his own work and never found what he wanted. So he built it. Today, the Ukrainian studio is a trio. Max leads art direction, while Bohdana and Stas handle the 3D, bringing a sensibility shaped by years in interior design. Their references lean heavily on fashion still life photography, and the work is colour-graded in Capture One like it’s real photography. In this chat, Max discusses how their ecosystem thinking borrows from Lego, and what it takes for a mockup to add value to the work it carries. TBI Hi Max!

How are things with the team? M Hi Elliott, things are great, thanks. We’re deep in a major update to our platform right now. TBI You started Transparent Source from a branding background. What made you want to start a mockup studio? M I kept needing mockups in my own work and never quite found what I was looking for. There was plenty out there, but I wanted something exceptional and carefully curated, the kind of thing that actually elevates the work it sits inside. So I built it. TBI Transparent Source is built by three of you.

How did you, Bohdana and Stas come together on this? M We were close friends long before the studio, so working together came naturally. Bohdana and Stas have years of experience in interior design and 3D visualisation, and you can really feel that influence in everything we make. TBI How does the division of roles work day to day? M As art director, I shape the mood, tone and direction of each collection. Bohdana and Stas bring it to life through visualisation and 3D. We make every collection for ourselves first. We make every collection for ourselves first. TBI Essential 2 leans into deeper shadows and a cinematic mood.

What pulled you in that direction this time around? M Honestly, we make every collection for ourselves first. We draw a lot from photography, and we felt there was a gap worth filling. The market has a lot of mediocre work in the middle, and we’d rather sit at the edge than blend in. TBI Fashion still life is a recurring reference point for the collections. What is it about that world that you keep coming back to? M Fashion, and fashion photography in particular, is a huge source of inspiration for us. It has decades of creative history behind it, an incredible depth of references to draw from, and a built-in sense of craft and intention.

That sensibility lines up naturally with our premium positioning, where every detail is supposed to feel considered. We chose quality over quantity from day one. We chose quality over quantity from day one. TBI Could you walk us through how a collection comes together, from first idea to final PSD? M It starts with two questions. Is there a real gap we can fill? And, what mood do we want to project? Every collection has a clear vision and a defined source of inspiration, so it tells a story rather than just showing a product. From there, we decide on the views, produce the 3D renders, and go through several rounds of review.

Then comes retouching. We treat every mockup like a piece of photography and do proper colour correction in Capture One. The final step is composing everything in PSD. TBI You talk about your mockups being designed to work together as an ecosystem. Why was it important to build that in from the start? M It’s been the vision from day one. We chose quality over quantity, and so far I think it’s paid off.

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The article discusses a new approach to mockup design that addresses a specific need in the market, making it significant and relevant for design professionals seeking to improve their presentations.