Bannu Akkabattula

UI/UX Designer & Front-end Developer

Selected work

staya

Brand direction, launch framing, and a sharper digital presence built to feel editorial, modern, and immediate.

Role Creative direction

Focus Brand systems and launch storytelling

Output Identity rollout, web presence, campaign language

Head of Brand Strategy

2021-2023

I led brand development and marketing communications for Yandex Market, helping grow one of Russia’s fastest-growing e-commerce platforms.

This work contributed to a 180% YoY increase in GMV through data-driven strategies and close cross-functional collaboration.

Our team delivered 20+ national campaigns, launched four DTC private labels across kids, home, FMCG, and tech, expanded the business into fashion, and helped bring to market a fintech BNPL service and 30-minute express delivery.

Creative Director

2018-2021

I led global marketing operations across the US, China, and India for the world-leading diamond mining company.

My role spanned B2C and B2B brand strategy, go-to-market development, and marketing communications, including the launch of four fine jewelry brands in the US market and collaboration with the Natural Diamond Council.

Kudos to the teams of Jane Smith, Laundry service, Mark Preston, Gocream and Hawk Media.

Forbes NY Times Worth Harpers Bazzar American Marketer Jeweler Diamonds World Natural Diamonds.com

Luminous Diamonds, Clio Awards Bronze: Fashion & Beauty Marketing

Diamonds That Care

oh my diamonds

Senior Strategic Planner

2012-2016

Developed and led integrated national campaigns for 30+ global and local brands across retail, tech, telecom, FMCG, and automotive, including IKEA, Nike, Audi, Yandex, KFC, and Pizza Hut.

I also led trend reporting and new business initiatives, contributing to work that was recognized with 100+ awards.

Webby Awards Lovies Awards Clio Epica Eurobest ADCR D&AD Red Dot

Selected projects:

I consult 🤝 collaborate with brands, agencies, and startups 🌎 globally as a fractional marketing 👨🏻‍💻 creative director. I create strategies 🔥 creative solutions that are effective, relevant, and genuinely ❤️ by people.

Indonesia, 2026

Creative & Strategy consulting

A Timeless Love: Diamonds Born from the Earth

In partnership with MarsX Jakarta Agency and Indonesia’s leading jewelry retailer, Frank & Co., I helped create a 360° campaign celebrating timeless love. The campaign redefined the local gifting context for diamonds, showing that natural diamonds are not limited to engagements and weddings.

Featured: Tribun News, Duta, Marketing Interactive
China, 2025

Creative & Strategy consulting

A Moment worth a Carat

The Shanghai Diamond Exchange teamed up with renowned actor and producer Huang Bo to create a campaign centered on emotional moments in the lives of Chinese people. Produced by Ogilvy Shanghai in collaboration with Havas Shanghai, I worked on the project as a strategic consultant.

As seen in Sohu, Cosmo
Russia, 2018

Creative & Strategy consulting

Sberbank Neighborhoods

2017 Cannes Lion Gold Creative Data
2018 D&AD Graphite & WoodPencils
2018 The One Show Gold
2018 Red Dot: Best of the Best

Teaming up with Good Agency, I worked on a campaign for Sberbank that turned vacant storefronts in Russian cities into smart, interactive media spaces. Using data from 80 million customers, 1.2 million businesses, AI, and local feedback, the project delivered tailored recommendations for small businesses and transformed empty spaces into meaningful connections between communities, entrepreneurs, and the bank.
Globally, 2015-2018

Co-creator

Viral stuff

Together with Kolya Fabrika, I created playful side projects that sometimes grew far beyond their original idea — viral worldwide, featured in the global press, and shared by millions.

"Mark Zuckerberg & H&M" and other projects

Featured: Quartz, Mashable, Forbes, GQ, USA Today, AdWeek

I'm excited by the practical side of AI 👨🏻‍💻 development and the way it can turn complex business 💡 challenges into simple, useful 🛠️ tools. I explore opportunities to help 🤝 brands and businesses integrate AI meaningfully from smarter 🧠 customer experiences and internal workflows to creative 🧬 experiments.

Marketing Concepts

Marketing Concepts Library is an interactive learning app that helps people understand key marketing theories and UX principles through simple explanations. The app is built with React, TypeScript, and Vite, with a clean responsive interface powered by Tailwind CSS.
yevtam.com

A static portfolio built with HTML5, CSS3, vanilla JavaScript, and GSAP with SVG morphing transitions, haptic feedback, and theme-adaptive design that doesn't require heavy frameworks.
3D Chess with Robotic Arms

3D chess game built with React Three Fiber, featuring two procedural 6-DOF robotic arms that physically move pieces on the board. The arms use a custom closed-form 2-link IK solver, with phase-based animation, choreographed captures, and full chess rules powered by chess.js. All visuals — board, pieces, and robotic arms — are generated at runtime from Three.js primitives, with no external 3D assets.
AI Chat Assistant

An AI chat assistant powered by OpenAI and integrated with CRM REST API for customer identification and order lookups. The backend parses the YML catalog to generate real-time product recommendations, supports SSE streaming, and runs on FastAPI + Railway with Docker. The result is a responsive website widget that helps customers choose products and check orders without adding support headcount.
staya ai studio

staya ai studio is a Vite + React + TypeScript image editing app designed for branded photo workflows, including dog replacement, human replacement, and environment generation. It supports masking, reference images, before/after comparisons, local gallery storage via IndexedDB, and AI-powered image generation and editing through backend routes connected to Gemini and the OpenAI Image API.