Meet Julia Kamppari | Brand Designer & Digital Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Julia Kamppari and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Julia, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I think a big reason why I’ve always been drawn to a creative career is that it’s filled with project oriented opportunities— projects that have a beginning and an end. Whether it be in fashion (designing a collection for example), or in brand design (crafting a visual identity for a brand), I love the process of bringing a vision to life and all the stages in between. It’s so fulfilling to see something evolve from concept to reality. I tend to get inspired and excited pretty easily, but on the flip side it sometimes means I get bored fast too, which is why I love having a creative career that allows me to continuously feel inspired and keep trying something new. Another reason I’ve followed a creative path in my career choices is I’ve loved being crafty and artsy since I was a little kid. Art was always my favourite subject in school, whether it was sculpting with clay, painting or drawing, so having a creative career feels like the most natural choice.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I think the common theme with most of my brand design projects and digital art is a sense of playfulness and femininity with a sprinkle of nostalgia. I find a lot of my inspiration from the past decades, and I’m really drawn to vintage photography (Slim Aarons is my favourite) and vintage magazines and ads. With that being said, I get most excited about clients who come to me for my design style, and projects that align with my personal taste, always keeping in mind the project goal and target audience of course.

I’m currently focusing on brand design and digital art projects, but I actually started my creative career in fashion. I went to FIDM to study Product Development with the goal of starting my own clothing line. I launched a collection of high end bodysuits made from stretchy bamboo fabric in 2017, called Eve & Lion. I designed and produced everything here in LA with a very specific image for the brand in mind (can you guess?—inspired by vintage fashion editorials, of course). Through my journey with my own fashion brand, I realised I was more in love with creating the story and image for the brand, rather than creating the clothing itself. In hindsight, I should’ve delegated better instead of trying to do everything on my own.
About a year or two in, still mainly working on Eve & Lion, I gradually began working with other brands on their creative direction, art direction and branding as well. I slowly realised that working on various projects may be a better fit for me rather than focusing solely on my own brand. I say “slowly”, because I initially felt some friction about the idea of not following my original, carefully mapped out plan for my clothing brand. I had mixed feelings about dividing my attention between my own brand and others’, but I had to be honest with myself, and that meant facing the fact that being in charge of design, sourcing, production, creative direction and fulfilling orders all by myself was simply too much, and that I needed to step away, take a break, and re-evaluate. Working with other brands on their projects was a perfect opportunity to take a breather while still remaining creative and inspired.

Fast forward to 2022, I now focus on creating visual brand identities for brands mainly in the lifestyle, fashion and beauty industries, and creating digital art such as album covers for artists like Juulia and Sinéad Harnett, and custom artwork for companies like Free People (one of my favourite artwork projects from 2021 was creating their horoscope themed Holiday e-gift cards).

A few lessons I’ve learned so far in my creative career journey are: prioritise and delegate if needed—don’t feel like you have to do everything yourself (let go of the need to control everything!) Have a plan, but remain curious and open to new opportunities—the opportunities for creatives are truly endless!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would divide the itinerary in to themes; 1) Feeling Boujie, 2) Organic Core, 3) Namaste. I would then make a list of options under each theme so I could present my friend with different options based on the vibes we’re looking to catch that day. Feeling Boujie would include things like having brunch at the Beverly Hills hotel, followed by a stroll down Rodeo Drive. It could also include some shopping and maybe dinner and drinks at Nobu Malibu or any of LA’s new upscale restaurants. The Organic Core theme would probably be a natural selection after one or two Feeling Boujie days. I’m thinking green juice and a protein smoothie from Erewhon or Whole Foods to balance out the cocktails and dinners, and maybe the Farmer’s Market to explore local vendors and to fill up the fridge with delicious and healthy options for the days ahead. I also feel like adding Silver Lake to the Organic Core makes sense, so maybe a casual walk around the neighbourhood exploring shops and restaurants, and a walk around the reservoir as well. The Namaste theme could include an overnight stay at a peaceful Topanga AirBnB, surrounded by nature or a small alpaca farm. It could also include doing some goal setting and journaling on a beach in Malibu until the sun sets, or going to an invigorating pilates class in Sherman Oaks or Weho.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
This question made me pause for a bit because there’s actually so many people, books, and even organizations that deserve a shoutout. Besides my incredibly supportive friends, creative colleagues, and books like Big Magic and The War of Art (and so many other books), and of course my family (thank you mom and dad for always supporting my endeavours!) I think I’d like to give a special shoutout to my best friend Juulia Vuojala and my school FIDM (the two are unrelated). Beginning with Juulia first: besides sharing a name, we like to joke that we share a brain as well. She’s a singer and songwriter from my home country of Finland, so she understands the challenges that come with a creative career, and she’s able to provide insightful thoughts and viewpoints whenever I’m faced with something I’m not sure about, much beyond the career stuff as well. She’s encouraged and pushed me more times that I can count, and I’m so incredibly grateful for our friendship. She’s a night owl, which works great with 10 hour time difference, allowing us to spend hours on the phone every week, sometimes multiple days in a row.

I also think FIDM (Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising) deserves a shoutout. FIDM is where I was introduced to the process of creativity beyond just creating pretty things, but more so creating with intention, with a specific goal or target audience in mind. It’s also where I was introduced to Adobe programs, specifically Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, which have become vital every day tools for me as a brand designer and digital artist.

Website: www.juliakamppari.com

Instagram: juliakamppari

Image Credits
Rick Gustafson Ana Tanaka Ricky Alvarez