Julie Edwards
Julie Edwards
Graphic Designer / Art Director
Oakland, CA
www.julieedwardsdesigns.com
instagram @julieedwardsdesigns
pinterest
WHAT DO YOU DO?
“I am a Graphic Designer and Art Director specializing in print. ”
While I do love digital, there’s definitely something about the satisfaction of having a tangible object to hold, smell and feel after spending time designing on a screen. For me, print goes further than pixels allowing a designer to choose elements such as paper, ink, and the printing method which adds an entirely new dimension to a project. This is why my focus is on branding, lookbooks, catalogs, stationary, marketing collateral and editorial. I also produce and art direct photoshoots and help brands with their digital marketing and various brand assets.
WHAT STEPS DID YOU TAKE TO GET TO WHERE YOU ARE NOW?
I love learning and have always been super curious which means I’ve dabbled in some sort of creative outlet since I was a kid. When I first became interested in design, I mostly played around with building websites and even hand coded my first site in Notepad! Since then I did an internship in Koln, Germany, graduated with a design degree from San Jose State University, explored surface design where I created prints and patterns for textiles and eventually made my way to where I’m at today. I’m always growing my skills depending mostly on what I’m interested in at the moment.
How do you stand out in your field?
I’m a good mix of both type A and type B personalities which means my clients get the whole package — someone who is both creative and super organized.
WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON RIGHT NOW?
I’m currently working on producing and art directing a photoshoot for the organic bedding company, Coyuchi. I feel extremely lucky to be able to combine my love of interiors with my work so this project is especially fun for me.
WHAT'S YOUR STYLE/PERSPECTIVE/TASTE? DO YOU HAVE A PROJECT THAT REPRESENTS THIS?
I would say that my taste has definitely been evolving into something that is more simple, sophisticated, beautiful and meaningful. I think this also where I’m at in my life personally. I’m really interested in making intentional purchases that have some sort of sustainability aspect to it. I think this is best represented by the Art Direction and print work I’ve done for Coyuchi.
WE ARE ALL SLASHIES WITH MULTIPLE SKILLS, WHICH ONE DO YOU WISH YOU COULD DO MORE OFTEN?
I love working on smaller, independent branding projects within the home, lifestyle and fashion industries. It’s really rewarding helping smaller businesses think through their strategy, positioning and then all the creative to support those ideas. These are also super fun because I’m usually given total creative freedom without a lot of parameters and working within these industries allows me to combine my work with my personal interests.
WHAT IS FRUSTRATING YOU RIGHT NOW?
Feeling like there are so many areas I’d like to explore but not having the time to do it.
IF YOU COULD HIRE SOMEONE FOR $20/HR, WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE THEM DO TO MAKE YOUR DAY EASIER?
Instagram, marketing and the business end of being a freelancer.
LET'S BRING OUT THE TIME MACHINE. WHAT DO YOU WISH YOU COULD HAVE TOLD YOURSELF, WHEN, AND WHY?
I started my career out as a freelancer and wish I had told myself to start as an in-house designer or at an agency so I could learn and develop skills quickly from someone at a senior level.
IF YOU COULD TALK TO AN EXPERT TO GAIN MORE INSIGHT ON SOMETHING, WHAT WOULD IT BE ABOUT?
Right now, I’m super interested in learning about going beyond creating something that is aesthetically pleasing. I want to add more value to what I do which means focusing more on strategy and how my work will achieve the goals of a business. That said, I’d love to pick the brain of a marketing expert who is focused on brand strategy.
WHAT KIND OF OPPORTUNITIES/PROJECTS ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?
Anything related to print! I especially LOVE designing lookbooks and would definitely want to do more of that. I’d also love more branding and Art Directing projects. I’m also not opposed to creating emails, digital ads and other various marketing collateral.
DESCRIBE YOUR IDEAL JOB/CLIENT/COLLABORATION.
If you are a new business within the fashion, home and lifestyle industries, I’d love to help you build out your brand strategy, positioning, identity and photography and continue working with you as you grow your brand. Ideally you would see my role as a collaboration, be super organized and trust my vision.
WHAT IS YOUR HOURLY RATE, RETAINER, OR SALARY RANGE?
I prefer to base my rate by the project so my clients have a good understanding of what the final cost will be. Generally speaking, I determine the cost of a project by figuring out the number of hours I think it would take and multiply that by an hourly rate of $85/hour. If you have an interest in working with me, feel free to email me with a description of your project and I’d be happy to provide an estimate.
HOW SHOULD SOMEONE APPROACH YOU ABOUT WORKING TOGETHER?
Feel free to email me at info@julieedwardsdesigns.com. Be sure to include a description of your project along with how soon you will need it completed. Looking forward to hearing from you!
HOW DO YOU STAY CREATIVE?
Be curious, explore other mediums, travel
This member profile was originally published in x 2018.