Introducing: Inside the Team, a new content series where we pull back the curtain on the talented individuals who make up our Not selling liquid team. Getting to know them for the brilliant people they are, not just the work they do.
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An integral part of the creative team, Julie has been working at Not selling liquid for over three years. Creative, calm, and composed, Julie’s presence in the team is a grounding one.
“When I reflect back on my own journey, it feels like it went here, there, and everywhere, but now I have a sense of alignment and things really coming together. From a career standpoint and the hobbies and interests I have, there’s a sense of excitement about what’s to come. I feel as though i’m on a good path.”
Can you tell us about the start of your career?
My Bachelor's was in “Lifestyle Studies” (in Tilburg), a broad name for a broad study, but it was really interesting. A mixture of business and creative, where the focus was on creating products for brands to enhance people’s lives. A sort of practical trendwatching, sociological approach to business, which I really enjoyed but when I graduated, I didn’t really know in which direction to go. I decided to apply to companies I liked and find a role to move me along. I ended up at Daily Paper, working as one of their first customer service people.
And that’s where you met Fedde? (One of the founders of NSL)
Yes, he was their Head of E-commerce and since Daily Paper had quite a small team at the time, it was quite common that you’d end up helping out other teams. I had some graphic design experience, so I would help out with some Photoshop things. Since I was in the customer service team, it meant that I also approached the design stuff with a customer’s experience in mind – which is funny looking back, since that’s what I grew into doing full-time later on.
But I didn’t want to stay in customer service and felt I had more to learn, so I went back to study a Master's in Fine Art at St. Joost. A totally different world, super creative, very freeing. My previous study was far more business-oriented orientated and this allowed me to throw myself fully into creativity. That’s where I got into 3D design and improved my design skills, which made me more confident to apply for a role as a Junior Designer at NSL after my Master’s.
From Junior Designer to a recent promotion as Senior Designer, that’s quite some growth! How have you evolved into this new role?
Of course a lot of it is to do with a lottttt of practice and experience. But a promotion isn’t just about doing what you have already done, but better. By becoming a “Senior” Designer, I’m also really excited to be the support and guidance for my team, as well as evolving myself more in a new role. My own journey hasn’t been linear, and I want to be part of helping shape other people’s journeys and their approach to design.
I approach UX design in a way that really commits to telling the brand story. I don’t necessarily mind what the product is - I can go from haute couture with Viktor&Rolf to Bamboo Basics underwear in one day - the most important thing for me is to make sure I’m enhancing the brand identity with the website I’m designing.
What does a typical day look like for you?
I like to take my mornings slow with a personal routine. Then, when I’m in the office, I’ll check Asana and my tasks. As part of my role change, I’m now also responsible for checking in with my team mates to see how they’re doing, if there’s anything I can assist them with. I also quite like having focus and working on one project. Recently, we finished the Fabienne Chapot website, which was a really big project and very aligned with how I like to design websites. I think we did a really good job of showcasing the updated brand identity in a way that’s creative and commercial.
Let’s step away from our work world, you’re someone with many interests and hobbies. Tell us a bit about your other creative outlets.
I have my own jewellery brand called Synaesthetic. It’s a passion project that came organically from my study, where I learnt how to use Blender and started designing without purpose. A friend of mine at the time suggested I use 3D design to bring my digital designs to life, so I gave it a go. It’s very much a playful creative expression – right now it’s jewellery, but it could be furniture, sculptures, it could evolve into anything, I just want to make sure I keep having fun with it.
How would you like Synaesthetic to evolve?
Aside from keeping it fun, I would also love to host workshops and incorporate what I’m doing in my role as Senior Designer to bring guidance and support to other creatives. It would be nice to see what I thought were separate worlds, like my work and hobby, coming together in this way. The fact that it’s a “public” brand makes me stay accountable and direct my focus towards it, because I have a lot of ideas but don’t always follow through with execution...
With my studies and interests, I like being open and fluid - I’ve never really attached too deeply to anything which means I can explore and not be afraid to try things. I had a teacher tell me during my Master's, “just keep making, making, making, that’s where the learning is. Don’t be busy with the outcome, but the process” and things will evolve out of that.
And when you’re not working or busy with Synaesthetic, what does an ideal Sunday look like for you?
I find movement very important, so I’d start with that. The sun would be shining, obviously, the sun is a necessity for a perfect day. So I’d sit in the park with a coffee, write some stuff down, take it easy. Some creative moment would feature, like making a flower arrangement or something with my hands - I just try to avoid my laptop as much as possible in the weekends. Then I’d go to church and spend quality time with family and friends. Simple pleasures.