Meet JOELLA: Your New Favorite Designer
Written by Erin Norton
All images courtesy of JOELLA
Meet JOELLA, an independent creative based in Darramuragal Country/Sydney whose designs and infectious personality deserve all the love and the highest of platforms. in this interview dwg and joella talk getting in the mindset to create, food culture, the influence of the internet on her work, and play a fun game of either/or. read now!
Q1: If you could describe your design work in three words, what words would they be?
Curious. Alive. Intimate.
Q2: What project are you the most proud of?
I am most proud of the opportunities, interviews and articles I have been able to produce as a writer for Demure Magazine and producer/radio host at fbi radio. The empowering communities of creatives and dedicated individuals that facilitate both independent organisations, and the opportunities and experiences I have gained because of them, have enriched my life more than I can put into words. Being able to feature and delve into the practices of artists such as singer Molly Nilsson, fashion designer Alix Higgins, choreographer Alisdair Macindoe and many Australia-based emerging artists, has given me a newfound appreciation for the importance of the arts and reminded me that your passions are a worthy pursuit. Also, getting to work with friends is always the best, like covering Australian Fashion Week with my friend Izzy Feek or designing my friend Maia Toakley’s single cover/merch for her song Pessimist Babe – made my heart so full <3
Q3: How do you get into the mindset to create?
A few ways:
Firstly - Ask myself why? Then ask why not [even have it tattooed].
Going for a really long walk.
Being amongst people; people are really great and we should get to know them more.
Sifting through the notes app.
Being bored.
If I’m ready with my laptop, then a few drinks by my side, my phone in another room and someone else's playlist coming through my noise cancelling headphones.
Q4: Do you prefer to have a set routine or do you like to create sporadically?
This is something that constantly changes and I like to think of what I do as“ controlled chaos”. I often operate in a very Type A organised and detail-oriented manner...I love writing lists, creating maps, spreadsheets, indexes and so on but creative work needs time to stew and air out. My writing often begins in my notes app and my design work as a mixed media collage of screenshots, songs and earmarked points of inspiration. I like to let the initial idea sit before then iteratively creating something, often working deep into the night - I find myself somewhat hopeless before 3pm. The most important part, however, is that writing and design are practices that need to be practised so either way you have to hold yourself accountable to create something while the idea is still ripe.
Q5: Tell us more about your interest in food culture! I grew up in a family owned restaurant, so I understand how identity and food are so intrinsically linked. Some of your work is for food and beverage brands! Do you see yourself doing more work in that industry moving forward?
That’s so cool that you grew up in a family-owned restaurant; the smells, stories and the people-watching - I can only imagine!
Food is a love language and a highly contentious topic for myself. Going grocery shopping with someone is a deep form of love but sharing a kitchen stirs up some form of ungodly anger - it’s another side of myself I show to only those I love.
The work I’ve done in food and beverage brands has always centred around amplifying and celebrating the moments that surround food. Food is an invitation, a love letter, a ritual, a hope, a fuel, a story and a form of pleasure. The word itself is unable to capture the totality of all that it represents and I find analysing the contextual factors that go into people’s food choices most interesting. You can almost treat it like non-linear reading, especially when considering heritage, history, values and food as a product of place. The intersection of food culture with the art and design world, has recently been amplified, altering the status of food in material, spatial and digital relationships. We eat with our eyes to the point it often becomes a visual language of societal factors, rather than an embodied experience. In that sense, when designing for food, it is about full immersion - considering every step of the consumer process and manipulating the design so that it is viscerally and perceptually satisfying.
Q6: Do physical mediums such as painting, fiber arts, collaging etc inform your design work? Vice versa: how does the internet play a part in your work?
When I was younger I used to love physical mediums such as collecting magazines aka Tavi Gevinsons Rookie, stickers, notebooks and postcards – nothing hits quite like a collaged summer bucket list or mood board. Nowadays, physical mediums are my most vital form of inspiration and education; books, gig posters, contemporary galleries, indie magazines, flyers, records and packaging are tenfold richer than any Pinterest board because they are lived in. Despite this, I find my work still mostly resides in the digital space.
The internet. Damn. I mean I hate AI and creative dependence on Instagram as a promotional platform but the internet has recently become a much larger part of my work and is something I am investigating under my project TIAMO; The Internet Ate Me Out.
An article I originally published on Substack , and recently featured in Booker Magazine, R U LIKE IN LUV W THE INTERNET?! addresses ideas of ‘internet intimacy’ and ‘digital sobriety’ by personifying the internet as a ‘partner' and framing our online engagement as a form of addiction due to the psychological urges associated with technological usage. As partners, our devices serve as daily reminders of what it means to perform humanity. They act as externalised memory banks, containing fragments of ourselves to such an extent that we might question whether we exist alongside or within the “skin” of our devices. It is an intimate relationship in itself, as if our devices hold the character of something close to 'human' - bodiless but something. Forever inspired by Maya Man, Mindy Seu, VNS Matrix and oh this quote“ Remember this the next time you fall asleep to a TikTok playing on an endless loop: one day your heart will stop beating. The only thing that’s eternal is love.” by Catherine Shannon
Q7: What inspired you when you first started creating, in any of your mediums, and what inspires you now?
It’s hard to think when I first started creating but a throughline in inspiration has always been the documentation of the process and ‘proof of existence’ things; ballet rehearsals or cooking shows or whatever moments I’d catch on my walks. I love to look at excerpts of“ mundanity" especially from photographers like Martin Parr, the Fujimara Family or Sophie Calle, or people’s love/hate lists haha. Being in“ liminal spaces” like in trains, food courts or servo stops also offers inspiration because of their unexpected and somewhat overlooked nature.
I could also rattle off a list of specific albums, paintings and books etc that I always return to but fear that’d be too long but as a random collection: my friends - live music - amy taylor - late night essentials by caitlin harnett & the pony boys - packaging in Japan - desnudo de mujer by joaquín sorolla - ittetsu matsuoka - dance[ing] - patti smith - graphic design in South Korea & Taiwan - pixy liao - ocean - coffee.
Q8: What advice would you tell yourself when you first began doing design?
You don’t have to pick a discipline or have a style. Your work will be ugly. You will not work well if you don’t live a life. All work and no play makes not only you dull but your work too. Get outside, go touch some grass...oh and also back ya self [still learning that one]
Either/or questions! (thought these would be fun and cutesy!!)
Q9: RGB or CMYK?
CMYK - Keep print alive!!
Q10: Adobe Illustrator or InDesign?
InDesign.
Q11: Pinterest or Spotify?
Spotify [Bandcamp].
Q12: Analog photography or Digital?
Analog photography - there is nothing like the beauty of nostalgia and bruise of memory that arises when flipping through a family album.
Q13: Vinyl, CD, or Cassette?
CDs specifically the albums Diorama, Jagged Little Pill, The Secret Life Of… and my best friend Grace's 2008 Party Mix.
Q14: Junk Journal or Bullet Journal?
Junk journal - the perfectionism of a bullet journal became just another task I had to do.
