Julia Fernandez

ACADEMY OF ART UNIVERSITY

Julia Fernandez is an interdisciplinary designer, engaging content creator, and vulnerable speaker. She is completing her undergraduate degree on a full-ride Presidential Scholarship awarded by the Young Filipino Professionals Association. Last July, Julia was selected by AIGA to present her portfolio in the first virtual AIGA Portfolio Festival before 1,000+ people, where it gained considerable praise. She recently finished a Product Design Internship at SuperFriendly Co. and will the crossroads of branding, marketing, and product design at an internship at Wish. Julia is co-founder of Students of UXD, an online design community making the world of humancentered design more human. At her core, she is a passionate design conversationalist — and she hopes to help demystify the design industry by hosting panels and documenting her journey from student to professional in her Youtube web series #DesignDiaries.

WHERE WERE YOU BORN AND WHERE DO YOU LIVE NOW?

Born in Mandaluyong, Philippines, based in the San Francisco Bay Area, raised as a Third Culture Kid in Shanghai and Jakarta

STUDYING ON CAMPUS OR ONLINE?

Online

MORNING PERSON OR NIGHT OWL?

Depends if finals are in the equation

FAVORITE MOVIE?

The Great Dictator (1945), Charlie Chaplin

FAVORITE BINGE WATCH?

The Office and The Twilight Zone

FAVORITE SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM?

Instagram!

FAVORITE PODCAST?

My Favorite Murder and Technically Speaking

FAVORITE FINE ARTIST?

If Vincent Van Gogh, Frida Kahlo and Salvador Dali had a love child…

FAVORITE BOOK?

The Little Prince

FAVORITE CHARITY/CAUSE?

Gawad Kalinga, meaning to ‘give care’, is a Philippines-based movement that aims to end poverty by first restoring the dignity of the poor

FAVORITE FREE TIME ACTIVITY DURING THE PANDEMIC?

Propagating my ever expanding houseplant jungle

HAVE THE CHALLENGES OF 2020 CHANGED HOW YOU THINK ABOUT GRAPHIC DESIGN AND DESIGNERS?

This year has taught me that there are no more excuses for ignorant design, that design holds more power than ever, and that designers have the responsibility to become informed as well as skilled. This is a reason why I co-founded Students of UXD, with topical events ranging from LGBTQ+ UX to Racism in UX.

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