Article - Future/People: Juha Kinnunen

Juha Kinnunen

Age: 23

Mob: Ngarrindjeri

Location: Meanjin (Brisbane)

Creative Type: Design student @ QCA, emerging designer, freelancer

Identifiers: He/him, legally blind epileptic

Juha Kinnunen

Tell us about yourself.

I grew up surrounded by nature, and from an early age, I was drawn to art and the natural world. My parents were both artists, and their parents before them, but they were traditional artists, while my own art practice involved technology and the digital tools that were emerging during my childhood.

What pushes you to keep creating?

To be honest, it’s my personal ambition and desire to be the best that keeps me going. I have always pushed myself to do good, and even more, I’m always trying to do better than before. I love learning, and I love improving, and it’s these factors that fuel my drive for excellence.

What was the last thing that inspired you?

I find I’m more often inspired by people rather than their work.

Vincent Namatjira is someone whose inspired me recently. His practice involves creating caricatures of symbols of power, like politicians or wealthy business magnates. Some people call his work naïve, and others call it sobering, but Vincent says he ‘paints the world as he sees it,’

What matters to you?

I think the thing that matters the most is finding what works for you and sticking to your guns. Many times in my life now, I’ve had people who try to push their way of doing things onto me, creative work or otherwise, and it can feel limiting and suffocating. In my work, I try to do things my way—sticking to what works for me, and respecting what works for other people, and because I work this way, I feel I can reach my full potential.

There’s a lot happening around the world right now — what are some social causes that drive you?

I think there’s a growing trend towards mindful and inclusive thinking, especially in all areas of design.

As a legally blind person myself, I know well what bad design that excludes people looks and feels like, so for my part, I try to ensure that every design I create is equitably accessible for anyone and everyone.

Describe your creative process.

The most important part of my process is coming up with an idea, and so the ideation for that idea is often where most of my effort goes. On the other hand, there’s nothing I love more than to finally jump into making and creating the final outcome, which is the point where most of my time goes.

Are you a headphones on or off type worker?

I would definitely say I’m both. When I’m thinking or focusing, I need absolute silence with no distractions of any kind, but when I am creating work that I am already set on what’s happening from Point A to Point B, then my headphones will be on full blast—usually to Gorillaz or Fleetwood Mac.

Does inclusivity and accessibility factor into your designs?

Yes—1 in every 4 people is visually impaired. That’s a lot of people, and yet things like CAPTCHA’s and rigid user interfaces still present barriers to many of these people. I try my best as a designer to include these people, as often when design is inclusive, everyone wins.

Reflecting on the current state of the design industry, how could it change for the better?

I think that the most reductive part of the creative industry is the equating of experience to value. There’s no good reason that a junior graphic designer should be paid less than that of a senior designer for the same amount and quality of work. In my career, I always want to firmly ensure I am paid equally for my own level of work, and in doing so, I hope I can encourage others like me to do the same.

What challenges have you faced as an emerging designer/creative, and how have you overcome them?

The creative industry is perhaps the most populous and oversaturated industry to delve into. It’s difficult to stand out and present new skills and ideas in a field dominated with practitioners of all sorts of varying ability. I think designers need to be taught how to enter the creative industry just as much as how to thrive within it, or else they will fall flat, and fall hard.

In the same vein, what frustrates you about the industry right now?

It’s no secret that design and the arts can be very elitist, encapsulating the hoarding of knowledge and the perceived superiority to other artists.

This has been true for time immemorial, but I think this is quickly changing now that art is becoming more educated and more openly practiced by more people. As someone who wants to be an educator myself, I want to be a part of making art more accessible.

Can you discuss a project that significantly impacted you?

I recently had the pleasure of creating this year’s Indigenous Broadcasting Report layout. This project was especially important for my growth as a designer, as I learned many different skills involving typesetting and layout design, but more importantly, I was first exposed to many inclusive design practices, like pdf tagging and alt text, which have now become fundamental considerations for me when designing any project.

Personal values and industry demands can sometimes cause friction.

I have always told myself that I will not do something I’m not proud of. So far, I have only engaged with people and with work that I knew would align with my core values as a person and designer.

This might hamper my career, but I would rather that than to know that didn’t stay true to my values.