“I loved painting even as a little Öcher Jong.”

Arndtteunissen: Creativity seems to have been in your blood. So did you always know that you wanted to build your career around it?
Julio: I’ve always liked being creative, and I especially thrived at painting and drawing even as a little Öcher Jong (boy from Aachen). Over the years, my interest kept developing. After our move to Brazil, however, I had to reorient myself for a while. My mother was born there, but I grew up in Germany with my siblings. The South American sun and the sea are wonderful, but the reality is simply completely different. So I first decided to study IT. 

How long did you study in that field?
I actually realised in the second semester that it wasn’t for me. By chance, I then got talking to a fellow student who had seen me constantly drawing during lectures. He told me about the design degree at AESO in Olinda. I took a look straight away and can say: it was love at first sight. So I started a degree in graphic design. 

Which you completed with an interesting project …
Oh yes! It was about the branding and corporate design of a fictitious online shop in the fashion industry. That was a perfect fit, because I love illustrating, and so, besides designing the shop, I was even able to draw the motifs for the products on offer myself. 

And where did you go after university?
Even while studying, I had a part-time job at the largest local advertising agency, “Ampla”, and was hired permanently there straight after graduating. I was part of the digital team, which worked a lot on social media. Our day-to-day work was planning and designing campaigns and user interfaces. I really enjoyed bringing design, illustration and motion together.

What did you take away from your jobs in Brazil?
It’s simply a completely different culture. Accordingly, there are also different constraints. And they are so different that resourcefulness at work often played a decisive role. That of course didn’t just challenge creativity but above all fostered it. So I was able to gather a great deal of experience. 

Until you wanted to change something?
At some point I felt the urge to develop further. But I was already working at the largest agency in the north-east, so there weren’t many opportunities left to learn something new. So I first tried freelancing, but quickly realised that I would rather work in a permanent team again. And I started planning.

Your move to Düsseldorf?
(laughs) Not directly. São Paulo or Rio were also right at the top of the list. Still, I then decided on Germany. I still have family in Aachen and Düsseldorf. It simply feels good to be back home. And it is also an exciting challenge to start my own life here after 14 years and to gain many new experiences along the way.

We are very happy that Julio is now enriching us with his creativity. And every now and then with delicious brigadeiros, too.