From Fine art to UI/UX design

I have always been in the visual field. My first job as an illustrator was when I was in high school, illustrating a book for a poet. That was my first step into professional creative work, and since then, I've been doing all kinds of visual work. Right after finishing high school I got my first graphic design project. I was asked to design the visual identity for a small local music festival, including all promotional materials. It was quite a learning experience because at that time I was also teaching myself Adobe programs. I didn’t know anything about vector graphics or print-ready files, but somehow I managed to get through it, and nowadays I can finally say it was a great lesson.

For many years, I worked as an illustrator, graphic designer, and visual artist, creating book covers, album art, advertising graphics, logos, magazine illustrations, layouts, and infographics. I also received several artist grants (eg. from JOKES, Taike, Kuvittajat etc.) to make my own free art and develop my own expression. I was expanding my skills, but there was still one area I hadn’t explored, aand that was coding. Until one day, I decided to apply for a coding bootcamp at AW Academy. I had attended a few virtual events by Mimmit Koodaa (a Finnish community for women in tech) and was inspired. The bootcamp was tough. Only 3% of applicants get in, and the selection process included logic tests, interviews, and recommendations from others. But I made it, and that was the real start of my story in tech.

During that summer I learned coding for the first time, focusing on C#, but we also covered many other tools in software development. It was an intense experience but it was worth it, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. After the bootcamp, I got my first job as a UI/UX designer at Fujitsu, where I also worked with low-code tools like OutSystems and PowerPlatform.

Nowadays

What I’ve realized is that being both a visual artist and a UI/UX designer is not only possible, but it’s a perfect combination. The skills I developed as an artist have helped me understand UI/UX design much better. In UI/UX, user research is vital. You need to be empathetic and able to understand others’ perspectives. Being a naturally empathetic person, it’s easy for me to listen, observe, and ask the right questions to get to the heart of what people need. If you know me, you probably know I ask a lot of questions because I’m just really curious about all kinds of things.

In hindsight, expanding into UI/UX design was a natural progression even if it did not feel like it at the beginning, while I was horrified of what have I gotten myself into! I already knew the psychological effects of colors, compositions, and typography. I was also familiar with many of the design tools, and I quickly learned new ones by finding similarities in them. I understand how colors interact with each other and how they can enhance a brand’s visibility. Also, being a visual designer myself, I can create illustrations, logos, and other graphic materials if needed.

Another thing I see as an advantage to UI/UX career, is my business education. I have a degree in Business Administration (BBA), which has given me an extra skill in how to combine visual needs with business goals. This has been very useful in my career, and I believe it will continue to be increasingly important. Today, we all know that having just a beautiful design doesn’t make a good product. It has to be functional and meet both users’ needs and business’ needs.

Group Exhibition “Muotoja Luonnosta” opening at Grafia’s Luonnnos Gallery Helsinki. March 2023.

In the foreground of the picture is one fabric pattern I have designed, from the series of “Rhodophyta”

Photo by Sanni Riihimäki