Julie Chow

This is a tattoo work Julie designed using Adobe Illustrator. It was inspired by cultural elements such as the frame, and the two butterflies from Chinese myth, Butterfly Lovers. The reason she chose this design was because she wanted to have something personal relating to family and culture. 

These three icons were designed based on Japantown sweets to share its culture. She chose three sweets: dango, mochi donuts, and mochi and manju from different stores.  The manju is based on a famous and old store in Japantown named Benkyodo. It was in remembrance of the over 100 year store that closed down that year. 

Julie created this book in dedication of the designer of choice. She was inspired by a traditional Japanese manga book layout from right to left. The cover and spreads have koi fishes as a motif because it represents courage and perseverance. The koi fishes guide the the reader of which direction to read from and to.

Julie created this zine to share her cultural background’s traditional clothing. Through this, I hoped to share knowledge of a fashion that’s important to me and my interest. The zine is an 8-page booklet designed by me using cultural aesthetics. For typography, I chose a font that resembled calligraphy writing.

This project is a magazine article about a typography found in Japantown’s snack stores. She took photographs and wrote a bit about the chosen stores. The booklet has 5 spreads and for the typography, She wanted to incorporate the Japanese calligraphy, letters, and their writing style from top to bottom.

This is a portfolio website project that Julie designed, structured, and coded featuring some of her design works. She designed the layout of her color scheme, drew her logo, and coded the navigation system for her website.

This is a project where Julie developed a hypothetical benefit program that is inspired by a cause that is important to me which is promoting Chinese culture, entertainment, and works. I plan out and curate the program and events, and then build the corresponding website and drew out my merchandise. 

Julie planned and coded a net art zine based on SF Japantown’s annual Cherry Blossom Festival. She created the background gif resembling the falling cherry blossoms and chose the color scheme of it. She wanted to highlight activities there, and the cultural significance of this large yearly festivity. 

Julie conceptualized and created the brand Baome, a unique product featuring a heatable bao plush. She was involved in every aspect of the brand’s development, from initial concept to final execution. 

Julie developed the brand identity for her project, Lunae Cafe. She was responsible for the entire creative concept, which included the design of the logo, packaging, and mockups. Additionally, she created all of the illustrations, contributing to the distinctive visual style and overall aesthetic of the brand. 

Julie designed a dim sum clay project for her senior thesis in honor of her grandmother. She incorporate grief analysis and resources into a restaurant system with menu sheets, receipts, and cards. This explores themes of memory, loss, and cultural tradition through the lens of shared meals and familial connection.