Julia is the design practice of Valerio Di Lucente (Rome) and Erwan Lhuissier (Paris). Founded in London in 2008, the practice specialises in graphic and spatial design working across the cultural landscape for leading art and design institutions, as well as within the private sector for forward-thinking brands and individuals. For us, design is building a narrative that brings together ideas and we favour a close dialogue with client and partners, taking part in processes at an early stage before any design is involved. In the field of cultural events we have pushed to take our ideas to spatial design, leading to the studio previously acting as the art directors of the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London (2012–2017) and currently acting as art directors of Publics, a curatorial agency in Helsinki, and leading the exhibition design and identity for the Italian Pavilion at the 56th Venice Biennale. Our love affair with publishing has seen us become the art directors and designers of Elephant magazine (2011-2014), develop the signage and catalogues for exhibitions at the V&A in London, design books for Phaidon, Sternberg Press and MIT, and create typefaces for Wallpaper magazine. Parallel to this, education is at the forefront of our practice and we have lectured at the Royal College of Art and IUAV in Venice. Designing is as much about process as it is about result, therefore collaboration is at the core of our discipline. Dialogue drives our process and we believe that the result of a project should be something that neither party could have achieved or anticipated on its own. We are passionate about the physicality of design and have close personal relationship with leading manufacturers, developers, and specialists to ensure that the highest level of execution is realised.
