Oona Mäkelä has been chosen to participate in the 2023 Almost Perfect -residence program.
”Hello! I’m Oona, an illustrator and designer from Helsinki. For some years now I’ve worked at my dream job as a freelance creative. I design prints for clothing (and occasionally rubber boots), illustrate book covers and create visual identities for sustainable businesses.
I try to bring something recognisable to my projects by using vivid colors, abstract shapes and playful fonts. I think it’s important to always have something humorous involved, it makes the work more approachable. What brings me inspiration is everyday life and the small details of it. I keep my eyes open wherever I go, I think it’s fun to observe passers by for example. I take walks in the forest everyday with my dog and there is always something interesting to be spotted in the nature.
I hope that this residency will bring me exciting new experiences in the new surroundings and with new people, and that I will take a lot of nice memories with me back home. I hope it will also give me new ideas and approaches to my work, something I didn’t think about before. I’m excited to get to know a new culture and climate and I’m looking forward to be confused and surprised by things. I’m very curious to see how everything goes and I can’t wait to step on the plain to Japan! ”