Working in my home office amongst the desert landscape is my dream job. But the road to get here was long and full of twists. My formal education is a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Colorado, but I am self-taught in design.

 

I started out freelancing as a print production artist for punk bands doing 7" records. Then I moved on to working for a mixed bag of clients via MacPeople in the Bay Area of northern California. I landed a position at an ad agency in San Francisco. But it was quickly swept away in the dot com bust of the early 2000's. I decided to move to sunny Los Angeles.

 

So I continued to build my skills freelancing at corporate firms, agencies and small design boutiques around LA until I was hired as a junior designer at the Screen Actors Guild.

 

But the 9-5 just wasn't for me.

 

So one night (yes, literally one night I designed a website) I started a company. I named it The Particle Zoo. I made hand-sewed subatomic particle plush toys.

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Within a year, I was on a plane to CERN in Geneva, Switzerland to meet with the director about my hit toys, which included the Higgs boson. In 2009, it was the biggest news in physics. Talk about finding a niche!

 

Working as a solopreneur for 10 years taught me a lot: how to wear all the hats, how to run a small business and... particle physics. While the particle physics might not help me now, I realized that being my own boss was the only way to go. 

 

And because I've had the entrepreneurial spirit all my life, in 2023 I started Julie Peasley Design to help people crystallize their data stories and turn numbers and statistics into engaging visuals.

 

If you are curious, check out some passion projects I have designed and self-published. I have a special interest in mathematics, science and aviation. And, the desert.