If you’re into Spice Girls-era chunky boots, astrology, and ‘90s vibes, you’re in for a treat. Because Aliina Kauranne’s universe loooves all of those things: sky-high platforms, shiny chrome technology, and her beloved Sagittarius, Libras, and Leos. Oh, she also loves her art to have a sense of humour — “My process is building little worlds and characters, I feel that kind of naturally encourages play?” she says in this interview. But don’t think that it’s all fun and games. After graduating from the prestigious Aalto University in Helsinki, the artist and graphic designer has been navigating this world and trying to make sense of who she is. Today, we discuss nostalgia, zodiac signs, and her love for celebrating different seasons.
Hey Aliina, it’s a pleasure to speak with you. The first question is mandatory: what’s your horoscope? Do you feel it represents you?
I’m a triple Sagittarius — sun, moon, and rising. Sagittarius is supposed to be one of the luckiest signs of the zodiac, so that is pretty nice? For me astrology is more like a mirror than a map, something that can help reflect on why I am the way I am.
I asked this because you’ve been preparing a lovely post for each new season. That’s what you’ve been mostly posting on Instagram as of late. How did you come up with the idea?
The idea came up from the need to create a personal project around horoscopes, maybe something that could eventually exist as a printed calendar or a set of posters. I have this old astrology book from the ‘80s (Astrologian Maailma by Lars Johansson). It used to belong to my mother and it’s very dear to me, I like to go through it quite often. That book maybe was my main inspiration with all this! But so, last year I finally had time to start sketching layouts, characters, and the overall mood I wanted for the zodiac series.
Also, I’m a Capricorn, so mine’s next — so excited to see what you come up with! Can you give us any hints?
Capricorns have a magical season with all the holiday energy and the shift into a new year! Since these posts are a personal side project, I don’t usually have tons of time to prepare them far in advance. So the Capricorn one is still in its draft-text stage at the moment, slowly morphing into its visual form over the next weeks.
The Astrologian Maailma book I use for the base information says that the colours for Capricorn are dark green, brown, and black, so I’m going with that on the colour theme for the illustration. The book also says that Capricorn is the most mysterious sign of the twelve zodiac signs. It describes them as naturally charismatic, practical, reliable, and strong leaders.
The Astrologian Maailma book I use for the base information says that the colours for Capricorn are dark green, brown, and black, so I’m going with that on the colour theme for the illustration. The book also says that Capricorn is the most mysterious sign of the twelve zodiac signs. It describes them as naturally charismatic, practical, reliable, and strong leaders.
“For me astrology is more like a mirror than a map, something that can help reflect on why I am the way I am.”
Seasonality influences your work: on Halloween, for example, you did a post of spooky boots. How does the passage of time affect your creativity?
I love seasons, love the celebration of seasons. Also, they are an easy way to assign myself themes for personal projects. Seasons are like little portals in time that we can step into and get a moment away from the mundane.
Back to the shoes, you’ve spoken about the massive impact the Spice Girls had on you growing up. Naturally, those 90s platform boots were on everyone’s wish list. You’ve previously designed models like the Furbyboot, the Alienboot, or the Lavaboot, but this year you also came up with more haunting designs like the Heelzebub or the Castle. What about this specific accessory allows your imagination to fly high?
I love shoes! They can be playful, expressive, sometimes ridiculous in the best way. Maybe it’s the influence of the Spice Girls era. As a kid I wanted to have the big, cool shoes but I have quite sensible parents, so never got them since they really are not the most practical footwear. Maybe that’s why I enjoy illustrating them. The crazier, the better. I hope I would have time to create some sort of Christmas edition, but the end of the year is already quite hectic, so there might not be time for an extra personal project.
Your aesthetic is very ‘90s, and it takes us back to simpler, more naive times. Technology felt more like a dream than the current nightmare we’re immersed in. What about that time, both visually but also socially and culturally, is so inspiring to you?
I don’t know what it is, but something about those ‘90s visuals just tickles my brain, like visual ASMR? There’s something about the shiny chrome, glowing lights, clunky tech, and special effects. Technology back then felt more like a mysterious dream instead of the existential headache it can be now. There’s also a naivety and comfort to the era that maybe draws me into it, a sense of possibility without responsibility.
Besides your art, do you consider yourself a nostalgic person?
I’m not sure… Maybe not? Nostalgia is a nice portal I like to visit visually, but I don’t miss those times in that way or feel the need to linger in past memories. I’m a pretty straightforward, happy-in-the-present kind of person.
Your work is very playful and has a sense of humour. How do you unlock that fun side to you while working in front of a cold screen for hours?
I think humour is a nice way to process things. It creates a sweet contrast to something more serious. I think also that working with 3D graphics has this playful feeling. My process is building little worlds and characters, I feel that kind of naturally encourages play?
You studied at the prestigious Aalto University in Helsinki. How would you say that academic background has contributed to your professional career today?
I think that Aalto gave me a foundation in visual thinking and design discipline, learning how to structure ideas, how to take critique, how to shape a project from start to finish. Even though my work now is maybe more artistic and less pragmatic, I feel that those skills help me organise my thoughts and execute ideas.
After pursuing graphic design, you shifted towards a more artistic, less pragmatic approach to creativity. What did you learn about yourself in that process?
I realised that I don’t thrive in purely functional, problem-solving design. I need emotional space, some room to explore, to be weird. I feel that my best work comes from being honest about what I feel and letting that guide the visuals. I think that once I stopped trying to fit into a ‘correct’ creative mould, everything flowed more naturally.
AI is dividing opinions, and I’d love to know yours since your line of work feels like at risk. What are your thoughts on it? Do you incorporate it into your creative process, or are you thinking about doing so in the near future?
I guess technology has always influenced art, and maybe AI can be a tool like anything else if used thoughtfully. I don’t know. I don’t use AI for visual parts of my work, at this moment I really can’t see any purpose it would serve me. In the zodiac illustrations (and most of the illustrations that use speech), the speech is generated by a free online text-to-speech tool (luvvoice.com) that uses AI-generated voices, so that part of the audio is AI. But that part is also only due to creating projects without any funding. Would love to replace that with real voice actors any day if just possible!
