Maria Jose Campos

About me

I am Maja (pronounced Ma-ya, short for María José) a UX and Visual Designer with over 10 years of experience, and a background in animation and illustration. Born and raised in Lima, Peru, I'm now based in Aarhus, Denmark.

I design to understand the world a little better — helping teams turn complexity into clarity through empathy, structure, and story. I love working closely with teams, building shared understanding and growing scalable ideas together.

I love Harry Potter, Studio Ghibli, Pokémon, eating popcorn and brownies.

Masters in Children’s Literature, Media & Culture (University of Glasgow, Aarhus University & University of Wrocław) ·

Classical Animation (Vancouver Film School) ·

BA in Audiovisual Communication (Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú)

Worked in animation, illustration, and storytelling for education and culture for 7 years.

Illustrated over 12 books, developed original animated IPs, and had films screened at international festivals, earning multiple awards.

Designed UX/UI for startups and digital tools across Latin America.

Led 0→1projects shaping indigenous language apps and MVPs for micro-businesses in fast-moving creative markets.

Independent designer with 4+ years, working with global agencies and brands.

Currently focused on B2B and enterprise UX for clients such as Henkel, Danfoss, and Nordea. I develop strategies that connect design, business goals, and regional structures.

“Maja brings a rare blend of conceptual thinking, design thinking, technical interest and human insight into every project she touches.”

Lerke Christoffersen

Head of Brand, Frankly

How I work

I start by listening, learning what the project is really about and who it’s for. Then I shape structure and story into something people can follow and feel, and finally refine the details.

My work is guided by empathy, curiosity, and craft — connecting ideas, teams, and systems in simple, human ways.

I work mainly with tools like Figma, Adobe Creative Suite, Notion, and AI-assisted systems. I seek to use technology thoughtfully to support creativity, not replace it.

Check my services

What is that cute doodle?

The little head with hands is my curious signature avatar — always exploring, always learning.

It reminds me that good design starts with play and wonder, that it can be obsessive, joyful and full of surprises.

The simplest and clearest ideas often grow out of chaos.

Animated Stories

Before doing UX and design strategy, I worked in animation and storytelling. These were award-winning short films and visual experiments that taught me how emotion, rhythm, and clarity connect.

Here are a few of my favorite projects from that time.