UN/SEEN
The SEEN – Around the World Symposium is a three-day
event dedicated to showcasing the typographic work of
women and non-binary individuals from across the globe.
Claire Johnson
Claire Johnson is a graphic designer, creative director, and
artist based in Cape Town, South Africa. She holds a BA
in Visual Communication and a Postgraduate Diploma in Fine Art
with a focus on New Media. Claire is one of the founding
members of Hoick, a creative and consulting studio
specializing in conceptual corporate identity. The studio
collaborates with clients across art, design, hospitality,
and architecture, offering services in creative direction,
typographic systems, graphic language development, and
design-led web solutions.
How would you describe your profile as a creative?
Claire sees design as something that happens in
conversation, whether with clients, collaborators,
or institutions. It’s a shared process. In contrast,
she sees art as more personal and quiet, a way to
express something internal. For her, the two areas
balance each other out. Making art helps her relax
from busy client work, and design helps her stay
connected to people and the world. She often finds
the best ideas in unexpected places, in small details
or overlooked aspects of a project. Her process always
starts by observing, asking questions and slowly
understanding what the project wants to become.
How do you approach a new project ?
Every project starts with understanding the brief,
the context and the people involved. Claire spends
a lot of time researching, both the outside world
(the audience, the setting, the bigger picture) and
her own inner interests or questions. Writing helps
her clarify what the project is really about. Once
the concept feels solid, she starts the design process,
always with care and intention.
Where do you draw your inspiration from?
Claire avoids design platforms like Pinterest
or Behance when starting a project. She feels
they can make it seem like everything has already
been done. Instead, she finds inspiration
in architecture, nature, art and everyday life.
What matters most to her is not creating something
“new” just to be different, but finding a voice that
really fits the project.
How does she translate her inspirations into visually
striking graphic statements?
She starts by focusing on one clear idea and talks
about it with friends or collaborators. These
conversations open up new perspectives and help
her explore possibilities. Once the idea feels
complete, she begins creating visuals, even if
the first few drafts aren’t perfect. For her, this
early phase of play and testing is key before moving
into final production.
What are the biggest challenges you've faced as a
woman in design?
Claire believes that even though the design industry
can seem equal on the surface, there are still many
challenges, especially for mothers or caregivers.
Becoming a parent can change how women see themselves
and how much time and energy they can give to their work.
Lack of sleep and emotional load can affect creativity in
quiet but powerful ways. She also mentions that many women
deal with imposter syndrome or self-doubt, partly because
creative work is so subjective and it’s hard to measure
success clearly. Still, she finds strength in the way women
support each other and create spaces of care and community.
For her, that’s a powerful kind of resilience.
What advice would you give to young designers?
Be curious and generous with yourself and with
your process. Allow yourself to make mistakes. Write
more. Make room for silliness. Build a relationship
with your craft and protect that relationship.
Don’t rush it, everything meaningful takes time.
Project process
Input Project Camouflage
Camouflage is essentially about managing visibility: knowing when to be seen and when to disappear. At first glance, it’s just about hiding but it’s actually a powerful tool.
1. Origins in Nature
Camouflage starts in the natural world.
Animals and insects have developed patterns and colors to blend into their surroundings.
* A leaf insect looks like a leaf.
* Arctic foxes turn white in winter.
* Cuttlefish can even change the texture of their skin.
This kind of camouflage is about survival. Being visible often means being in danger, so invisibility becomes protection.
2. Military Camouflage
The word camouflage comes from the French "camoufler" – to disguise or hide.
In World War I, armies started painting their uniforms, tanks, and even ships to blend into the environment.
Interestingly, military camouflage isn’t always realistic. It doesn’t try to look like a tree. It tries to break up outlines so you can’t tell what you’re looking at.
In this case, camouflage is a technology of war, used to confuse and delay recognition.
3. Camouflage in Fashion
From the 1960s onward, camouflage entered fashion and streetwear.
It was no longer about hiding, but about making a statement.
Punks, hip-hop artists, and activists wore camouflage in urban environments, where it actually made them stand out.
And that’s the contradiction:
Camouflage in nature = don’t be seen.
Camouflage in fashion = look at me, but also question what you see.
It became a symbol of rebellion, survival, or even resistance. Depending on the context, it could mean militarism or anti-militarism.
4. Everyday Camouflage
We all use forms of camouflage in daily life.
We adapt to fit in, to feel safe, to avoid judgment.
Sometimes it’s the clothes we wear. Sometimes it’s how we speak, walk, or behave in certain spaces.
Especially for people who are marginalized—like BIPOC, queer people, or neurodivergent individuals social camouflage becomes a survival strategy.
It’s about being "unseen" in a world that often feels unsafe when you're fully visible.
But over time, that can lead to burnout or identity loss.
So camouflage is not just protection, it can also be pressure.
5. Artistic Use of Camouflage
In art, camouflage becomes a tool to ask questions.
* Chinese artist Liu Bolin paints himself to blend into backgrounds so he becomes invisible. He calls himself “The Invisible Man”.
* Photographer Cindy Sherman transforms herself into different characters—disappearing in plain sight.
They both use camouflage not to hide but to critique visibility:
Who gets to be seen? What identities are recognized? What stories are erased?
6. Visibility and Power
Invisibility isn’t always a lack of power.
Sometimes, choosing to go unseen is a form of control.
Think of online anonymity. Or protest clothing. Or choosing when and how to reveal your identity.
Visibility can be dangerous. But it can also be powerful.
Camouflage gives you the choice.
7. Final Thoughts
Camouflage isn’t just a pattern. It’s a language of survival, of protest, and sometimes of fashion.
It sits exactly at the edge of what’s seen and what’s not seen.
It reminds us that visibility is never neutral. It’s shaped by context, history, and personal experience.
Revirsable Tasche
In meinem Atelierprojekt geht es um Sichtbarkeit und Unsichtbarkeit. Darum, wie man sich manchmal zeigen will und manchmal eben nicht. Wie man in manchen Momenten laut ist, präsent, auffällig, und in anderen einfach nur in Ruhe gelassen werden will.
Dafür werde ich eine reversible Tasche entwerfen. Sie hat zwei Seiten: Die eine ist extrovertiert - bunt, auffällig, mit Charms, Mustern, Ruffles, Layern, überlappenden Stoffen und verschiedenen Materialien. Eine Oberfläche, die ins Auge fällt, Aufmerksamkeit will und Geschichten erzählt. Die andere Seite ist das Gegenteil: schlicht, reduziert, vielleicht ganz in Schwarz oder sogar in Camouflage, um sich optisch fast aufzulösen.
Taschen sagen oft mehr über Menschen aus, als man auf den ersten Blick denkt. Sie sind irgendwie immer auch eine kleine Bühne: Was hängt dran? Wie sieht sie aus? Was trage ich mit mir herum? Und was davon zeige ich eigentlich? Ich finde es spannend, wie stark man sich über solche Alltagsgegenstände mitteilt – oft, ohne es zu merken. Und gleichzeitig auch die Möglichkeit hat, sich dahinter zu verstecken.
Mit dieser Tasche will ich genau das sichtbar machen: Dass in uns immer beides steckt. Dass man nicht immer entweder/oder sein muss. Und dass es okay ist, sich nicht festlegen zu wollen oder zu können.
Anhänger Ideen:
1. Laminieren
2. Karabiner mit Bandana
3. Musik-Anhänger (z. B. mit QR-Code)
Schlüsselanhänger mit graviertem Spotify-Code oder QR-Code zu einem Song, der dich beschreibt.
4. Geruchs-Anhänger (Aromabeutel)
5. Feuerzeughalter
6. Sammlung von Umgebung oder ein Ort
7. Kartenhalter für Schlüsselkarte
8. Tonanhänger
9. Parakort Anhänger
10. Plexiglas
11. Stoffbänder mit Message
12. Von meinem Freund Sternzeichen
13. Freundschaft Charm
14. Häkeln
15. Nähen Kuscheltiere
16. Lineal Anhänger
17. Krawatte verzieren