Vacant Seattle, 2021

Vacant Seattle

2021

Environmental

Object

Research

Concept, Design Development, and Final Design. Hosting of event on day-of. Set-up and tear-down.

An installation for the 2021 Seattle Design Festival, "Vacant Seattle", encouraged visitors to take a critical look at Seattle, post-pandemic. The installation’s circular form offered two distinct modes of interaction to festival-goers over two days: On the inside, visitors used stickers across a map of Seattle to flag specific things that were missing in the neighborhoods where they live, work and play. On the outside, they could write broader messages to the city. The structure was subsequently exhibited at the University of Washington’s Jacob Lawrence Gallery.

Seattle, Washington

Printed Matboard, 2" × 2" Poplar

Structure: 9' × 9' × 7'

Studio Matthews

Project Leads/Designers: Dan Neifert, Eli Kahn
Designer: Daniel Robinson
Design Oversight/Consultation: Kristine Matthews, Nicole Fischetti, Marta Bernstein
Project Manager, Fabrication Consultation: Meg Graham

Location:

Materials:

Dimensions:

Role:

Collaborators:

Awards:

No items found.

ALL Projects

2023

Give Me A Sign

Exhibition

2023

Story Boards

Environmental

Exhibition

2023

Seattle Parks Foundation

Identity

Illustration

2023

Designing Motherhood

Exhibition

Information

2023

Overlake Hospital

Environmental

2022

Street Weeds

Personal

Experimental

2021

Ballard Food Bank

Environmental

Identity

Illustration

2021

Asurion

Wayfinding

Environmental

2021

Vacant Seattle

Environmental

Object

Research

2020

Seattle Parking Navigation

Publication

Information

2020

Variable Objects

Identity

Object

2019

Slip Rabbit Studio

Object

Publication

Identity

2019

Queer Internet Publication

Publication

Research

2018

Castor Sans

Typeface

2018

Tokyo Bench

Object

Research

Other Works

Various

2018–2023

Elias Kahn is a designer and artist.
‍
Since graduating from the University of Washington’s Visual Communication Design program in 2020, he has worked as a designer at Studio Matthews, a multidisciplinary studio with a focus on environmental graphic design and wayfinding.
‍
Eli imbues empathy and function into his creative output, navigating between the digital and the tangible. His interests lie in exploring unique modes of visual communication, designed experiences, and finding opportunities for technology and art to coincide.

Available for freelance.

EDUCATION
‍
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
Bachelor of Design
Visual Communication Design
Seattle, Washington
2020

EXPERIENCE

STUDIO MATTHEWS
Designer
Seattle, Washington
07 2020 – 10 2023

REI CO-OP
Intern → Freelance
Seattle, Washington
Summer 2019, Spring 2020

SLIP RABBIT
‍Intern → Freelance
Seattle, Washington
12 2017 – 06 2020

AWARDS
‍
with STUDIO MATTHEWS
‍
Communication Arts Award of Excellence, 2023 for Designing Motherhood
‍
365: AIGA Year in Design, Environmental and Experiential Design Award, 2022 for Asurion

Communication Arts, Branding and Environmental Design Award, 2022
for Ballard Food Bank