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

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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
Print
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