Hi! My name is Kiah Kane and I am a communication designer.

I graduated from Emily Carr University of Art and Design, in Vancouver Canada, and studied for a semester at Istituto Europe di Design in Barcelona, Spain. I currently work as a Display Coordinator/Artist at Anthropologie. My design practice is influenced by my passion for photography, illustration, print making, industrial design and architecture. My personal work focuses on  embracing chaotic processes to create unexpected outcomes in mixed mediums.




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Awards:

Top 10 for the Young Talent Award, from the Rijks Museum Amsterdam.

Anthropologie Displays  



I am currently working as the Display Coordinator/Artist at Anthropologie. My role involves  planning, designing, resourcing materials, building, and installing displays for the store. I get briefed on the concept and head into planning and prepping for both window and interior displays at the start of each season. Here are some of the works I have made so far, and some insight into my sketches and prep.

“Where sky meets sea” window landscape was inspired by my favorite beach in Portugal. The window aims to bring awareness to cleaning our ocean of waste. Most of the window was built with scraps for my studio, garbage from around the store, and my co-worker's homes. I refrained from concealing the “garbage” to bring the viewer's attention to it. The window prep involved: building a stretching a 14ftx7ft canvas, mural painting, collaging, sculpting foam 3D birds, creating faux bois pillars, and more.

“Here comes the sun”  window display focused on utilizing the sun as a tool. The window consists of over 70 cyanotype prints of leaves and flowers. This was my first time working with cyanotype at such a scale and quantity. In addition to the cyanotypes, I constructed some 3D hydrangeas from paper. I painted the backdrop to have the traditional cyanotype borders and with a variety of opacities, then added cyanotypes and hung the hydrangeas in a wreath shape.

“Gifts of every stripe” holiday window was an exciting concept where animals were shown delivering gifts. We chose to build a zebra with his scarf blowing in the wind, delivering gifts.  This holiday season we stepped away from the more obvious color pallet of reds and greens and focused on the pinks supported by blues. The window also has a glass border meant to look like the edge of a stamp, which was another reoccurring note throughout the season and store.

In addition to the window designs, I transform the interior of the store every season. This often inclues: murals, large signage, building shelves and tables, hanging displays and more. 

















Rijks Studio Award 



“Sculptural Hygiene” was my submission to the Rijks Museum Amsterdam, studio award. The brief utilizes their online gallery of museum pieces called the Rijks Studio. It invites creatives to remix there digital ized collection into something else. One offered outcome is the opportunity to sell your creation in the museum’s gift store. My creation was focused on the guests of the Rijks Museum and their desire to bring home something from their visit.
“Sculptural Hygiene” brings the Rijks Museums sculpture collection into the bathroom of its visitors, and their loved ones. The collection showcase a variety of different artists and styles, to represent a wide range of personalities and decorative styles.

This design includes a “sculptural stand” which is a scaled replica of the original sculpture. Then there is a toothbrush which is wrapped in a matching texture or pattern. The toothbrush sits in the matching stand, to create a seamless, new sculpture.

The project brings art into an often dull space and brings joy to an often dull chore.

My submission was selected as one of the top 3 desings, for the young talent award. 

Click the arrows to see more designs.

Fresh Sheet Cookbook



This book challenges the traditional photo and illustration cookbooks, by excluding these elements. It uses typography to express its message and personality.

The publication is printed on newsprint with a risograph printer, and coil bound. This gives the book a nostalgic quality when flipping through it.

The design is inspired by my Oma’s collection of cookbooks, which were straightforward, systematic, and fragile. From this inspiration, I added personality with my choice of typeface, Jaune. This typeface is cooky, playful, and slightly uncomfortable. Jaune started to influence my original designs and pushed for more unconventional chapter openers, and the use of transparency.

I see the final design as balancing the line between my Oma’s mass-produced recipe booklets, and a children’s coloring book. Hopefully giving the reader a playful experience through typography and clarity through the grided system.

Click the arrows to see more spreads.


Airbnb Guest Package

 


This is a guest package tailored for a specific ecological Airbnb, in a dessert of California. It is a remote location that wants to provide it guests with some gifts from brands they support for their ethos. The packages contains a bottle of water, some tea, honey, a record, a granola bar, and a t-shirt. The gifts are wrapped in a handpainted cloth, that can be use throughout their stay as a bag, tableclothes or rag. The handpainted design on the wrap, maps out the items in the package, describes them, and mentions how to give each item a second purpose.

Rise to Fall Tea Trio - I have designed labels for each container and a sleve to hold them. Inspired by the colors of the sky: yellow for the bright morning sky, pink for the afternoon light, and dark blue for the deep dark night sky. These sqaure containers can be used in numerous was after finnishing the product, including travel containers for their trip home. 

Simply Carbonated Water - This brand is about being completely transparent about their ingredients. The design is inspired by transparency, with a double-sided back label. I created the bubble patter but blowing bubbles in a glass of water with ink in it, then laying a paper on to of the glass. It was a craft I did many times as a child. I scanned this pattern, adjusted the colors, and applied it to the backside of the posterior label. The brand is also proud of its factory and its warm homely environment. I decided on using this old-style glass bottle to reinforce this message. The glass bottle can be refilled and used for numerous things after its original product is used. 

Madonna Record Cover - This record cover it for Madonna’s single “Spotlight.” I created an interactive physical album cover that includes its very own spotlight. The album cover is back and has a transparent film on the front. The transparent layers is where the graphic is printed, and can only really be seen when you have the included spotlight. I created a paper “spotlight wand”  that can be inserted under the cover, to reveal an image and title. The beholder has control, moving it around as if a spotlight on a stage. I also designed the back cover and center album sticker.

Made Good Granola Bars - For this redesign, I wanted to explore more environmentally friendly materials. For food preservation reasons granola bars are often wrapped in the metallic plastic.  I decided to try preserving waxed paper and vegetable ink. The wrapping is covered in the brand’s ethos, the bar’s ingredients, and other necessary information. Made Good bars should be proud of their ingredients displaying them on the front, not in small print in the back. The wrapping is slightly transparent to help elude to the natural and proud qualities.




The Academy Rebrand




The Academy was previously known as Heavens Elevated fitness in Calgary, Alberta. Owners Helen Vanderburg and Elaine Arthur started Heavens 39 years ago and are continually recognized for their impact on the fitness world. I was brought on to help develop their new identity and design the rebrand.

“Academy is the commonly used word for the collective institution of high learning and opportunity under one roof. We felt this best describe what we have to offer that is unique to other organizations in the fitness industry.“

Their logo is inspired by the academy awards and films. The formate of the logo, enclosed in a box with their icon draws inspiration from the “PG” of “R” ratings on films.

Their icon “A+” represents their focus on providing further education in fitness with their world-class trainers.

The logo was a major part of their exterior renovations. The Academy is located on 11th Avenue in Calgary which has a history of black and white signs, painted on the exterior of brick buildings. When developing their logo, I considered the simple design of the historic signs as a part of the logo research. The outcome feels like a modern version of the surrounding buildings, but still a part of the history of the area.