Claire Boon’s systematic practice challenges conventional design thinking

“Self-expression is something I try to embody to the fullest; it definitely defines what I do the most,” says the Singapore-based graphic designer, Claire Boon. Bright, vivid and playful, Claire’s exploratory and experimental practice is contradictory to the clean, Figma-informed graphic design. “I think using graphic design as an art form can be contradictory to some,” she says, “especially with the strong emphasis placed on messaging and functionality placed on design.” However, for Claire, graphic design is a platform for emotional expression. “If the subject calls for unreadable typography, I’m channelling that to the fullest,” she says.

In pushing the limits of conventional design – to the point of inaccessibility – Claire finds a unique creative outlet, translating her life and inspirations through vibrant, maximal scenes of familiar and absurd graphic motifs. For Claire, her primary inspiration is music – something she has to thank her parents for; she finds expression in the freedom of funky but “rhythmically structural” artists and albums. “I think oftentimes [my work] gets seen as just messy but I am quite intentional with how I structure my posters,” Claire adds, “underneath all the glitz there is a system in place that I love to push and explore how to expand.”

A recent project by Claire, Chaos Files, Composed Folders, typifies this systemised balance between creative rigidity and freedom. Originating from a university project where she was tasked to subvert a conventional tool, Claire used her desktop and its thumbnails as a platform for patterns, challenging computer accessibility and the use of its systems. “Instead of focusing on just controlled grid compositions, I leaned into the fluid free-moving nature of dragging icons across the screen,” she says, “It was such a learning opportunity for me to learn how to find patterns in chaos.” Chaos Files, Composed Folders, asks us to ruminate on traditional design thinking and the application of mundane spaces, creating an intriguing aesthetic space that’s deeply unbothered.