Christian Chladny
Designer & Illustrator, Hamburg
For over twenty years, I've worked in brand identity, editorial design, and poster design, working with independent brands, publishers, and cultural institutions. More recently, my practice has expanded to include editorial illustration, with commissions for Die Zeit, Neue Zürcher Zeitung, and Focus.
With Sturz, an adopted wirehaired Magyar Vizsla.
I was born in Bucharest during the Ceaușescu era and grew up as part of Romania’s German minority. Propaganda and surveillance shaped everyday life, and people learned to read between the lines. What was said, what was left unsaid, and how something was communicated could matter as much as the message itself. Meaning was not always found in what was openly expressed.
Looking back, I think that awareness still influences the way I work. It shaped a way of paying attention, to context, to the things that are not immediately obvious, and the details that make each project different. Before an idea moves to the screen, I usually begin with pen and paper, reducing and refining until the essential direction becomes clear.
My self-initiated projects take on social and political subjects, such as Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, and the COVID-19 pandemic. This work has been selected for exhibitions and biennales worldwide, including the International Poster Biennale in Warsaw, the Peru Design Biennial in Lima, and the Ogaki Poster Museum in Japan.
Alongside my design practice, I’ve spent many years working with a team of creatives on long-term educational projects at Stadtteilschule Wilhelmsburg, a secondary school in Hamburg-Wilhelmsburg. Together we developed formats that helped students explore complex topics through design, illustration and multimedia storytelling.
Whether working independently or as part of a team, the search for an idea is the thrill of every brief.
Outside of work, I explore the countryside with my dog, usually looking for mushrooms.
Services
Art Direction
Concept development and visual direction for campaigns, brands and cultural projects.
Brand Identity
Development of visual identity systems, including logo, typography, colour, and application.
Packaging Design
Conceptual and production-ready packaging design for products and brands.
Editorial Design
Design and layout for books, magazines, and editorial publications, including prepress and production-ready file preparation.
Poster Design
Visual communication for cultural, editorial, and campaign contexts.
Editorial Illustration
Concept-driven illustration for press, publishing, and digital media.
Workshops & Education
Design workshops and collaborative projects with schools and cultural institutions.
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Available for direct client projects and agency collaboration, remote and on-site.
Selected Clients
Bauer Verlag
Blickwechsel Filmproduktion
Bucerius Kunst Forum
Burda Verlag
CJD (Christliches Jugenddorfwerk Deutschlands)
De Gitaaracademie
Hirn & Wanst
Mr. Chipotle
Nächster Halt Filmproduktion
Neue Zürcher Zeitung
Quinton Records
Stiftung Historische Museen Hamburg
Troy Verlag
WiWi-Media
Zeitverlag Gerd Bucerius
Exhibitions & Recognition
2026
International Poster Design Biennial – Francisco Mantecon Competition, Spain (finalist)
2023
Intercontinental Bienal – touring exhibition across Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania (selected)
International Poster Biennale, Warsaw (selected)
Ogaki Poster Museum, Japan (by invitation)
International Poster Biennale, Lublin (selected)
2022
Ogaki Poster Museum, Japan (selected)
Fama Fest 22, Madrid (selected)
Prospect 100, UK (selected)
2021
International Poster Biennale, Warsaw (3rd Prize, Thematic Competition)
Peru Design Biennial, Lima (selected)
Madrid Grafica, Madrid (selected)
Posterfest, Budapest (selected)
Ampersand – International Logo & Logotype Exhibition, Budapest (selected)
2020
Wallpaper* Poster Campaign, UK — selected among 50 of 1,000+ global entries. Published in Wallpaper* Summer 2020 issue.
DAC – Designers Against Coronavirus, Carosello Lab, Italy — selected for the digital archive and published in the DAC book.
Selected Work
If you have a project in mind,
get in touch.
