Kai Matthiesen on EthnoKino: The Intersection of Arts, Design, and Multicultural Inspiration

Kai is a seasoned graphic designer with over two decades of experience in the field. His work spans across cultures, mediums, and methodologies, drawing inspiration from urban landscapes, multicultural expressions, and the long-standing traditions of design. In this conversation, he reflects on the evolving role of AI in the creative industry, his deep connection with Switzerland and London, and his approach to visual communication.

AI and the Creative Industry 

So much money is being invested in AI, and honestly, it feels like such a waste. Imagine what else could be done with those resources. People are using AI to make memes, animate faces, why is there such an obsession with replacing the artistic industry? It’s a deep-rooted problem with creativity. If AI is supposed to replace professions, why didn’t it start with coding, doctors, engineers, or lawyers? But no, it started with the arts.

Ai is a great tool, especially for things like reading through law codes or double-checking dense documents. But it was marketed as something that would replace all painters and artists. The problem is, design is a craft. After 20 years, you develop a unique skill set. You refine your style, and your process becomes deeply personal.

That said, AI can be a powerful tool for artists rather than a replacement—if used ethically and with proper credit to human creators. The question is whether the industry and society will choose to support artists or continue this misguided push for full automation.

The Artistic Process and Cultural Influence 

The way I treat text is specific to me as a designer. My workflow is unique. It starts with drawing posters come first, and then everything else follows. A poster is not just a piece of art; it has a function. It advertises something. It needs to communicate information clearly. Posters have a long history since the invention of print. People have always wanted to advertise things. The urban landscape is a big inspiration for me, different cultures visually expressing themselves.

I walk around and see Eritrean, Ethiopian, Turkish, Kurdish restaurants, Jewish communities, how they visually represent their identity in public spaces. That exposure to multicultural environments is invaluable. Staying only in Switzerland would not have given me this perspective. London inspires me.”

Switzerland, London, and the Search for Connection 

I’ve lived in London for 17 years. As a teenager, I wanted to stay in New York because I was into hip-hop, but life took me in a different direction. I never felt like I fit into the ‘Americanness’ of the U.S. It was too far from Europe. I always wanted one foot in Switzerland. London was the best of both worlds, more multicultural than New York but less spread out than LA.

My Swiss connection remains strong. My family, friends, and ongoing projects keep me coming back. I used to travel to Switzerland every month. I’ve never fully assimilated, I haven’t even lost my accent. But Switzerland and graphic design are deeply connected. People study modernist Swiss design, and I’m from there, so I’ve always felt the need to look at things like the SBB timetables and analyze their beauty. Switzerland is clean, precise, and structured, but my artistic style has always been more chaotic, dirty and from the streets. Moving out of Switzerland helped me appreciate its culture more.

Designing for EthnoKino 

With EthnoKino, the goal was never to be too promotional. We played with the idea of treating Latin text in a non-Latin way. It still needed to be readable, but I didn’t want it to feel like an ad. We experimented with mixing text and image in surprising ways.

Each year, we had a guiding theme:

1. The first poster was more about showcasing the program.

2. The second was a typography experiment.

3. The third used primary colors and fragmented letters.

4. The fourth revolved around the concept of vision—an exploration of eye symbols across cultures.

   
   

The eye symbol was fascinating to me. It appears everywhere, from cameras to hieroglyphics. It became a conceptual anchor. One year, we discovered that a Mexican institute who later on came in as a partner to EthnoKino had the same eye in their poster. That kind of synchronicity is exciting.

The Challenges of Design 

Design and art go hand in hand, but they serve different purposes. Clarity is key. Many brands today try too hard to avoid looking commercial, but EthnoKino has a great name, it doesn’t need over-branding.

The biggest challenge is always the budget. If we had more resources, we could create individual assets for every film trailers, animations, and more. Posters, on the other hand, benefit from time constraints. There’s only so much you can do, and that forces creativity.

Another challenge is feedback. Too many opinions dilute the vision. If you have too many requirements, the design becomes cluttered. Quality control is crucial. If you commission me, trust me as a professional. I know how to communicate visually. I’m happy to execute other people’s ideas, but if you start micromanaging fonts and layouts, it defeats the purpose of hiring an expert.

Design is a balance between creative freedom and structure. It requires trust. If you hover over a child while they’re drawing, constantly correcting them, they’ll struggle to finish. The same applies to design. Let designers do their work, and the results will speak for themselves.

The reason why I enjoy doing this work with EthnoKino is purely the trust and the freedom I am given as well as the good purpose behind enabling sidelined stories from the world to come on the front.