Studio Cornelius is the art & design practice of Clara Cornelius. Clara is graphic designer, illustrator, visual artist, creative strategist, hyper creator, type nerd, and lover of all the small details. She straddles a professional design practice and a visual arts practice, bringing a vibrant, bold, diverse style to both sides of her work.

As a designer, Clara uses a highly collaborative approach, focused on positive, transparent communication. With the opening of Studio Cornelius in 2015, she has developed a body of work that combines strategic expertise and joyful experimentation.

Over the last 20 years, Clara has had the opportunity to work with many cultural partners, including developing festival identities (Onassis Festival, New Windows Festival, Crossing the Lines Festival), re-aligning organizational branding (Pyramid Atlantic Art Center) and guiding strategic planning for a major anniversary (New York City Center’s 75th). 

As a visual artist, Clara explores context and perspective, investigating the contradictions and chaos of being human, and the magic in the everyday, ordinary, and fleeting.

Clara combines many artistic processes: marbling, screen printing, hand lettering, and photography to build complex collage pieces and installations on fabric and paper. Her work often includes patterns, created symbols, and woven graphic elements.

Clara was previously the Director of Design and Creative Director at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) from 2001-2015. She was Designer-in-Residence at Pyramid Atlantic Art Center from 2017-2018. She is currently the Co-Vice President of the Cincinnati chapter of the AIGA.

Let’s work together! Get in touch