Cognito

Cognito is a design-driven initiative supporting addiction recovery among young adults in Charlotte, North Carolina. It explores the tension between visibility and discretion, using design as a tool for connection, protection, and cultural resistance.

At the heart of the project is a visual identifier—subtle, symbolic, and only recognizable to those who understand its meaning. It offers a way for individuals affected by addiction to find quiet solidarity in public space—without exposure or explanation.

Inspired by masked cultural figures like MF DOOM, Pussy Riot, Banksy, and the Guerrilla Girls, Cognito adopts anonymity as a means of empowerment. These influences are reinterpreted through a system of bold but coded visuals, drawing attention to what’s hidden in plain sight.

The initiative includes three components. First, guerrilla awareness kits for wildposting, designed to prompt reflection in urban environments through stark, emotionally driven messaging. Second, an apparel collection featuring interactive elements that invite personalization and quiet self-expression. And finally, an Instagram campaign that fosters emotional resilience and expands understanding of the trauma, emotional neglect, and systemic conditions that often lead to addiction.

Cognito challenges the idea that support must be public to be real. It reframes recovery as resistance—something that doesn’t have to be loud to be valid, and doesn’t have to be exposed to be powerful.

This project is not just about addiction. It’s about the hidden systems that create it, and the invisible networks that carry people through it.