Who are you when no one is watching?

In a culture defined by constant visibility, self-curation, and external validation, who are you without the gaze of others?

For many, identity exists in two places: the version of ourselves we present to the world and the quieter version that exists in private.

Who are you when no one is watching? redirects attention inward toward identity as something deeply intimate and internally experienced. In the absence of an audience, our persona dissolves, creating a space for honesty, vulnerability, and self-acceptance as essential to personal well-being.

Overview

Who Are You When No One Is Watching? is an 8.5" × 11" editorial book and photography series exploring identity in solitude. Through abstract imagery, reflective interviews, and thoughtful design, it reveals how people understand themselves beyond external pressure.

Shifting away from curated personas, the project highlights quiet, unguarded moments, extending into both a reflective book and an interactive exhibition that invites viewers to slow down and engage deeply.

The Problem

Identity is often shaped in the presence of others, influenced by expectations from family, peers, and society. With the rise of social media, this pressure has intensified, encouraging constant curation and making identity feel increasingly performative.

Yet much of who we are develops while we are alone, prompting questions of self-worth beyond the roles we perform.

Research

Many perspectives on loneliness suggest that it should not always be viewed as something negative, but rather as a natural human experience that can lead to deeper self-awareness. As Sophie Okolo, a Science Journalist specializing in healthy aging and longevity, explains,

“Embracing loneliness begins with confronting the stigma that surrounds it. It means reminding ourselves — and each other — that feeling lonely is a natural part of being human. When we accept this truth and integrate it into our thinking, we can begin to shift how we approach loneliness, both personally and collectively” (Okolo, 2025).

This idea reinforces the importance of creating space for reflection and emotional honesty — concepts that became central to this project.

Interviews and Statistics

Throughout this exploration, I conducted anonymous interviews with individuals ranging in age from 16 to 80, allowing me to capture a wide spectrum of perspectives shaped by different life stages and experiences. This range helped reveal both shared emotions and generational differences in how identity is understood and expressed when alone.

To support these personal narratives, I also incorporated quantitative research from scholarly sources, grounding the interviewees’ reflections in a broader psychological and social context.

“Over 80% of adults in the United States experience some degree of loneliness” (Varanasi, 2025).

“88% of women and 65% of men compare themselves to images on social media, with many reporting that these comparisons harm their self-esteem” (Blackford, 2020).

The Process

My goal was to create a space where barriers could be lowered and conversations could move beyond surface-level identity, allowing each interviewee to share who they are behind closed doors.

I began my process by creating a series of mood boards that explored visual representations of loneliness, focusing especially on imagery that captured the soft, glowing atmosphere I wanted the photographs to convey.

Mood board

From the beginning, I knew the book’s overall layout would be shaped by my photography. I planned each shoot in advance — carefully choosing locations, environments, and people — focusing on familiar, personal spaces to help participants feel natural and reflective.

Photoshoot Planning

Sketches for Spreads

Alongside the visual planning, I developed 11 interview questions for each participant. These conversations gathered personal reflections on how people perceive themselves when alone, providing written content to accompany the photographs.

Photography

The photo series reinforces this sense of intimacy, softness, and stillness. Each image portrays a subject alone in their personal environment, surrounded by their belongings and engaged in a familiar routine — often a simple activity that brings them comfort, peace, or joy. By documenting these everyday moments, the project highlights how identity can be expressed through small, personal rituals rather than outward performance.

Select Photography

All images were captured at night to create a strong contrast between the subject and their surroundings. The lighting produced a glowing, slightly blown-out effect that keeps subjects somewhat unrecognizable while still revealing the environments around them. Achieving this effect required careful lighting and editing, particularly for indoor spaces where maintaining consistency with outdoor images required additional post-production work.

Editorial Design

The book is presented in a softcover format, shifting between image-driven spreads and brief text to create a quiet, reflective rhythm. Anonymous voices across ages offer intimate perspectives, highlighting the contrast between being seen and truly understood. Generous negative space and softened typography invite the reader to slow down and sit with each person’s story.

Front and Back Cover Laid Flat

Select Flat Spreads

The challenge in designing these spreads was creating tension through typography. Rather than relying on rigid grids or text boxes, the type staggers and flows freely across the pages, creating a more fluid and expressive reading experience. Inspired by David Carson’s use of typographic tension, the layouts embrace ambiguity through shifts in scale and weight to highlight key words and ideas, while oversized folios add rhythm and emphasis. Type is layered over manipulated photography, merging text and image into a cohesive visual experience.

Folios

Quote Close Up

While my approach draws inspiration from David Carson’s use of typographic tension, it ultimately moves in a more controlled and intentional direction. His work often embraces chaos and disruption. His type can become nearly illegible, and traditional grids are abandoned, whereas I still maintain a clear sense of hierarchy and purpose, using shifts in scale, weight, and layering to emphasize key words rather than obscure them. My compositions are meant to guide the viewer, not challenge them to decode the message.

Key Characteristics of Interviewees

Reflection Close Up

I used a restrained palette of blues, whites, and blacks to keep the focus on the imagery and personal narratives. Blue, in particular, was chosen for its associations with calmness, clarity, and introspection — qualities that closely reflect the project’s emotional tone.

Typeface Exploration

Final Book

Exhibition

For this installation, I used sheer fabric to create a sense of lightness and serenity, allowing natural light to pass through and shape a soft, immersive atmosphere. The material’s delicacy introduced intimacy, encouraging a quieter emotional connection within the space.

I tested two types of fabric for this installation: silk and transparent silk. Transparent silk allowed light to pass through and images to layer and interact visually. While regular silk produced more vibrant prints, it appeared flat from a distance, lacking the transparency and movement needed for a more dynamic result.

Fabric Test Prints

Images were printed at varying sizes and suspended with wire and transparent clips to create a staggered look. This layering produced subtle tension and depth, inviting viewers to physically move through the work and become part of it.

Silk Prints

A central podium displayed the book, positioned in front of a small hanging mirror. This placement encouraged viewers to shift between the work and their own reflection, reinforcing the project’s focus on self-awareness.

Responses From Visitors

To extend engagement, I incorporated a response wall. Visitors were prompted with the question,

“Who are you when no one is watching?”

and invited to write their answers on small cards. These were placed in transparent envelopes, allowing others to read, share, and contribute — creating an evolving, collective dialogue within the space.

Conclusion

This project resonates with those navigating identity , where one’s persona contradicts their true sense of self. It speaks especially to young adults, individuals questioning their self-perception, and creatives drawn to honest, narrative-driven work. It encourages viewers to slow down, turn inward, and reflect on who they are beyond observation, fostering a more grounded and authentic sense of self.

Ultimately, this study became not only an exploration of identity in others, but also a reflection of myself and even my own creative approach. It pushed me beyond my comfort zone and challenged me to rethink the way I design. Accustomed to structured layouts and precise alignment, this project encouraged me to step outside those boundaries and explore a new aesthetic without limitations. It shifted my perspective, showing me that perfection isn’t always necessary and that there are many ways to approach designing a book. In turn, it reinforced the value of slowing down, embracing experimentation, and creating space for subtle, meaningful experiences to unfold.

Now available for purchase!

— — — — — —

A special thank you to everyone who modeled for this project!

Credits

Designer: Oanh Luong

Photographer: Oanh Luong

Instructor: Paul Sheriff

Categories: Editorial Design, Photography, Research, Exhibition Design, Design System

School: Tyler School of Art and Architecture, Graphic and Interactive Design, BFA ‘26

Sources

Okolo, S. (2025, July 7). From Isolation To Intention: How We Can Embrace And Ease Loneliness. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/sophieokolo/2025/07/07/from-isolation-to-intention-how-we-can-embrace-and-ease-loneliness/

The Power of Self-Image. (2024). Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/leadership-diversity-and-wellness/202411/the-power-of-self-image

Varanasi, A. (2025, July 16). Over 80% Of Adults In The U.S. Experience Loneliness, Study Finds. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/anuradhavaranasi/2025/07/16/over-80-of-adults-in-the-us-experience-loneliness-study/