Adapt
Innovate
Susan Yang is a creative director, multidisciplinary designer, and problem-solver with 20 years of combined experience, 8 years agency-side and 12 years as a consultant. She is focused on human-centric solutions and excels at transforming complex concepts into actionable strategies that drive dynamic identities, resilient systems, and accessible experiences. Across her career, Susan has worked with a diverse range of clients, cross-functional partners and teams in various sectors where she has led and executed the end-to-end creative lifecycle for numerous brand and digital experiences.
With every project, Susan gives detailed focus, open-minded collaboration, and effective responsiveness, applying adaptive principles and methodologies of design, and thoughtfully leveraging emerging technologies. Through clear direction and interdisciplinary design, she efficiently helps brands differentiate through high-quality purpose-driven designs and engaging visual storytelling to create meaningful connections.
She is passionate about solving complex challenges and is continuously learning and creating through inspired curiosity, experimentation and implementation. Her appreciation for architecture, the arts, typography, and future technologies shapes her approach to seeing new possibilities. As a certified Registered Graphic Designer, she believes in the value of design, the professional expertise, and the commitment to the craft.
Outside of the studio, Susan is actively involved in sports and fitness activities. For many years, she has trained in competitive athletic sports including basketball, softball, and Taekwondo (Kukkiwon Certified Black Belt). She also enjoys golfing, travelling, and learning the art of cooking — all that inspire her to stay focused and creative.
Publications
2024 - Integrating Human Creativity with AI in UX Design
2023 - Explorations of Design for Repurposing
2022 - Design Systems Evolving the Digital Experience
2021 - Applications of AI Augmenting Creativity
2020 - Brands Focused on Circularity Design
Insights
Navigating Resistance to Change
“When introducing innovative design solutions, it will challenge users’ existing mental models of their current product, service, or process. To help ease the transition, balance innovation with familiarity through an iterative approach that involves users’ active participation and feedback early on. Through developing an understanding of their primary use cases and pain points, demonstrate an efficient workflow in phases with clear explanations, visual walkthroughs, responsive support and effective short tutorials. Making the users feel they are an active part of the change, this will instil confidence, comfort level, managed expectations, and positive adaptation to the new mental model.”
Shared in the RGD Article:
UX Perspectives: Navigating Resistance to Change in Innovative Design
03-2021
Navigating the Design Industry
“By getting out of your comfort zone and having the willingness to evolve as a designer, you will grow in versatility, relationships, and new opportunities. This comes with practice through initiative, open-mindedness, handling criticism and proactive problem-solving. With a driven mindset, be encouraged by constant learning, be bold by experimenting, and always maintain your curiosity.”
Shared in the RGD Article:
A Seat at the Table: Women Share Their Experiences Navigating the Design Industry
Certifications
2026 - Generative AI Engineering Professional Certificate, IBM
2025 - Generative AI Fundamentals Specialization, IBM
2023 - Front-End Web Developer Professional Certificate, W3C
2023 - Document Accessibility & Core Competencies Certificates, IAAP
2021 - Applied AI Professional Certificate, IBM
2018 - Web Accessibility Training Curriculum, Deque University
2013 - Workshop: WCAG 2.0 for Web, Office, InDesign, PDF, D.B. Comms
Mentor & Judge
RGD Judge for Student Awards
Categories: UX Design (2026, 2025), Accessible Design (2024), 1st Year Design (2023), Web Design (2022)
2024 - RGD Portfolio Reviewer & Mentor for Virtual Career Week
2024 - RGD Mentor for Project-based Mentorship Program (UX/UI)
Testimonials
Jag Dhariwal
Vice President, OLAP Vision
“Susan always brings a high-level of creative thought and discipline to the projects that we work on. She always aligns the brand with current digital technologies and enables our clients to think further with their projects. It is always a pleasure to collaborate with Susan.”
Ursula Green, CCXP, CM
Vice President & CXO, Halmyre
“From the beginning to end, Susan provided invaluable art direction. I relied heavily on Susan’s knowledge and expertise to guide the design. We have since received positive feedback from the organization's members who are impressed by the fun, inclusive design. Susan was extremely patient and accommodating, adhered to our brand guidelines consistently, delivered milestones on time, and was always a pleasure to work with. I highly recommend Susan and hope to work with her again soon.”
Anna McDonnell Dowling
Project Manager, Editors Canada