Sophia Chang
Art by Sophia Chang for Lime. Image courtesy of Sophia Chang.
A gifted multimedia storyteller with the ability to create lucid and inspirited imagery, Sophia Chang is a creative engine, expanding market boundaries and defining a new, vivid visual vocabulary. Hailing from the borough of Queens, New York, she has championed a name for herself in the art, design, and streetwear communities. Sophia has a BFA from Parsons School of Design and over the course of her career, she’s collaborated with some of today’s best-known brands including Samsung, Nike, Refinery29, Adidas, Apple, and the NBA.
Hi Sophia! Tell us about yourself - how did you get to where you are today?
I was born and raised in New York by immigrant Taiwanese parents. I would say I got to where I am with self-awareness at a young age, stubborn dedication to my passion of the arts, and trusting my gut. I know what I'm capable of and I'm not scared to study work hard and continue to get better at my craft. I was fortunate enough to be able to grow up in a beautiful city and refine my skills/craft under other creative folks who gave me a chance.
Artist and Designer Sophia Chang
“Invest in your skills. The jobs will come and go but your skills can stay forever.”
When did you first become interested in art and design?
I’ve always been interested in the arts for as long as I can remember. I'm an only child and probably undiagnosed with ADHD, and all I had was pen and paper. I had some toys here and there and some TV, but no board games or game consoles. I legit just had pen and paper all day, every day.
Art by Sophia Chang
How would you describe your aesthetic and how has your design style changed over time?
My artistic style is very much inspired by the busy bustling streets of New York. I loved how there are advertisements everywhere trying to grab your attention and every once in a while there is something that can make you stop in your tracks. That's what I aim to do with my artwork, which is often composed of iconography and illustrated type, all mixed together to create a story.
Art by Sophia Chang at CES
Walk us through your creative process. Do you have any favorite design tools or resources you regularly use?
My dad brought me a ripped version of Photoshop when I was 10 years old, so I've been using Adobe products for a long time! I mainly draw with pens, markers on paper (sakuras and zigg writers are my favorite). I scan my artwork, compose, and color digitally. I was also gifted a Wacom tablet when I was 15, so that was a huge addition to my toolkit.
You’ve worked with a wide variety of clients including Apple, Tiffany&Co., Warby Parker, Microsoft, and Lime. How do you approach creative collaboration with brand partners?
I believe the brand partners approach me for my personal brand, my story and my art is really want packages it all. I often get commissioned to help brands tell a story around a campaign or product. I love being able to bring their stories to life with my artwork.
When it comes to brand collaborations, you’ve also launched several incredible footwear collections in partnership with brands like PUMA and Cole Haan. What drew you to footwear and how do you approach creating a capsule collection?
I grew up with a deep love for sneakers and collecting them. It truly is a dream come true to be able to design and develop my own footwear collections. I see these collections as mini stories on different canvases, bridging my brand and theirs. My aim is for the collections to make sense as a product partnership between the brand, their audience and my personal brand / audience as well.
In addition to your incredible design and illustration work, you also co-founded Common Ace, a curated marketplace for women to access streetwear. What was the catalyst that led you to create Common Ace?
As a female designer in the footwear space, I've been honored to be able to speak on many panels, featured in many books, exhibits and platforms to speak on sneakers. Too often women struggle to find variety and accessibility to sneaker designs. I personally am a Size 5 US Women's! So, its practically impossible for me to find cool sneakers. I started Common Ace with the intent to help bridge the gap to empower women to be able to shop with ease. Common Ace is intended for the journey of womanhood from your teenage years when you're figuring out who you are, to your early career when you start having the resources to buy your favorite brands and into motherhood as our bodies and lifestyles change. We want to be a go-to tool for women worldwide to be able to find the footwear they love so they can feel beautiful inside and out.
You also founded UNDO Labs, a creative incubator for future ideas. Tell us more about UNDO Labs.
UNDO started in 2013 when I met my business partner Nai Vasha. We were both POC creatives kickstarting our own health journeys. As an artist I spent many long hours crunching on deadlines, holding in restroom breaks, and chugging coffee. This took a big toll on my body - specifically my posture! I was motivated to start going to the gym and eating better. I noticed there was a lack of health wellness narrative within my community from Queens natives and creatives, so Vasha and I wanted to create a platform that reframed the narrative around caring for yourself mentally, physically, and nutritionally through UNDO. We started a biannual publication (we have created 9 issues) between 2013-2020, and hosted events between LA, NYC powered by our community of amazingly talented friends. All the content was original and produced, designed, composed by us. We've taken a break since COVID, but hope to be able to revive this passion project in the near future.
Overall, what’s been one of the biggest career lessons you’ve learned so far?
There's always room to improve and learn!
Where do you find creative inspiration?
Getting outside and away from screens.
Do you have any advice for new designers just starting out?
Invest in your skills. The jobs will come and go but your skills can stay forever. Teach someone how to fish and they'll eat for life!
When you look to the future, what are you most excited about?
I became a mom almost 2 years ago so I'm still learning how to juggle working mom life. I'm still figuring out where my career is going and how to care for a small young child. In the future, I am very excited about different ways to integrate this big change in my personal life into my work! It's recently been happening with some projects related to motherhood ie. my recent capsule collection with Kenneth Cole to highlight maternal mental health.
Thanks for sharing with us Sophia! To view more of Sophia’s work, check out her website and follow her on Instagram.
Sophia was nominated by Noun Project. All images courtesy of Sophia Chang.