Creative Director, Human Rights Foundation, New York NY

Ying Zhang is the Creative Director at the Human Rights Foundation (HRF) in New York, a nonprofit organization that promotes and protects human rights globally, with a focus on closed societies. At HRF, Ying leads all aspects of the foundation’s creative vision and strategy—continually evolving its brand identity, shaping its voice across channels, and ensuring the highest-quality output for all visual and creative initiatives. Passionate about creating meaningful and memorable experiences, delivering high-impact strategic audience engagement across all touchpoints, she leads the development of the visual identity for the Oslo Freedom Forum, an annual three-day human rights conference in Oslo, Norway.

Ying is active in the creative and arts community, serving on the board of AIGA and NYID — a leading Australian independent, interdisciplinary arts organisation. Dedicated to nurturing and uplifting the next generation of creatives, Ying has served as a mentor at NEW INC, D&AD Shift and AIGA New York Originally from China and raised in Australia, Ying has lived in Melbourne, Tokyo, London, and New York. An avid traveler, she has visited nearly 100 cities across almost 30 countries. When not traveling, you’ll often find her wandering the halls of an art gallery, inspired by the works of Camille Henrot, Sougwen Chung, and Robert Rauschenberg.

Tell us how and why you became involved in socially responsible design, any thoughts on why design is an especially effective tool in achieving positive goals, and, if you wish, give us an example of a project of which you are proud?

Lately, I have been drawn to mission-driven organizations, wanting to make a positive impact on the world and leaving it in a better state than we found it. Design has the unique ability to transform abstract, complex ideas into something that elicits emotion and resonates with people. Much of the work we do at HRF can feel dense and impenetrable — from arbitrary detention to kleptocracy—but design can serve as the bridge.

One project I am especially proud of is the “Dictator’s Laundromat” interactive installation, created as part of the Social Impact Pavilion at the 2025 SXSW Expo. A play on the term money laundering, the installation was inspired by the kitsch aesthetics of 1960s laundromats — part Barbie, part Stepford Wives. Its playful, pastel-toned, nostalgia inspired aesthetic managed to draw in more than 4,500 visitors, while delivering a thought-provoking critique of kleptocracy and exposing how authoritarian leaders manipulate global financial systems to whitewash their reputations and entrench their power. By distilling complex themes into an engaging, accessible, and visually striking experience, this project demonstrates how design can transform difficult ideas into something that captures attention and becomes a powerful educational tool.

Given the confluence of events and challenges our society now faces, does this moment in time present any special opportunities, urgencies, obstacles to designing for good?

We live in increasing precarious times — marked by climate change, rising authoritarianism, and technological disruption. These challenges demand that design step up, not only as an aesthetic tool but as one that is ethical, inclusive, and future-oriented. Design holds immense potential as a catalyst for change by making the invisible visible, shaping behavior, amplifying voices, telling stories, and reimagining systems. As designers, we are in a prime position to ask — whose voices do we amplify? Which messages do we choose to elevate? What actions and behaviors do we want to encourage? And ultimately, what kind of future do we want to imagine, create and live in?