I am a multidisciplinary designer with over 10 years of experience working in-house and with an agency. Working closely and collaboratively with clients and the team to create an intelligent and innovative user experience from Creative Direction and Strategy, Digital Product Design - UX & UI, Branding to Marketing Design in URL and IRL for the world’s biggest brands - FARFETCH, Reebok, Apple to Dyson, fascinating start-ups, to local artisans. Skills: - Inspiring and leading a team of designers, creative technologists, and UX researchers, sharing expertise, and providing design guidance to shape and evolve the team. - Extensive experience in planning and managing projects within the required budget and timeline. - Excellent ability to coordinate and lead projects with stakeholders across different departments and external agencies. - Proficient in leading multiple projects and owning the entire design solution. - Proficient in guiding the experience strategy, and creative direction, and providing UX and UI design solutions across multiple channels. - Leadership and facilitation of focus groups, workshops, and ideation sessions. - Exceptional knowledge and experience in design applications.
Helping businesses innovate without overcommitting financially through Innovation Experience Strategy | Product Design | Design Direction Docent Dec 2024 - Present Project Overview: Repositioned Docent’s business model from a commission-based art platform to an AI-powered personalised art exploration experience. The Challenge: The platform’s reliance on commission-based transactions limited its growth and engagement. Contribution: - Redefined strategy to focus on personalised discovery using AI-driven Art ID profiles. - Developed experience principles, MVP roadmap, and user flows, guiding users through self-discovery. - Collaborated with the CPO, engineers, and ML experts to design data mapping and algorithms. Result: Delivered an interactive prototype that translated the vision into experience design, enabling engineers, founders, and human art agents to refine MVPs and secure investor interest. Synthesizer Feb 2024 – Nov 2024 Project Overview: Designed a generative AI design platform for luxury brands to enhance creative workflows. The Challenge: Unclear business fit, undefined core problems, and fragmented workflows across creative teams. Contribution: - Led strategy workshops to challenge initial assumptions and uncover pain points, defining the product’s core offering, translating vision into tangible user experiences, and refining key features for MVP delivery and beta client acquisition. - Guided the design direction, product positioning, and feature prioritisation through collaboration with AI partners, engineers, and product teams. - Directed AI model training to reflect brand DNA, ensuring generative outputs aligned with creative and marketing needs. Result: Delivered the first prototype, securing interest from beta clients and setting up iterative development. If you want to know how I can help you? Get in touch for more case studies
- Elevated to the position of Lead Product Design, where I oversaw a team of 3 designers and designed a community-driven marketplace website with customisable features for diverse designer and creative asset needs. - Led the design of a platform from scratch 0-1, overcoming challenges with a new team by introducing effective ideation processes and emphasising user flow and usability. - Established and deployed a brand guideline, capturing the attention of new luxury fashion Web2 users, influencers, investors, and potential partners.
UX&UI, Creative Direction and Strategy - Utilised design-thinking to guide leaders through decision-making in ambiguous phases, fostering collaboration and breaking down silos. - Adopted a human-centred approach to plan roadmaps, emphasising user needs and promoting innovation. - Stayed updated on industry trends to enhance continual improvement in strategic approaches and decision-making processes. - Developed creative strategies and user experiences for Web3 Initiatives, providing design direction for branding, content, and website design. - Explored and developed proof-of-concepts in machine learning, augmented reality, virtual reality, and website technologies with creative technologist. - Led research to establish a vision and define digital strategies, driving business growth in the Web 3 space.
Product Design, Branding to Marketing include setting design vision and product proposition. - Provided leadership, direction and strategy to develop innovative design solutions for Curio's audio journalism platform. - Guided a small team to transform the brand and product, resulting in successful $9m Series A investment from top tier investors and featured by Apple. - Oversee all creative elements including UX/UI of iOS, Android, and Web; branding, research, design strategy, marketing assets, email and social media campaigns.
From 2018 to 2021, Responsible for overseeing and creating exhibition spaces. The intention behind the design was to craft spaces that are both intriguing and inviting, while also providing tranquil areas for contemplation of the artwork, allowing each collection to tell its unique story.
Art Direction, Branding and Graphic Design - Elevated Couverture & The Garbstore's design output across a wide range of platforms from print to window display. - Conceptualised, developed and implemented new design directions for marketing and branding initiatives. - Utilised illustration, digital and packaging to create unified brand imagery.
Creative Direction and Launch Strategy - Developed global launch strategy for a new product category, comprising online campaigns, search engine optimisation, PR initiatives and CRM activities. - Oversaw product naming (CSYS and Cu-Beam), proposition development, visual identity creation, marketing materials, advertising, and in-store presence. - Deployed consumer activity in key markets: GB&I, Japan and Australia, with support tier nations US, Canada, Nordic, France and Germany.
UX&UI and Graphic Design for Audio Recognition Interface - Designed and implemented a full product range of audio interfaces, from concept to completion. - Created responsive UI/UX designs for websites and apps, resulting in improved user experience and engagement. - Developed brand guidelines across all digital assets and platforms. - Collaborated with business managers, account managers, software developers, and other stakeholders to deliver successful projects.
Graphic Design - Developed and executed visual communication strategies for print, digital, events and retail. - Coordinated design projects from concept to completion. - Delivered impactful visuals that achieved business objectives.
Yuko is hard-working, fast and highly talented. She has a fantastic blend of raw design talent, strategic thinking and storytelling. It’s rare to get such a strong combination.
Yuko is a talented designer both with craft and thinking. She constantly challenges concepts through the lens of the end-user and has the skills to add delight to the final product or service. Yuko also brings positive and enthusiastic energy to any team she works with makes her a joy to be around.
Yuko is a very diligent, motivated and creative contributor to the business and I have enjoyed working with her on various projects. She has a natural flair for design, but is also very dedicated to fully understanding the audience for a particular piece of work or project before any design work commences. Yuko thinks outside the box, communicates well with stakeholders and has a likeable disposition which means she is able to bring people with her on her design journey. Yuko has many talents across the fields of design and marketing, so as such I would recommend Yuko for a wide variety or roles or projects.
Yuko is a phenomenal designer and any company would be fortunate to have her. She was the sole designer who joined us at the Seed stage and helped build a fantastic relationship with Apple (got us featured at the Keynote), and raise a successful $9m Series A from top tier investors. We could not have done it without Yuko.