about
SOPHIE ZHAO
9/FEB â99âYYZ
PRODUCT
DESIGNER
Currently at
koho building better financial solutions for all Canadians and teaching personal finance on
youtube.
My work is guided by a strong belief in design as a way of recognizing and forming relationships between ideas and reality; it is a method for improving the connections between people and the products they use. I believe good design must touch both the heart and the mind for it to have lasting relevance.
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My aesthetic approach often involves a distinct sense of play, aiming to put the âfunâ in functional â pushing the limits of form and beauty.
![](https://assets-global.website-files.com/5dc7357011520e750ce6a82e/61a970186d78240701e39bde_blue%20star.svg)
My happy place lies in the realm of product and branding to push the mundane into something extraordinary. Throughout my design career, I have worked in-house mostly at fin-tech startups (such as KOHO Financial, and addy), shipping projects from 0 to 1.
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But I also enjoy my fair share of studio work (from health-tech to game design to AI-based technologies). In all of which, the projects I take on focus on a variety of mobile and web apps on top of establishing & translating brands into diverse and scalable design systems.
![](https://assets-global.website-files.com/5dc7357011520e750ce6a82e/65e942df643d41e7ff06df17_strong.svg)
Outside of design, my passion lies in discovering delicacies, dogs, and the designer fashion industry. I tend to enjoy the finer things in life, so naturally I like to pay attention to detail. Get to know me and youâll quickly learn that I aim to impress, try to keep everyoneâs best interest at heart, and get along with everybody â and every pooch!
recognition
2021 Applied Arts
Website Design
1st place
Adobe x MTV
Adobe Jam
Honourable mention
RGDÂ SoGood Awards
Accessibile Design
Honourable mention
Adobe x Airbnb
Adobe Jam
Top 20 (out of 400+)
Dieline Awards
Student Winner
Third place
![](https://assets-global.website-files.com/5dc7357011520e750ce6a82e/61c0afa716cf2521d6fdd412_woohoo.svg)
![](https://assets-global.website-files.com/5dc7357011520e750ce6a82e/61ab05707cbaae77cbf0190b_pink%20star.svg)
When creativity melds together with global issues, I believe you can bring the world together.
âVirgil Abloh