SHARON CHEN IS A CHINESE AMERICAN PRINT & GRAPHIC DESIGNER

she is interested in creating meaningful experiences facilitated by physical and print media.

ultimately, sharon wants to contribute to something greater than herself.

sharon is from queens, ny. she is currently based in seattle.

E: ultyjh@outlook.com
IG: @ultyjh

OTHER:

CURRENTLY

designing dialogue
@ ARCADE NW

studio assistant
@ PARTNERS IN PRINT

founder, creative
and art director
@ ILLUME MAGAZINE

FORMERLY

editorial and
print designer
@ THE BOSTON GLOBE, BOSTON GLOBE MAGAZINE

associate graphic designer
@ POLONSKY & FRIENDS

EDUCATION

NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY
College of Arts, Media, and Design

B.A. in Communication, Graphic Information Design, Journalism

GERTRUDE’S (NYC)

BRANDING & IDENTITY, PRINT COLLATERAL, MENU DESIGN

GERTRUDE’S is a neighborhood restaraunt and bar in New York City. The visual identity of GERTRUDE’S is inspire by the 1930s, a decade that left its mark as the Great Depression in the United States and the tail end of "Les Années Folles - the crazy years - in Paris.

In this creative direction, we draw a parallel between Gertrude (the woman)’s birth era and appreciation for glamour and music, Gertrude (the restaurant)’s french inspiration and its desire to be a gathering place for the community.

graphic design by sharon chen, claire dufournier, sara steege; logo by manoyla altan; creative direction by anna polonsky; photography by pauline chatelan

ISSUE 02 - ILLUME MAGAZINE

CREATIVE/ART DIRECTION, PUBLICATION DESIGN, BOOK BINDING, BRANDING

ISSUE 02 of ILLUME MAGAZINE, is a 74-paged book that consists of two paper sizes, hand-binded together with prongs.

the printing, binding, design, and making of issue 02 explores the idea of the physical book serving as a form of meaningful discourse, beyond existing as just a container for the language within. the addition of smaller papers within encourage the reader to engage with the pages at a slower pace, flipping and looking under, examining all the elements of the page.

THE BOSTON GLOBE & THE BOSTON GLOBE MAGAZINE

EDITORIAL/PRINT & INFORMATION DESIGN, ART DIRECTION

produced 25+ magazine issues including feature story layouts for BOSTON GLOBE MAGAZINE.

designed and art directed THE BOSTON GLOBE newspapers’ front page for Food, Books, Business, and Travel sections. created sports infographics and other editorial illustrations for the Globe’s website.

CONNECT THE DOTS CAMPAIGN

SOCIAL CAMPAIGN, BRANDING, GRAPHIC & PRODUCTION DESIGN

CONNECT THE DOTS aims to guide asian americans in making important connections with history and provide newfound ways of thinking critically in regards to their identity, experiences and positionality within the nation.

the campaign features a translucent pamphlet series that visually demonstrates and physically reveals the hidden, yet perpetual layers of history that are all connected to present day experience — exploring: model minority, yellow peril, and hypersexualization.

WHERE ARE YOU REALLY FROM? WHERE ARE WE REALLY GOING? (2025)

CREATIVE & ART DIRECTION, PUBLICATION DESIGN, BRANDING

WHERE ARE YOU REALLY FROM? WHERE ARE WE REALLY GOING? is a book of essays, poems, and visual contributions that span geographies and temporalities to examine the construction of “asian american”, its limits, and its possibilities.

written by the team of seven at ILLUME MAGAZINE, the book serves as a critical intervention—an invitation to reckon with the histories we inherit and the futures we must collectively shape.

ISBN 979-8-218-66975-1
APRIL 2025, 6.7” x 9.8”, 62 PAGES, SADDLE-STITCHED ON NEWSPRINT

RISOGRAPH PRINTS

JUST FOR FUN, PRINT DESIGN, PLAY

8.5” by 5.5” risograph prints i’ve made. selling for $7 each; $12 for 2; $18 for 4; $30 for all 8 — DM me!

UNITED SYSTEMS INC.

BRANDING, GRAPHIC & COLLATERAL DESIGN, PRODUCTION

UNITED SYSTEMS INC. is a satirical rebranding project that critiques the United States by reimagining it as a fictional private corporation founded on settler colonialism, capitalism, and institutional white supremacy.

thorugh the creation of a corporate identity, branded collateral, copywriting, and designed bureaucratic documents, the project exposes how the ideologies of colonial expansion, racial violence, and profit-driven exploitation continue to shape American systems—disguised as democracy and progress.