We recently connected with Hannah Oh and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Hannah, thanks for joining us today. Let’s talk about innovation. What’s the most innovative thing you’ve done in your career?

For me, taking risks has been essential to learning how to be innovative and it has consistently pushed me to grow as a designer. I never want to stop evolving, and sometimes that means stepping into the unknown at different points throughout my career.

I began my career designing bags and accessories at MCM, a German luxury heritage brand, where intuition and trend forecasting were central to the creative process. I loved the fast-paced nature of the industry and the energy of designing in-house for culture. After a few years, I felt the need to broaden my approach and challenge myself further. That led me to MIT’s Integrated Design & Management program, where I trained alongside engineers and business leaders, learning to merge creativity with systems thinking and strategic rigor.

Today, I’m building my skills in another dimension of design—working as a design strategist at an independent studio called Other Tomorrows. Here, I work with clients across industries, using insights-driven methods to tackle complex, often ambiguous challenges.

Looking back, innovation for me has been about continually expanding my own definition of design. Early on, my understanding of design was about designing leather bags and rigorously studying colors and materials. But I’m learning that interviewing users, uncovering needs, and designing strategic frameworks for experiences are also powerful forms of design. Taking risks has opened doors to new ways of thinking and creating—all of which have pushed me to grow and innovate as a designer.

Hannah, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Kia ora! I’m Hannah, a design strategist born in Korea, raised in New Zealand, and currently based in Boston.

One of my strengths is my experience across the full spectrum of design — from high-level strategy to hands-on craft. I’m also deeply plugged into today’s culture, whether that means diving into AI breakthroughs, experimenting with emerging tools, or scrolling TikTok (which, I insist, counts as market research and makes me a better designer).

Since I’ve already shared a bit about my journey, here are a few quick highlights of cool moments off the top of my head:
– I designed a bag that Billie Eilish wore during her bad guy era.
– I worked with The Footwear Collective, a nonprofit driving the footwear industry toward a circular economy, to help launch their brand identity and lead their first workshops with brands like New Balance, On Running, Target, and Crocs.
– Just last week, I co-facilitated a workshop titled “Service Design in an Uncertain World” at the Harvard x Design Conference with the Other Tomorrows team.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

One resource I wish I had tapped into earlier is community — specifically design communities like IDSA (Industrial Designers Society of America). Finding a community of peers, mentors, and collaborators can make such a huge difference, especially early on when you’re still figuring out your creative path.

I’m currently serving on the IDSA Boston Chapter board as the Sponsorship Chair, and it’s been incredibly rewarding to help build and support a community of designers. It’s not just about networking — it’s about having a space to share ideas, learn from others, and helping others connect. You see sparks of creativity, which is really exciting.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

Maybe how vulnerable it is to create? When you put your work out into the world, you’re also putting a piece of yourself out there — your ideas, your instincts, your point of view. Feedback is always great, but I think it says a lot that in design school, we spend a lot of time learning how to give and receive critique. It teaches you how to improve your work, but just as importantly, how to separate your personal worth from the feedback… because it is hard.

Contact Info:

• Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/hannahohnz

Image Credits

Ludovica Cestarelli
Tim Radville