Vivien Sung is a strategic designer, academic and facilitator working at the intersection of design, culture and leadership building design capability, collective and cultural intelligence to address complex societal problems in the areas of education, health, ageing, diversity and inclusion.
Dedicated to rethinking current practices to create positive futures, she teaches and lectures at UNSW Art & Design in Masters and Undergraduate design programs in the areas of leadership, design research methods and design projects. She has taught extensively at UTS Design, Architecture and Building, School of Design and UTS Insearch. In 2016, Vivien developed the interdisciplinary and intercultural design global studio program, FutureAging Lab, between the University of Technology, Sydney and the Tsinghua University, Beijing focused on developing interventions to issues of health and wellbeing of growing aging populations.
Her research on 'Cross-cultural Empathy in Design for Health' is published in the peer-reviewed book 'Cross-Cultural Design for Healthy Ageing'(2020).
Previously, she co-founded CAMP, a bi-cultural social innovation incubator developing young entrepreneurs and leaders between Australia and Asia. Between 2009 - 2015, she consulted to the City of Sydney on the Chinese New Year Advisory Group providing advice on culturally sensitive creative, community engagement and cultural protocols, and authored the award-winning book Five-fold Happiness in the U.S.
As founder of Diversify Amplify!, she is focused on developing inclusive and self-aware individuals and leaders who harness diversity of gender, race and thought to create more innovative organisations and an equitable world.
Her work draws upon design research, experience design, participatory design, visual communication, design thinking, systems and futures thinking, leadership and intercultural studies to facilitate change. She has lived and worked in Sydney, Beijing, San Francisco, New York, London and Frankfurt.
Peer-reviewed Publications
Editors Lisa Scharoun, Danny Hills, Carlos Montana-Hoyos, Fanke Peng and Vivien Sung 2020, 'Cross-Cultural Design for Healthy Ageing, Intellect Books
Sung, V. & Zhao, C. 2020, 'Designing Cross-Cultures for Ageing Population: FutureAging Lab’, in G. Guo & J. Liu (ed.), Annual Global Report on Innovation in Active, Healthy and Smart Ageing Sector (2017), Beijing Science & Technology Publishing Press, Beijing, pp. 245 – 272.
Conferences, Lectures & Talks
2023, 'Inner Development Goals: Evolving our transformative capacity to Be', Transformations Conference, University of Technology, Institute for Sustainable Futures, 14 July 2023
2023, 'Ears of the Heart', Transformations Conference, University of Technology, Institute for Sustainable Futures, 14 July 2023
2022 & 2023, Professional Practice, Lecture Series, BA Design, UNSW Art & Design
2022, Leadership in the Cultural and Creative Industries Lecture Series, Masters Lecture Program, UNSW Art, Design & Architecture
2020, 'Environmental & Ecosystem Leadership', 'Decolonising Cultural Leadership', 'Diversity in leadership', Leadership in the Cultural and Creative Industries, Masters Lecture Program, UNSW Art, Design & Architecture, 1 June - 27 Aug
2019, ‘Leading and Designing across Boundaries' Talk, Design Leadership and Management Talks and Panel Discussion: Ian Muir, Vivien Sung, CCX Sydney, Atlassian, 12 November
2019, ‘Communicating and Presenting Design Ideas', The Piaggio Lab, Lecture Program, UNSW Art & Design and School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, 15 October
2019, ‘ Design, Globalisation, Decolonisation and The Pluriverse', Experimental Design, Undergrad Lecture Program, UNSW Art & Design, 18 April
2019, ‘Design Research Methods for Change', Design Honours Research Project, Honours Lecture Program, UNSW Art & Design, 18 April
2019, ‘Gentlemen Please: Celebrating Women in Design Leadership', Talks and Panel Discussion, Eskimo & Sydney Design Festival, 8 March
2018, ‘Cross-Cultural Leadership: Shifting the Cultural Paradigm', Leadership in the Cultural and Creative Industries, Masters Lecture Program, UNSW Art & Design, 13 August
2018, ‘Rethinking Ageing: Being Belonging Becoming' Talk, Wellness and Ethics Talks and Panel Discussion: Sally Hill, Vivien Sung, Krister Gustafsson, Social Innovators Sydney, WeWork Sydney, 19 July
2017, ‘Co-creating the Future of Ageing’, Inspired by Uniqueness: Exploring the Boundary of Design, Beijing Design Week Design Forum, 751 D-Park, Beijing, 28 September
2017, ‘Designing Cross-Cultures for Ageing Population: FutureAging Lab’, The Third International Forum on Senior Care Science and Innovation, Beijing, 12 September
2017, ‘The Future of the Australia-China Innovation Landscape: Survive or Thrive’, Beyond the New Gold Mountain, National Conference, RMIT, Melbourne, 24 June
2015, China-Australia Entrepreneurship Panel: Andy Mok, Vivien Sung, Terry Hilsberg, Justin Milne, Spark Festival Startup Weekend, UTS Business School, Sydney
Design Facilitation and Workshop Design
2020, 'Verona Studios Co-design Workshop' Workshop Design & Facilitation, Verona Studios, 29 Nov
2019, 'Google News Initiative Design Accelerator (GNI)' Design Facilitation, Echos Innovation Lab, Taiwan, 28 Oct - 9 Nov
2019, 'Working on Team Human: A Conversation about Learning, Technology and the Future of Work', Kaospilot, Spark Festival, Microsoft Reactor, 17 Oct
2019, ‘Designing in Diversity’ Workshop, Sydney Design Festival, 3 March
2018, 'Diversify Amplify', Vibewire Startup Sundays, 26 Aug
2018, ‘Facilitation for Diversity & Inclusion’, Diversify Amplify, Sydney Facilitators Network, UTS Hatchery, 14 May
2018, 'Leading for Diversity & Inclusion', Diversify Amplify, Sydney University Business, Masters Program, 9 May
2017, ‘Empathy Workshop’, Beijing Design Week, 751 D-Park, 30 Sept
2016, ‘CAMP China Strategy Hack’, UTS Business School, 3 - 5 June
2015, ‘CAMP Ideas Factory’, Beijing Design Week, The Factory 27 Sept
2015, ‘CAMP Innovation Program’, 3 month design innovation, intercultural, leadership program, 30 Mar - 26 June
2014, ‘CAMP Participatory Workshop’, Museum of Contemporary Art, Vivid Ideas, 2 June
Exhibition Curation
2017, ‘Inclusive Design, Designing the Future for All’, 28 September – 6 October, 751 D-Park, Beijing
2017, ‘FutureAging Lab: Design for Ageing in the Home’, Tsinghua University, Academy of Art & Design, Beijing, 1 Dec
2016, ‘FutureAging: Healthcare, Living, Transport & Food’, Tsinghua University, Academy of Art & Design, Beijing, 25 Nov
Learning and Teaching
Snepvangers, K., Rourke, A., Sung, V., Students as Partners Jiang, J. & MacDonald, I., 2018, A Distributed Facilitator Framework (DFF) for Teaching International Students (TIS), Learning & Teaching Poster, UNSW Learning & Teaching Forum, John Niland Scientia Building, UNSW, 26 Oct 2018
Testimonials
Vivien Sung is a talented design strategist. Vivien’s bi-cultural background allows her to work seamlessly across both cultures and languages taking the many sensitivities and preferences into account throughout the design process. I would have no hesitation in recommending Vivien to those seeking dynamic and culturally sensitive design services. – James Hudson, CEO, Australia China Business Council
Over the years I've worked with many different designers and Vivien ranks among the best I've come across. She is full of creative energy and was quick to understand what it was that she needed... In a short space of time she came up with concepts that really captured what we were all about. Most importantly, I found her to be very professional in every aspect and a great communicator, which is why she was such a joy to work with. Sheila Pham, Editor, ABC Pool
Judging
Westpac Bicentennial Foundation: Asian Exchange Scholars 2019
Westpac Bicentennial Foundation: Asian Exchange Scholars 2018
Australian Publishers Assoc: 61st Annual Book Design Awards 2013
Awards
Vivien's work has received numerous awards in Australia and the U.S in the field of visual communication design which she studied at the University of Technology and social innovation.
2016 GOOD Design Australia Award for Social Innovation Finalist
2013 Create Awards, Shortlisted - Typography
2012 AGDA Award, Australian Design Biennale
2012 Create Awards, Shortlisted - Print Creative
2012 Create Awards, Shortlisted - Typography
2012 PubWest Book Design Awards, Gold Award, USA
2011 Australian Poster Annual Finalist, AGDA
2011 Australasian Reporting Award, Gold Award
2010 Australasian Reporting Award, Gold Award
2007 Australian Book Publishing Awards, Highly Commended
2003 ID Annual Design Review, Honorable Mention, USA
2003 Print Magazine Regional Design Annual Awards, USA
2003 Type Directors Club, Award of Excellence, USA
2003 Communication Arts, Award of Excellence, USA
2003 Western Art Directors Club, Award of Excellence, USA
2003 American Association of Museums, Publications Design 1st Prize
Clients
