I just decided when someone says you can’t do something, do more of it.
Eason Yang is a designer, speaker, educator, creative director, and social innovator.
After overcoming cancer and rebuilding his life, he has become the face of professional comebacks, inspiring others to realize their full potential despite life’s interruptions and adversity.
Eason's career struggles are often humorously compared to Steve Jobs' return to Apple, Robert Downey Jr.'s return to acting, and Lance Armstrong’s cycling victories (just kidding!).
Early in his career, Eason led global creative teams at Uber, Ogilvy, and Saatchi & Saatchi, earning worldwide recognition, including the Cannes Young Lion Award in 2012.
In late 2016, a cancer diagnosis altered Eason's path. Though he beat cancer, he was labeled “unhireable” at 35 due to a resume gap. Unfazed, he founded Not Entirely Dead (NED), a social enterprise to help cancer survivors navigate life and work transitions.
Eason’s work in design and social innovation has earned recognition from major creative awards, including AIGA, PRINT, and D&AD. Fast Company named NED the 2023 World Changing Idea and Most Innovative Design.
While creating NED, Eason earned a Master of Design degree from the University of Washington and served as the 2022 Commencement Speaker.
Today, Eason teaches design, mentors young creatives, and speaks globally, reshaping the narrative around creativity and societal impact.
Beyond design, Eason is a self-trained marathon runner, having logged over 8,000 km as part of his comeback. Each morning, classical music organizes his mind as he runs.
Design & Innovation Awards
2024 PRINT Awards - Design for Social Impact
2024 PRINT Awards - Environmental Design
2023 Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas Award - Art & Design
2023 Fast Company’s Innovation by Design Award - General Excellence
2023 D&AD Awards - Future Impact
2023 D&AD Awards - Side Hustle
2023 American Graphic Design Award
2023 Graphic Design USA Responsible Designer
2023 Kleiner Perkins Design Fellow
2022 AIGA Year in Design - Winner of Social Design
Speaking + Lecturing
2024 Singapore Design Week
2023 TEDx Santa Barbara
2023 NPR - Podcast Guest
2023 CreativeMornings - New York
2022 CreativeMornings - Seattle
2024 Yale University
2024 SVA - School of Visual Arts
2023 Tsinghua University
2023 Northwell Health
2023 Accenture
2023 Thomas Jefferson University
2023 Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
2023 Microsoft
2023 The Chinese University of Hong Kong
2022 Fred Hutch
Exhibiting
Spring 2025 Featured Exhibition: New York Public Library
2022 Featured Designer: Seattle Design Week
2022 Featured Designer: University of Washington
Judging
2024 Global Creative Graduate Showcase
2024 Startup Yale at Yale University
2024 D&AD New York Portfolio Review
2023 AIGA Design Leader Certification
2023 AIGA Professional Designer Certification
Press
2024 University of Washington Magazine
Teaching
2023 - 2024 Yale University - Social Innovation Mentor