Eric Hu

As the first VP of Design at Cohere, I’ve built and led both the product and brand design functions from the ground up. My work spans: • Scaling the product design team to support a fast-growing AI platform pivot towards an enterprise SaaS product • Founding and growing the brand design function into a high-performing in-house creative studio • Evolving the company’s visual identity beyond the foundation set by Pentagram • Supporting the launch of global marketing campaigns across web, print, and experiential I work closely with executive leadership to shape how Cohere shows up in the world—from product experience to brand expression.

Eric Hu Studio is a multidisciplinary design and creative direction practice working at the intersection of brand, culture, and technology. We develop bold, idea-driven visual systems across brand identity, editorial, digital, motion, and type. Our clients span fashion, music, architecture, and tech—including Google, Chanel, Ambush, SSENSE, and more—ranging from early-stage startups to global institutions. Whether launching a campaign or shaping a long-term brand system, we aim to create work that’s visually arresting, strategically grounded, and culturally resonant.

Led global design for Nike Sportswear, one of the company’s largest and most culturally visible categories. Oversaw creative direction across seasonal campaigns, product storytelling, retail environments, and digital experiences—partnering closely with marketing, product, and category teams to define a cohesive and culturally relevant voice. Managed internal and external teams across disciplines including art direction, motion, editorial, and typography. Played a key role in shaping the brand’s visual identity during a pivotal period of growth, innovation, and cross-category collaboration.

SSENSE is a global online retailer known for its selection of independent & luxury brands and cutting-edge editorial content. As a direct report to the CEO, I am the inaugural director of the company's design team where I lead and staff a group of designers and art directors to help visually articulate the company's ethos on all internal and outward-facing touch-points. Responsibilities include: Management: — Manage and hire a growing team of designers and art directors. — Commission and manage external agencies and vendors for special projects. — Liaise with the CEO, Editor-in-Chief, and Dir. of Brand Strategy, and Dir. of Retail and the Dir. of Style, to ensure editorial, commercial, and strategic alignment as part of an interdepartmental project committee. — Plan, organize and coordinate departmental project roadmaps. Brand: — Manage and creative direct the SSENSE rebrand (on-going). — Lead art directors and designers in establishing a fluid typographic system that accommodates both Ecommerce and Editorial needs. — Organize and coordinate design sprints. — Establish a roadmap to transition into the new brand on editorial, ecommerce and physical retail touch-points while making leading incremental improvements on the current editorial art direction. — Working with the Dir. of Retail and David Chipperfield Architects on developing a wayfinding system for retail. Editorial: — Making small iterative adjustments of the editorial voice and art direction to prepare for the upcoming rebrand while still maintaining the attitude and voice of the current design language. — Ensure that the design team is staffed, trained, prepared to accommodate a 60% increase in editorial content publishing frequency (5x a week) effective October 2016. Marketing: — Creative direct biannual sales campaigns. — Manage external agencies in the generation of all marketing assets. Ecommerce: — Lead product designers in improving the online retail experience

Clients include: The Avery Review (Columbia University GSAPP), CF. Goldman, Faux/Real, Solange Knowles / Saint Heron, Evian Christ / Tri Angle Records, Braintree, The Bug / Ninja Tune Records, Verso Books, Anki, West SF

Communication Graphic Design I & II, Fall 2015, Spring 2016 — School of Visual Arts Creative Computing, Fall 2014 — Parsons the New School of Design

Recipient of the Bradbury Thompson Memorial Prize for Continued Excellence in Graphic Design, 2013. Thesis explored the role of craft in digital contexts.