ZOE MIYAKO LEE



ABOUT
Zoe Lee is a Chinese-Japanese-Korean-American designer based in the United States. She works between strategic design, research, entrepreneurship, and creative direction. Her research and strategy practice is focused on climate impact, culture, and systems design. 

She is a research affiliate at MIT Media Lab in the Community Biotechnology Initiative and a Community Member at New Inc. 

Her past collaborators and clients include the NOAA, MIT Media Lab, the Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation, Dark Matter Labs, and more. She graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design with a BFA in Industrial Design in 2024. 

Find her @ email + instagram + linkedin + are.na

    CURRENT WORK
    Zoe Lee & Annie Chen co-founded BEAM, a strategic design studio creating interventions at the intersection of human and living systems. BEAM is participating as a community member in New Inc’s 11th cohort. 

    She is also a creative director of Generalist, a design collective and studio based in Providence, RI. 

    This summer, Lee is working with Dark Matter Labs as a video communications producer with support from the Maharam Fellowship. 




    RESEARCH & STRATEGY


    Some recent projects. More information at BEAM.



    Co-founded BlueTech research group SCUP Aquaculture; raised $13k in non-dilutive funding (2020-2024)
    1/4 scale model of proposed gear for SCUP (2023)
    Product development for MIT Media Lab - Fluid Interfaces: AttentivU (2023)
    AttentivU (MIT Media Lab) product development (2020-2023)
    Site visit to Point Judith Kelp Co. for SCUP Aquaculture (2023)
    Canal testing for SCUP (2023)
    Workbook development for coral restoration in collaboration with MIT Media Lab Community Biotechnology
    Spread from Coral Civics workbook (2024)
    Sketch iterations for AttentivU (2020)
    Guidebook to Innovation for the United Nations Department of Political and Peacekeeping Affairs Innovation Cell (2023)
    Design work for NOAA Biological Guide to Aquaculture Gear (2024)
    Co-founded Indigo Clothing Co. and sold over $100k by her last year of high school (2018-2021)
    CAD visualization for SCUP Aquaculture








    CREATIVE DIRECTION & IMAGE


    Photos & more from my non-climate related archive.


    Matlock Twins concert (2019)
    Gary for Path5 (2023)
    Jewleler Roberto Villareal (2024)
    Alex & Bobby from Matlock Twins concert (2019)
    Alex from Matlock Twins concert (2019)
    Fehinti for jewleler Roberto Villareal (2024)
    Gary for Path5 (2023)
    Jan for Path5 (2023)
    Fehinti for jewleler Roberto Villareal (2024)
    Fehinti for jewleler Roberto Villareal (2024)
    Led collaboration between the Nads: The Documentary and Naragansett Brewery (2024)
    Creative direction with Ryan Lettieri for NADS x ‘Gansett collection (2024)
    Web design & direction for Indigo Clothing Co. (2019)
    Will (2020) 
    Creative direction & photography for Indigo Clothing Co. (2019)
    Work for Ojahara, now renamed The Rug, featured in Stereo Saints (2022)
    NADS: The Documentary (2019-2024)
    Filming & producing NADS: The Documentary (2024)
    Parents vow renewal (2023)
    Co-directing NADS: The Documentary (2023)
    Co-directed “Alchemy” w/ Louis Hand for The Rug (2023)
    Image from Bagru, India (2024)
    Image from Bagru, India (2024)
    Image from Bagru, India (2024)
    Design for the Crying Race (2024)
    Indigo Clothing Co.  featured in Vox, the Oprah Magazine, and more (2019)
    Emma Chamberlain once wore Indigo (2019)
    The Rug (2023)
    The Rug (2023)
    The Rug (2023)
    The Rug (2023)
    The Rug (2023)





    © Zoe Lee 2024