Susan Hardjono is a Melbourne-based graphic designer with experience across book publishing, e-commerce, advertising, branding and marketing.
More recently, she has been working across the digital landscape with content creation, writing, still life photography and video editing.
Walking the line between playfulness and humour, Susan brings a sense of fun to her work with an approachable style.
She enjoys cooking, eating, and creating, keeping herself amused with Food Baby, and is a self-confessed kpop tragic while trying to learn Korean (won't lie, progress is slow).
Open to select freelance projects – especially of the food or sustainability kind. Get in touch and say hi.
Clients —
Aesop, Adore Beauty, Birch Psychology, Cancer Council Victoria, The Cannabis Company, Crumpler, Grinders, KeepCup, Lavazza, Lui Boss Restaurants, Madame Flavour, Melbourne University Press, Moreland City Council, Myer, Nourish Brands, PhoNom, Smith Street Books, St ALi, Thames & Hudson, Toko!, Trampoline Gelato.
testimonials
“Susan joined my team at the APS as the Senior Graphic Designer. We worked closely together on design projects that required Susan to conceptualise, refresh or redesign many different assets. I found Susan to be a true professional in every sense of the word. Her creative ability is broad and agile, offering many different (and fantastic) design iterations based on the brief she is given. Susan is not only creatively talented, but is a problem solver, thoughtful, friendly, organised and highly professional. Susan is valuable asset to any team or project she is a part of.”
Rebecca Caulfield, Senior Brand and Marketing Manager, APS
“I am going to try and avoid the usual corporate cliches for this so I am going to sum up Sus' nearly 3 years here with ambience as — ace. Ace at driving the design output. Ace at organisation. Ace at ideas. Ace work ethic. Ace at leaving a legacy. And ace member of the team. If I was forced to use another word I'd probably just add 'really' — really ace.”
Stephen Justice, Communications Director, ambience
“I employed Susan as a graphic designer and marketing person at my agency, but she soon became much more than that, not only providing the services required by her role but also acting as an extremely valuable second opinion provider! Susan was a really great worker, extremely capable, creative and responsible. She was confident, with the capacity to be allocated projects to direct and work through independently. As a marketer, she oversaw the development of our seasonal print newspaper the Maker's Mail and was responsible for regular Mailchimp campaigns, blog content and social media scheduling. She found her voice quickly and added depth, charm and integrity to our brand persona. Outside of her work skills, she was always great company, positive and an absolute pleasure to have in the office. If I had been able to offer her the full-time employment she needed I would have in a second!”
Kelly Thompson, Creative Consultant, Producer & Keynote Speaker
“Working with Sus has been a breath of fresh air. Her approach to design and creative thinking is original and always meets the brief. Sus has been at the helm of creating what is now the Adore Beauty brand. Her contributions to the aesthetic and design have created our first genuine take on branding in the companies 20-year history. Sus' personal values have also left their mark on the Adore Beauty brand as Sus championed the introduction of reusable canvas bags to replace our promotional cosmetic bags. What does this mean? It means Adore Beauty began making more sustainable, environmentally friendly choices when it came to packaging. From our shipping boxes to our visitor Keep Cups, Sus has left her mark on our brand and I celebrate her and everything she achieves. I highly recommend Sus as a Creative Manager and Senior Designer.”
Shanthi Murugan, Head of Campaign & Strategy at Adore Beauty
“Susan has that rare ability to take the vaguest of briefs and turn them into beautiful designs that speak the language of our customers. She navigates the line between brand consistency while also pushing for creative evolution. A pleasure to work with! (Also an A-grade baker.)”
Tresna Lee, Contract Marketing Manager at Adore Beauty
“Susan is both commercially astute and dynamic. She approaches every task with much consideration and intelligence. In addition, she is extremely hard working and reliable. When asked to prepare a cover design, she goes far beyond what is expected, offering a multitude of concepts. All meticulously researched, carefully considered and all unique. If alterations are required, Susan listens and makes the necessary amendments without being precious. I eagerly anticipate receiving work from Susan as she always surprises and delights.”
Paulina de Laveaux, Associate Publisher, Thames & Hudson Australia
“Working with Susan on the Flavours of South Australia project was a real pleasure. I found her direction of the project both clear and encouraging. I also really appreciated how on-the-ball she was — Susan made sure that the project stayed on track and we met our deadline. The book turned out beautifully — I’m so glad to have been a part of it!”
Daniel Gray-Barnett, Illustrator
“Susan is a very talented communicator and designer with very good ideas! She respects my own style and skills, and I always feel proud of the work we create together. Susan dreams up super fun briefs with wiggle for creative freedom and gives me room to explore my own ideas in the process. I always look forward to working with Susan, as I know the process will be smooth and rewarding!”
“The Smudge Eats Sydney book was a dream job! Susan provided great art direction while also letting me explore my own creative ideas and visual style. The finished book was the result of a truly collaborative experience and I’m super happy with how it turned out.”
“The process of putting together Flavours of New South Wales with Susan and Elle has been one of the most collaborative and joyous experiences I’ve had with a client. Their feedback was not only in tune with their strong creative vision but also helped my own work immensely. They could see things that needed fixing in seconds which I had been frustrated over for days! It’s rare to have a creative collaboration of the size of Flavours of New South Wales be so fun and rewarding.”
“Susan was an awesome art director to work with throughout the Flavours of Sydney project. She was very clear and efficient with her communication, which, working remotely overseas, was a refreshing quality to bring to the table. The briefing process was specific but also left a lot of room for me to contribute my own creative input — making the whole project a truly collaborative endeavour. I appreciate her eye for detail and overall enthusiastic attitude and I look forward to working with her in the future!”
“Working with Susan on the Specialty Coffee Melbourne book lifted my game. She has clear artistic vision and is the perfect mix of friendly and professional.”
awards
2022 LIT Lighting Awards Winner
Illuminated Home Decor, Lego Linear Luminaire
2021 Good Design Award Winner
Furniture & Lighting, The Andro Project
2020 LIT Lighting Awards Winner
Exhibition Booth Lighting, Symphony
2019 Power Retail’s All Star Bash
2016 Australian Book Design Awards
Shortlisted for Best Series: Smudge Eats City Guides
International Cookbook: Flavours of Urban Melbourne Ed 2
Regional Cookbook: Flavours of South Australia
Health, Diet & Exercise: The Wellness Book Victoria
Travel Guides & Essays: Flavours of Bali
2015 International Book Awards