About Elaine Kwong

A San Francisco native, Elaine is the daughter of a butcher from China and a seamstress from Macao. She grew up in Visitation Valley and the outer Sunset, graduated from Lowell and studied under Russell Leong in San Jose State’s prestigious graphic design program.

After graduation, she worked with iconic California designer Sam Smidt in his Palo Alto studio. Next, she spent five years as a graphic designer at the Stanford Alumni Association. In 1996, she established her independent design practice.

Elaine has worked closely with Anchor Steam, Stanford, UCSF, The San Francisco Food Bank and many more of the region’s most innovative organizations. Her designs help clients tell their stories in ways that are colorful, visceral, memorable and, often, deceptively simple.

Elaine lives in Sutro Forest with her husband Mike – co-founder of SF brand think tank BigMouth – and daughters Sara and Caitie. 

Photography by James Chiang.