Doug Chiang studied film at the University of California, at Los Angeles, and industrial design at the Center of Creative Studies, College of Art and Design. Chiang got his start as a Stop Motion animator on the Pee Wee's Playhouse television series. He soon rose to become a Clio Award winning commercial director and designer for Rhythm and Hues, Digital Productions, and Robert Abel and Associates. In 1989, Chiang joined Industrial Light and Magic where he became the Creative Director in 1993. During this time, he worked as Visual Effects Art Director for films including Ghost, Back to the Future II, The Doors, Terminator 2, Death Becomes Her, Forrest Gump, Jumanji, and The Mask. He has earned both an Academy Award and a British Academy Award for Death Becomes Her and another British Academy Award for Forrest Gump.

Chiang left ILM in 1995 to head up the Art Department as Design Director for Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace and Episode II, Attack of the Clones. In 2002, he served as Production Designer for Robert Zemeckis' The Polar Express. His first book Robota was published by Chronicle Books in 2003 and he is currently developing the computer game based on the book with Sony Picture Imageworks. In 2004, Chiang formed Ice Blink Studios, a company dedicated to doing production design for film and other media.

As an independent filmmaker, Chiang has received numerous awards, including First Place in the FOCUS Awards for his film Mental Block. His short teaser film for Robota was awarded both the 'Prix Du Rendu' award at Imagina 2003 Film Festival and the 'Best Advertising/Promotional Film' in the 2003 Annecy Animation Festival.

Chiang's paintings have appeared nationwide in various publications as well as limited edition prints and posters and were featured in major national and worldwide exhibitions including the Brooklyn Museum, the Houston Museum of Fine Art, the San Diego Museum of Fine Art, the Fields Museum in Chicago, and the Kyoto and Tokyo National Museums among others.

In 2003, Chiang received an Honorary Doctorate Degree from the prestigious Academy of Art College in San Francisco. Chiang lives in Northern California with his wife and three children.