Jo Zixuan (周子璇) is a Chinese-American graphic designer and illustrator, currently based in New York City. Having graduated from SVA with a BFA in illustration and RISD with an MFA in Graphic Design, Jo specializes in visual storytelling, bi-scriptual typography, and expressive systems. Her concept- and research-driven process takes form in visual identities, books, spaces, and websites. She maintains a teaching practice through mentorship program and Illustration Roundtable, with experience in both K-12 teaching and collegiate teaching. CLIENTS: The New Yorker/The New York Times/ The NYTimes Magazine/ The Washington Post/The Wall Street Journal/ Bloomberg Businessweek/ NPR/ Columbia Global Report/ Medium/ NBC/ PLANSPONSOR/ NYT for KIDS China/ The Atlantic/ Narratively/ Toggl/ Intel/FCB Inferno/ Dotdash/ The Balance/ Thought Co./ Lifewire// TripSavvy/ The Spruce/ 三联《少年》 / 新世相
AWARDS: 2022 - Society of Illustrators 65 Annual 2021 - Communication Arts 63 Winner 2020 - Hiiibrand Jury Award 2020 - American Illustration 39 Winner 2020 - Society of Illustrators Annual 2019 - Society of Illustrators Student Scholarship Competition Finalist 2019 - 3 x 3 International Illustration Award Merit Winner 2019 - The Batsford Prize International Category Shortlisted 2018 - Speedball New Impressions winner, Intaglio/Etching Second Place
EXHIBITIONS: 2023 - eMotion, Ely Center of Contemporary Art, New Haven 2023 - Sino-German Illustration Exhibition, HISMOON gallery, Suzhou 2021 - NO SAMPLE Risograph Exhibition, Fujian 2021 - NO SAMPLE Risograph Exhibition, Xi'an 2019 - Society of Illustrators Student Scholarship, New York 2019 - Speedball National Printmaking Showcase, Davis Gallery, Sawtooth, NC 2018 - The Haves and Have-Nots, SVA Chelsea Gallery, New York 2018 - Constellations, SVA Chelsea Gallery, New York 2018 - HOPE Competition, SVA Westside Project Space, New York
Seriously, Not So Serious
A design practice rooted in intuition, self-care, and the slow labor of craft
Category Print
Year 2025
Client RISD
Specification 6.5" x 8.7"/ 166 x 220mm 93 pages Soft Cover Perfect Bound
Seriously, Not So Serious is a bi-scriptual publication with Simplified Chinese and English taking equal presence. As a graphic design thesis compendium produced in Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), it includes original essays regarding the designer’s research questions, key terms, and critical positions.