Jo Zixuan

Situational 情境中, Print

A graphic design MFA thesis exploring design as a tool to analyze and construct situations

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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

FEATURES:
It's Nice That/ Groundooh Art/ Hiiibrand

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

Situational 情境中

A graphic design MFA thesis exploring design as a tool to analyze and construct situations

Category
Print

Year
2026

Client
RISD

Specification
11.6" x 8.1"
206 x 295 mm
272 pages
Soft cover swiss bound

Advisor
John Caserta (primary)
Kathleen Sleboda (secondary)
Elaine Lopez (tertiary)
Keira Alexandra (external critic)

External Link
RISD Digital Common
Font In Use

The book is divided into five chapters: Site, Situate, Situational, Situationist, and Archive. Each key term is defined by an opening essays and illustrated with design work and interviews.

How can design analyze the context of given situations and construct new situations? The key terms organizing this book describe a movement. Site establishes the levels of context in which any practice is embedded: place, organization, body, and their continuous interaction across time. Situate names the conditions that shape the maker's partial positionality within sites. Situational describes the practice of reading those conditions analytically and responding to them fluidly. Situationist takes all of that outward. Having understood the context, named the position, and learned to respond to conditions, the question becomes: what new situations can be constructed for others? How do you use that understanding to intervene in the world rather than simply describe it?

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