JO ZIXUAN
INFO

Atlas

We were asked to answers the questions of ‘who are you?’ and ‘where are you?’ in this assignment. My contribution of 16 pages depict the trajectory of my life as migrating trips, using air flight as a motif, across different time and space.

Atlas is a collaborative publication designed together with the RISD MFA Graduate Studio of Graphic Design.

8.5" x 11", grayscale

#editorial

Topography of Typography

This publication combines El Lissitzky’s 1920s typographical essays and contemporary examples of typography: subway maps.

Both the layout and format of the project follow the classic transport fold out map. The complexity of typographical decisions in the underground maps are clear illustrations of Lissitzky's historical typography theory.

#book

What Brought Us to This

‍What Brought Us to This: A Visual Log of 2022 Shanghai Lockdown is a book that documents and critiques the dramatic events caused by China’s harsh zero-COVID policies. It's a record of the country's struggle under authoritarian control and the absurd tragedies we suffered.The featured calendar page of 03/14/2022 is the date when my family started the excessive 79-day lockdown.
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170 x 240 mm, 112 pages
To view the full book (pdf)

#book

Poop Matters: A Toilet Reader

“Everyday we talk about our shit with the people around us; the shit that’s happening around the world. But not everyday we talk about our own poop. It's such a private topic we don’t mention it even to our most intimate partners. We discuss sex openly and flush the conversations about poop down the drain.
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It’s time we be poop proud.
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Hope you enjoy this questionnaire of poop facts and find our your own answers at the end of the poop zine.

#book #zine

Full Moon is for Reunions

Full moon in Chinese culture symbolizes reunion and family togetherness, often celebrated during festivals like the Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋节).

This circular book uses the flipping of book pages to recreate the waning and waxing of the moon cycle. The plexiglass cover is etched with the date of every full moon I spent in the United States, away from my family. Inside is one of the most famous Chinese poems “Water Melody” (水调歌头) by Su Shi (苏轼)

#editorial

DID SOMEONE SAY ORIGINALITY?

Did Someone Say Originality: 5 Definitions of Originality is an artist book and a series of short essays that “untangle, analyze, and expose the term from multiple angles, ranging from the specific to expansive, concrete to abstract, visual to theoretical.”

The book features recurring motif of Kazimir Malevich's abstract form to echo the complicated relationship between originality and creativity.

#book

Sifone Typeface

Sifone is a high-contrast display typeface, elegant with a dash of playfulness.

The inspiration comes from 8 hand-drawn Chinese characters in a 1994 newspaper clipping. The tagline “柔软顺滑来自诗芳” (soft and smooth comes from Sifone) was made for a shampoo brand. This Latin typeface aims to preserve the quirky and bouncy quality of the Chinese specimens, and explore the possibility of bilingual design.

Sifone is a open source font

#typography

Illustration Roundtable

Illustration Roundtable is a monthly webinar with the best Chinese creatives working in illustration. We encourage transparent dialogues and promote community building. The goal for the branding is to attract the target audience online. The social media promotions need to be eye-catching and effectively deliver information of the coming guest, the topics, and the method of sign-up. The challenge is to have a consistent system while giving each episode a unique voice of its own.

#branding