Jimmy Van Luu teaches Graphic Design in the Department of Visual Studies, and serves as Area Coordinator of Graphic Design.
Luu's practice resists traditional notions of Graphic Design, resulting in a broad range of activity that investigates the intersection of design and other disciplines. He is the co-founder and design lead of the Austin-based design consultancy Group Project.
He was a former art director of Ninth Letter literary-arts magazine, and his publication design has been recognized in multiple venues including PRINT magazine and Graphis. His award-winning large-scale public artwork, Letterscape, is part of the City of Austin's permanent public art collection. From 2018-2020, he served as the Director of Education for the Austin chapter of AIGA, the nation's largest professional association for design, where he launched GROW, a one-day conference for emerging designers.
Luu founded and oversees the Department of Visual Studies' Risograph Lab.
Luu is a born-and-raised Texan, first-generation college graduate, second-generation Vietnamese-American, and an alum of the Land Arts of the American West field study program.
Academic Appointments
Associate Professor, Graphic Design - St. Edward's University (2018-present)
Assistant Professor, Graphic Design - St. Edward's University (2014-2018)
Visiting Assistant Professor, Graphic Design - St. Edward's University (2013-2014)
Assistant Professor, Graphic Design - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2008-2013)
M.F.A. in Design, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas.
B.S. in Advertising, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas.
Honors and Awards
DeLayne Hudspeth Award for Innovative Instruction, St. Edward's University, 2022.
Active Grants
"Diversifying the Narratives of Graphic Design History," National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Spotlight on the Humanities in Higher Education Grant, 2022-2024.