My name is Xuan Vu, an illustrator based in Birmingham, UK. I gained a Bachelor degree in Monumental Art at the University of Art and Design, Hanoi, in the year of 2018. During the time there, I developed an interest in Character Design and Storytelling although these interests do not relate to my professional field. However, with the knowledge gained in college about the fundamental principles of Art, mainly including still-life drawing, human figures and colorful composition, and Monumental Art with various practical materials, such as Stain glass, Ceramic Mosaic, and other textures, I am capable of analyzing complex structures of architectures, modifying color combinations, and managing visual layouts, which greatly contribute to two main subjects that intrigue me. To support my interest, I picked up supporting digital skills, including Photoshop Adobe and Illustration Adobe, by enrolling in a Graphic Design course in Arena Multimedia. In addition, I took part in some short-term courses in Schoolism, such as Gesture Drawing - Alex Woo and Painting with light and colour - Dice Tsutsumi, and other courses in Vietnam. After graduation, I started to work as an illustrator and graphic designer with a belief that realistic practices with diverse backgrounds in the working environment might be the key to developing critical thinking,art education, and communication skills. After a year of working, I had a feeling that my targets have not been achieved as I expected. I decided to take a hiatus for self-discovery and self-reflection. I used the time to support a few social activities with my art and design. It helps me to encounter people from all walks of life and understand more about the diversity of art. These non-profit activities showed me that Art is not only an aesthetic term, but it also reflects cultural-historical and life values. At the same time, I am aware that my congenital deafness has shaped my entire life since being a deaf person inherently creates a big challenge to pursue my art career and educational development. As for me, my voice can rise through Art to express my feelings and thoughts as well as serve as an essential means to bring about educational improvements. Today, I think of it not as a hindrance but my own identity as an artist. The social project of “Hearing by The Eyes”, contributing to the major project of “Bridging the Gap” established from Oxfam Vietnam, was an example that I made every effort to make a work of art to approach both hearing people and deaf ones, particularly Sign Language Alphabet, and the advertising poster. I began to believe that Art should be demonstrated by joy along with pure curiosity. This led me to study a MA degree of Visual Communication at Birmingham City.

Xuan Vu Le

My name is Xuan Vu, an illustrator based in Birmingham, UK. I gained a Bachelor degree in Monumental Art at the University of Art and Design, Hanoi, in the year of 2018. During the time there, I developed an interest in Character Design and Storytelling although these interests do not relate to my professional field. However, with the knowledge gained in college about the fundamental principles of Art, mainly including still-life drawing, human figures and colorful composition, and Monumental Art with various practical materials, such as Stain glass, Ceramic Mosaic, and other textures, I am capable of analyzing complex structures of architectures, modifying color combinations, and managing visual layouts, which greatly contribute to two main subjects that intrigue me. To support my interest, I picked up supporting digital skills, including Photoshop Adobe and Illustration Adobe, by enrolling in a Graphic Design course in Arena Multimedia. In addition, I took part in some short-term courses in Schoolism, such as Gesture Drawing - Alex Woo and Painting with light and colour - Dice Tsutsumi, and other courses in Vietnam. After graduation, I started to work as an illustrator and graphic designer with a belief that realistic practices with diverse backgrounds in the working environment might be the key to developing critical thinking,art education, and communication skills. After a year of working, I had a feeling that my targets have not been achieved as I expected. I decided to take a hiatus for self-discovery and self-reflection. I used the time to support a few social activities with my art and design. It helps me to encounter people from all walks of life and understand more about the diversity of art. These non-profit activities showed me that Art is not only an aesthetic term, but it also reflects cultural-historical and life values. At the same time, I am aware that my congenital deafness has shaped my entire life since being a deaf person inherently creates a big challenge to pursue my art career and educational development. As for me, my voice can rise through Art to express my feelings and thoughts as well as serve as an essential means to bring about educational improvements. Today, I think of it not as a hindrance but my own identity as an artist. The social project of “Hearing by The Eyes”, contributing to the major project of “Bridging the Gap” established from Oxfam Vietnam, was an example that I made every effort to make a work of art to approach both hearing people and deaf ones, particularly Sign Language Alphabet, and the advertising poster. I began to believe that Art should be demonstrated by joy along with pure curiosity. This led me to study a MA degree of Visual Communication at Birmingham City.

Available to hire

My name is Xuan Vu, an illustrator based in Birmingham, UK.

I gained a Bachelor degree in Monumental Art at the University of Art and Design, Hanoi, in the year of 2018. During the time there, I developed an interest in Character Design and Storytelling although these interests do not relate to my professional field. However, with the knowledge gained in college about the fundamental principles of Art, mainly including still-life drawing, human figures and colorful composition, and Monumental Art with various practical materials, such as Stain glass, Ceramic Mosaic, and other textures, I am capable of analyzing complex structures of architectures, modifying color combinations, and managing visual layouts, which greatly contribute to two main subjects that intrigue me. To support my interest, I picked up supporting digital skills, including Photoshop Adobe and Illustration Adobe, by enrolling in a Graphic Design course in Arena Multimedia. In addition, I took part in some short-term courses in Schoolism, such as Gesture Drawing - Alex Woo and Painting with light and colour - Dice Tsutsumi, and other courses in Vietnam. After graduation, I started to work as an illustrator and graphic designer with a belief that realistic practices with diverse backgrounds in the working environment might be the key to developing critical thinking,art education, and communication skills.
After a year of working, I had a feeling that my targets have not been achieved as I expected. I decided to take a hiatus for self-discovery and self-reflection. I used the time to support a few social activities with my art and design. It helps me to encounter people from all walks of life and understand more about the diversity of art. These non-profit activities showed me that Art is not only an aesthetic term, but it also reflects cultural-historical and life values. At the same time, I am aware that my congenital deafness has shaped my entire life since being a deaf person inherently creates a big challenge to pursue my art career and educational development. As for me, my voice can rise through Art to express my feelings and thoughts as well as serve as an essential means to bring about educational improvements. Today, I think of it not as a hindrance but my own identity as an artist. The social project of “Hearing by The Eyes”, contributing to the major project of “Bridging the Gap” established from Oxfam Vietnam, was an example that I made every effort to make a work of art to approach both hearing people and deaf ones, particularly Sign Language Alphabet, and the advertising poster.
I began to believe that Art should be demonstrated by joy along with pure curiosity. This led me to study a MA degree of Visual Communication at Birmingham City.

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Language

Vietnamese
Fluent
English
Advanced

Work Experience

2D Artist at Chung Sống - Living Together Project
April 1, 2024 - September 1, 2024
Created artwork for social media and website visuals; designed branding identity guidelines for the project.
2D Artist - Freelancer for Medical Education at F. Creative Studio, Visual Media and Advertising Company
December 1, 2021 - July 1, 2022
Storyboarded with Adobe Illustrator; produced visual artworks and animation assets to assist medical education.
Freelance Educational Illustrator at Educational Illustration (Freelance), Hanoi, Vietnam
December 1, 2020 - April 1, 2021
Supported animation projects for children education; created storyboards for YouTube; collaborated with publishers on children's book illustrations; contributed to Journey of Steps (JOS) for children education.
2D Artist and Supporting Animator at Memento Mori - Cancer Supporting Film Project, Hanoi
October 1, 2020 - February 1, 2021
Character design concept (5 characters); drew backgrounds and storyboards; animated two characters using 2D hand-drawing (Toon Boom).
2D Graphic Design and Supporting Artist at Hearing by the Eyes project, Vietnam Oxfam, Hanoi
September 1, 2019 - January 1, 2020
Created 2D interface visuals; supported poster, banner, and visual media design.
2D Graphic Designer at Germecury - Media and Decoration Company, Hanoi
February 1, 2020 - October 1, 2020
Designed posters, banners, book covers, and magazines; assisted with interior and exterior design.
2D Artist and Intern Animator at Blue Sky - Media and Advertising Company, Hanoi
April 1, 2019 - October 1, 2019
Character design concepts; 2D animation work using Toon Boom; internship experience.

Education

Master of Visual Communication at Birmingham City University, Birmingham, UK
January 1, 2025 - March 13, 2026
Bachelor of Monumental Art at University of Art and Design Ha Noi, Viet Nam
January 1, 2013 - January 1, 2018
Certification of Visual Media 2D and 3D at Arena Multimedia Center Ha Noi, Viet Nam
January 1, 2017 - January 1, 2018

Qualifications

Gesture Drawing (Online Course) - Schoolism
January 1, 2018 - December 1, 2018
Logo and Branding Identity
September 1, 2015 - December 1, 2015
Giải Phẫu Học Nghệ Thuật (Artistic Anatomy) – L’anatomie Artistique
January 6, 2025 - February 10, 2025
Advanced Structure Knowledge - Art Workout Creative Studio
September 1, 2020 - December 1, 2020

Industry Experience

Media & Entertainment, Education, Professional Services