Creative Director & Principal, johnson banks
Michael Johnson is the designer/writer/thinker that founded johnson banks, a London-based brand consultancy with a global reputation. His main job is to oversee the studio’s strategic and creative output, but he is often to be found moonlighting on other projects either as curator or collaborator.
Set up twenty-one years ago, johnson banks works on design projects as varied as airline rebrands (Virgin Atlantic) and world famous museums (The Science Museum). They have just rebranded the pioneers of venture philanthropy, Acumen Fund, have advised the Guggenheim on a global art initiative and are working on a major repositioning of Unicef in the UK.
The company has consistently shown that a small group of designers and thinkers (there are rarely more than ten of them) can consistently solve the thorniest business problems with world-class solutions, whilst demonstrating wit, intelligence and humanity along the way.
Michael writes for many design journals, judges design competitions and lectures worldwide on branding, identity issues and design history. He’s won most of the design world’s most prestigious awards, including eight Design and Art Direction (D&AD) pencils, has dozens of designs in the V&A’s permanent collection and was D&AD President in 2003, one of the youngest presidents ever.
He has been recognised by both The Guardian and Independent newspapers as one of the most influential designers in the UK and in a recent survey by D&AD of the last fifty years was their seventh most awarded designer of all time. The second edition of his first book, Problem Solved (Phaidon) has just come out, and he is working on two other titles.
In his spare moments he edits the design blog, Thought for the week and dreams of being a better guitar player.
