Michael Johnson (graphic designer)

Michael Johnson (born 1964, Derby) is a British designer and brand consultant. In 1992 he founded the design studio Johnson Banks in London, UK. Johnson received the Design and Art Direction (D&AD) black pencil award for his fruit and veg stamp designs and the organisation's President's award in 2017. Johnson has published three books and the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) have nineteen of his designs in their permanent collection.^[1]

Michael Johnson
Johnson in 2017
Born	(1964-04-26) 26 April 1964 (age 60) Derby, England, UK
Nationality	British
Occupation	Graphic designer
Website	www.johnsonbanks.co.uk

Career

After graduating Michael worked as a designer and consultant for Wolff Olins, Sedley Place, and Dentsu, Tokyo.^[2]

In 1992 he set up Johnson Banks and went on to advise and create brands for clients including Virgin Atlantic, Science Museum (UK), Shelter (UK), The Guggenheim Foundation (New York, USA), Sendai Space Observatory (Japan) and Pew Center for Arts and Culture (Philadelphia, USA).^{[citation needed]} Johnson has designed posters and stamps such as The Beatles for Royal Mail in 2006.^[1]

In addition Johnson writes for many design journals, judges design competitions and lectures worldwide as far afield as Toronto, Tokyo, Berlin and Goa on branding, identity issues and design history. He has won some design industry awards. Specifically, eight D&AD ‘pencils’, and he presided over the organisation in 2003. Johnson has nineteen designs in the V&A's permanent collection.^[3] D&AD named his as the seventh most awarded designer in its history in its fifty-year celebrations in 2012.^[4] The second edition of his first book Problem Solved^[5] was published in autumn 2012.^[6][7][8][9]

Johnson designed 1993's Fruit and Vegetable stamps and The Beatles album cover stamps.^[10]

Awards and recognition

D&AD Awards

• President's Award 2017^[11]
• 7 D&AD Silver awards (‘yellow pencils’; 1991, 1993, 1997, 1999, 2002, 2003 and 2004)^{[12][better source needed]}
• 1 D&AD Gold award (‘black pencil’) for 'Fruit & veg stamps'^[11]

Art Directors Club of New York Awards

Four Art Directors Club of New York ‘cubes’ and six distinctive merits:

• Gold: Beatles Stamps (87th Awards, 2008)^[13]
• Gold: The Watch Gallery (72nd Awards, 1993)^[14]
• Silver: Fruit & Veg stamps (83rd Awards, 2004)^[15]
• Bronze: Glenfiddich Barrel Art (88th Awards, 2009)^[16]

Other Awards

• 1 best of category (2008) from American ID magazine^[12][17]
• Design Week Hot 50, listed 2003, 2004, 2008, 2010, 2011^[18]
• Shortlisted, BBC Design awards 1996^[12]

Exhibitions

• Words and Pictures – the design work of Michael Johnson and johnson banks at Creation Gallery Ginza, Japan in 2004^[19]
• Arkitypo at the Arup Phase 2 space, London in 2012^[20]

Bibliography

As author

• Johnson, Michael (2002).Problem Solved: a primer in design and communication. First edition. London, UK: Phaidon Press. ISBN 9780714844534
• Johnson, Michael (2012).Problem Solved: a primer in design and communication. Second edition. London, UK: Phaidon Press. ISBN 978-0714864730
• Johnson, Michael (2016).Branding: In Five and a Half Steps. First edition. London, UK: Thames & Hudson. ISBN 9780500518960

As contributor

• Myerson, Jeremy et al. (2004).Rewind: 40 years of design and advertising. London, UK: Phaidon Press. ISBN 9780714844602
• Heller, Steven (2004). The Education of a Typographer. New York, USA: Allworth Press. ISBN 978-1581153484.

Solo monographs

• Johnson Banks; Fletcher, Alan (2005). Johnson Banks (Design & Designer). France: Pyramyd editions. ISBN 978-2350170046

References

1. Rawsthorn, Alice (18 February 2007). "Postage stamps: Miniature artwork with mass appeal". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 15 December 2019. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
2. Butler, Andy (13 March 2013). "michael johnson (johnson banks) interview". Designboom. Archived from the original on 11 January 2021. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
3. "Michael Johnson search results". Victoria and Albert Museum. 18 January 2021. Archived from the original on 18 January 2021. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
4. D&AD's Seventh Most Awarded designer in D&AD's history
5. Behrens, Roy R (4 August 2005). "Problem Solved: A Primer in Design and Communication (review)". Project MUSE. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
6. "Problem Solved Second Edition About". Phaidon. Archived from the original on 21 October 2020. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
7. Watts, Jenny (6 September 2002). "CLOSE-UP: NEWSMAKER/MICHAEL JOHNSON - New D&AD president may be a mystery to adland". Campaign. Archived from the original on 19 January 2021. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
8. "Living it small". Design Week. 5 March 1999. Archived from the original on 19 January 2021. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
9. Zappaterra, Yolanda (1999). Typography: Real-world typographic projects - from brief to finished solution. Switzerland: Rotovision SA. p. 116. ISBN 2-88046-469-2. Satta King.
10. "The top 50". The Guardian. 1 September 2007. Archived from the original on 2 November 2020. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
11. McLaughlin, Aimee (28 April 2017). "D&AD Awards 2017: the design winners". Design Week. Archived from the original on 26 November 2020. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
12. Debrett's People of Today entry on Michael Johnson
13. Peters, Robert L (27 September 2008). "The Beatles Rock on Philatelically". Robert L Peters. Archived from the original on 21 October 2020. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
14. Miller, Anistatia.R (1993). The 72nd Art Directors Annual, p.417. RotoVision, SA. ISBN 2-88046-193-6.
15. Fruit & Veg stamps on the New York Art Director's Club website
16. Glenfiddich Barrel Art on the New York Art Director's Club website
17. Johnson Banks's works held by the V&A
18. Michael Johnson listed in the Design Week Hot 50 in 2011
19. "Michael Johnson "Words & Pictures" Creation Gallery G8". Tokyo Art Beat. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
20. Past event listing on Arup website

External links

• Official johnson banks website
• Debrett's People of Today entry on Michael Johnson
• Interview with Johnson in Computer Arts magazine