johnson banks
| Ltd | |
| Industry | Brand consultancy |
| Founded | London 1992 |
| Founder | Michael Johnson |
| Headquarters | London, UK |
| Website | http://www.johnsonbanks.co.uk/ |
johnson banks is a design consultancy, based in London. Founded in 1992 the company specialises in brand consultancy and visual identity systems, focusing on work for the not-for-profit, education, cultural and blue-chip sectors.[1]
History and ethos
johnson banks was founded in London in 1992 by Michael Johnson. Initially johnson banks focused on both print and identity work, but since the mid-2000s has specialised in identity and branding projects.
Undertaking both the strategic stage and creative stage of branding projects, johnson banks is unusual in doing large projects with only a small team.[2][3]
Work
Notable work by johnson banks includes the rebrand of the charities Shelter[4] and Christian Aid,[5] and the 2010 re-brand of London’s Science Museum.[6]
As well as branding the company has also conducted several experimental typography projects, including creating a bilingual typeface based on Japanese katakana,[7] a pictogrammic symbol set[8] based on Mandarin characters and in January 2012, in collaboration with Ravensbourne college, they created ‘Arkitypo ’ - a typographic alphabet using 3D prototyping techniques.[9]
Notable branding projects
- BFI (British Film Institute), London (2006)[10]
- Christian Aid, UK (2005) [5]
- MORE TH>N (2001)[2]
- Parc La Villette, France (1999-2006)[11]
- Science Museum, London (2010)[6]
- Shelter, UK (2004)[4]
- Think London (2004)[12]
- Virgin Atlantic (2010)[13]
Other work
- Fruit and Veg (UK, 2003) and Beatles stamps for the Royal Mail (UK, 2006)[14]
- World Questions, King’s answers for King’s College London (UK, 2010/12)[15]
Awards and recognition
johnson banks has won a number of awards including seven D&AD "yellow pencils",[16] one D&AD "black pencil",[17] 13 Design Week Awards,[16] four Art Directors Club of New York "cubes" and six distinctive merits.
References
- ↑ Profile of Michael Johnson in Design Week magazine
- 1 2 Interview with Johnson in Computer Arts magazine
- ↑ Article about Michael Johnson on Design is History
- 1 2 Article about the Shelter rebrand in Design Week magazine
- 1 2 Article about the Christian Aid rebrand in Design Week magazine
- 1 2 Article about the Science Museum rebrand in Creative Review magazine
- ↑ Article about Phonetikana - johnson banks' bilingual typeface, on Design Boom
- ↑ 'Mandagram' Chinese pictogrammes on johnson banks' website
- ↑ Article about Arkitypo in Wired Magazine (UK)
- ↑ Article about the BFI rebrand in Design Week magazine
- ↑ Profile of Michael Johnson in Design Week magazine
- ↑ Article about the Think London identity on Logo Design Love
- ↑ Article about the Virgin Atlantic rebrand in Design Week magazine
- ↑ Interview with Michael Johnson about stamps on the AIGA website
- ↑ Feature on the King's campaign
- 1 2 Debrett's People of Today entry on Michael Johnson
- ↑ Page about the Black Pencil award winning project Fruit & veg stamps
External links
- johnson banks official website
- Thought for the Week official johnson banks' blog
- Arkitypo on Design Boom