Jasper Morrison

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Jasper Morrison
CBE RDI
Icon Design febbraio 2016 copertina Mondadori.jpg
Mondadori Icon Design magazine cover, February 2016
Born1959 (1959) (age 66)
London, England
NationalityBritish
Education Bryanston School
Alma mater
Occupation Industrial designer
Known forChair design; founder of Jasper Morrison Ltd; co-originator of the Super Normal design manifesto
Honours
Website jaspermorrison.com

Jasper Morrison CBE RDI [1] [2] (born 1959) is an English product and furniture designer. [3] He is known for the refinement and apparent simplicity of his designs. In a rare interview with the designer, he is quoted as saying "objects should never shout." [4]

Contents

Thinking Man's Chair first exhibited at Aram Gallery and later manufactured by Cappellini (1985-1988) Thinking Mans Chair designed by Jasper Morrison.jpg
Thinking Man's Chair first exhibited at Aram Gallery and later manufactured by Cappellini (1985–1988)
Samsung SGH-E590 (2007) Samsung SGH-E590.png
Samsung SGH-E590 (2007)
TW 2000 Hanover light rail vehicle designed with Herbert Lindinger (1990s) 2001-03-31.H-TW2000-Vahrenwalder-Platz.jpg
TW 2000 Hanover light rail vehicle designed with Herbert Lindinger (1990s)
SCP side table drawing with annotations (1986) Jasper Morrison SideTable Drawing SCP 1986.jpg
SCP side table drawing with annotations (1986)
Air-Chair production process Air-Chair production process.jpg
Air-Chair production process

Early life and education

Morrison was born in London, England, and was educated at Bryanston School in Dorset. [2] His design studies began with a foundation course at Ravensbourne College of Art (1978–79), [6] after which he studied at Kingston Polytechnic, graduating in 1982 with a Bachelor of Design degree. [7] He then attended the Royal College of Art, from which he received a master's degree in Design in 1985. [8] He also studied at the Berlin University of the Arts (formerly the German : Hochschule für Bildende Künste). [9] [6]

He has spoken about his childhood memories of the Braun SK 4 "Snow White's Coffin" radiogram [10] (designed by Hans Gugelot and Dieter Rams in 1956), which he first saw in the "Scandinavian style study" of his grandfather's house, and how "the room and the record player both had a very important influence on [his] choice in becoming a designer." [11] [12]

Work and career

He has designed products and furniture for many manufacturers and brands such as Alessi, Alias, Cappellini, Emeco, [13] Flos  [ it ], FSB  [ de ], Hermès, [14] Ideal Standard, Magis  [ it ], Issey Miyake, Olivetti, Puiforcat  [ fr ], [15] Rosenthal, Samsung, [16] Sony, SCP, [17] Üstra, and Vitra. [18] Morrison is the lead designer at boutique Swiss consumer technology company Punkt., known for its minimalist MP01 and MP02 mobile phones. [19] [20] [21] He has also collaborated with the Japanese retail company MUJI on a variety of products ranging from housewares to housing. [22] [23]

Morrison curated the Super Normal exhibition with Japanese designer Naoto Fukasawa in 2006, which presented 200 ordinary or anonymously designed products that were devoid of gimmicks and branding. [24]

In a Domus magazine review of his 2015 exhibition Thingness at Le Grand-Hornu, [25] the design critic Alice Rawsthorn stated that Morrison "is one of the most influential product designers of our time." [3] More recently, a 2020 article about the designer in la Repubblica described him as "the anti-Philippe Starck par excellence" whose "projects are often the result of a long gestation to achieve simplicity, elegance and discretion." [4]

His work has been widely exhibited [26] [27] and is in the collection of the British Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum, and Design Museum in London, [28] [29] the Vitra Design Museum in Germany, [30] the ADI Design Museum in Milan, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, [31] as well as the M+ museum in Hong Kong and other institutions. [32]

Morrison's designs have received many awards including the Compasso d'Oro, Good Design Award, [33] and 12 iF Product Design Awards. [34]

In March 2007, he was awarded an honorary doctorate in Design from Kingston University. [35]

Morrison received the Isamu Noguchi Award in 2015, [36] and in 2020 he was named both "Designer of the Year" by the Elle Decoration British Design Awards, as well as the German Design Award "Personality of the Year". [37] [38] In the same year, he also received the Compasso d'Oro "Career Award" [39] from the ADI in Milan.

Morrison was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the UK 2020 Birthday Honours for services to design. [40]

In 2025, Morrison was among 35 UK-based designers who signed a letter to the technology secretary, Peter Kyle, urging the government to reconsider its plans to allow artificial intelligence companies to train their models on copyrighted works without permission. [41]


Selected works

Selected exhibitions

Jasper Morrison: Take a Seat exhibition, Musee des Arts Decoratifs, Paris (2009) Musee des Arts Decoratifs 2009 002.jpg
Jasper Morrison: Take a Seat exhibition, Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris (2009)

Publications

References

  1. 1 2 "Order of the British Empire". The London Gazette . UK. 10 October 2020. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 "Royal Designers for Industry, Jasper Morrison". Royal Designers for Industry . Retrieved 16 October 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 Rawsthorn, Alice (28 May 2015). "Review: Jasper Morrison's Praise of Normal Things". The New York Times . Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  4. 1 2 Gugliotta, Francesca (25 October 2021). "Morrison: 'Gli oggetti non devono urlare mai'" ["Morrison: 'Objects should never shout' "]. la Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  5. ↑ Bertoli, Rosa (4 October 2023). "When Jasper Morrison met Giulio Cappellini". Wallpaper Magazine. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
  6. 1 2 "Jasper Morrison | Timeline". jaspermorrison.com. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
  7. ↑ "Our Alumni". UK: Kingston University London . Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  8. ↑ "Greasing the Wheels". Damnº. 1 January 2013. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  9. ↑ "Morrison, Jasper". Treccani (in Italian). Retrieved 28 August 2025.
  10. ↑ "Master and commandments". Wallpaper (103). IPC Media: 321. October 2007. ISSN   1364-4475. OCLC   948263254. the Phonosuper SK4, dubbed 'Snow White coffin' because of its transparent lid and white metal casing. The SK4 was revolutionary. Perhaps more than any other product, it marked the end of chunky, bourgeois household electrical products decoratively disguised as pieces of furniture
  11. ↑ Sisson, Patrick (18 May 2014). "Design Icon: 10 Works by Jasper Morrison". Dwell . Retrieved 16 January 2023.
  12. ↑ "The Minimalist". Whitewall Magazine. February 2010.
  13. ↑ "Afternoon Light Puts its Own Spin on an Emeco Classic". HYPEBEAST. 27 July 2022. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  14. ↑ Medford, Sarah (9 October 2020). "How Hermès and Jasper Morrison Made a Minimalist's Dream Chair". Wall Street Journal. ISSN   0099-9660 . Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  15. ↑ "Puiforcat brings something new to the table with a wooden cutlery set". Wallpaper* . 2 July 2025. Retrieved 28 August 2025.
  16. ↑ "Samsung Unveils SGH-E590 Designed by Jasper Morrison". phys.org. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  17. ↑ Budds, Diana (12 October 2015). "The British Brand SCP Celebrates 30 Years Of Anti-Establishment Furniture". Fast Company. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  18. ↑ Sommariva, Elena (23 June 2013). "Jasper Morrison: Please". www.domusweb.it. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  19. ↑ "Jasper Morrison Design | Punkt". www.punkt.ch. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  20. ↑ "Punkt - MP01". Mobile Phone Museum . Retrieved 11 July 2025.
  21. ↑ "Punkt - MP02". Mobile Phone Museum . Retrieved 11 July 2025.
  22. ↑ "Jasper Morrison | Muji chair". jaspermorrison.com. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  23. ↑ "Jasper Morrison | Hut". jaspermorrison.com. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  24. ↑ Bartal, Ory (2020). Critical design in Japan: Material culture, luxury, and the avant-garde (1 ed.). Manchester University Press. ISBN   978-1-5261-3997-9. JSTOR   j.ctvzgb83c.
  25. ↑ "Jasper Morrison: Thingness". www.domusweb.it. Retrieved 26 September 2022.
  26. 1 2 Zeitoun, Lea (18 September 2022). "In Conversation with Jasper Morrison Ahead of his 'Early Work' Exhibition in London". designboom architecture & design magazine. Retrieved 26 September 2022.
  27. ↑ "Jasper Morrison Early Work". London Design Festival. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
  28. ↑ "Jasper Morrison | British Museum (Collections Online)". www.britishmuseum.org. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
  29. ↑ Museum, Victoria and Albert (8 October 1988). "Sofa | Morrison, Jasper | V&A Explore The Collections". Victoria and Albert Museum: Explore the Collections. Retrieved 26 September 2022.
  30. ↑ "Jasper Morrison: Vitra Design Museum Collection". collectiononline.design-museum.de. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
  31. ↑ "Jasper Morrison | MoMA". The Museum of Modern Art. Retrieved 26 September 2022.
  32. ↑ "Handlebar (1981) - Jasper Morrison | Objects | M+". www.mplus.org.hk. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
  33. ↑ "MP02 wins a Japanese Good Design Award 2020". www.punkt.ch. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  34. ↑ "iF – Jasper Morrison". ifdesign.com (in German). Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  35. ↑ "Designed for success". UK: Kingston University London. 7 July 2009.
  36. ↑ "2021 Benefit and Isamu Noguchi Award". The Noguchi Museum. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  37. ↑ Spriggs, Ben; Ryder, Bethan (30 January 2020). "British Design Awards". ELLE Decoration. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  38. ↑ "German Design Awards 2020: the winners and Personality of the Year have been named". www.german-design-award.com. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  39. ↑ "International Career Award 2020, 26th edition". ADI Design Museum. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
  40. ↑ "No. 63135". The London Gazette (Supplement). 10 October 2020. p. B10.
  41. ↑ Milmo, Dan (31 March 2025). "Designers say plans for UK copyright law risk 'running roughshod' over sector". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 April 2025.
  42. ↑ Senda, Shuhei (16 April 2016). "jasper morrison collection for VITRA introduces all plastic chair at salone del mobile 2016". designboom | architecture & design magazine. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  43. ↑ Zeinstra, Jurjen (26 January 2015). "Some New Items for the Home – Part I". dash-journal.com. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  44. ↑ "Vitra Design Museum: Collection". collectiononline.design-museum.de. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  45. ↑ Rawsthorn, Alice (11 June 2006). "Celebrating the beauty of 'super normal' little objects of daily life – Style – International Herald Tribune". The New York Times .
  46. ↑ "Jasper Morrison: take a seat!". Musée des Arts Décoratifs . Retrieved 11 June 2024.
  47. ↑ Apphia, Michael (11 April 2011). "Danish Design – I like it! exhibition, Copenhagen". Wallpaper*. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  48. ↑ "Jasper Morrison – Objects & Atmosphere". Iittala & Arabia Design Centre. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  49. ↑ Keh, Pei-Ru (10 May 2019). "Jasper Morrison on the artistic process behind his cork sculptures". wallpaper.com. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  50. ↑ Arefin, Tony (2012). Arefin and Arefin : the graphic design of Tony Arefin. Emily King, Rick Poynor, James Langdon, Jonathan Watkins, Ikon Gallery. Birmingham, United Kingdom. pp. 114–115. ISBN   978-1-904864-79-0. OCLC   852400168.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  51. ↑ Morrison, Jasper (28 March 2013). "James Irvine obituary". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 9 February 2023.
  52. ↑ "Notes on design: Enzo Mari by Jasper Morrison". www.domusweb.it. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
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