Jasper Morrison

Jasper Morrison studied at Bryanston School, Ravensbourne University London and Kingston University. Training under Vico Magistretti is recorded. The recorded working language is English. The field of work recorded is design, furniture design and product design. Residence is recorded at London. Employment is recorded with Artifort and Cor Unum. Work by Jasper Morrison is recorded in the collections of Art Institute of Chicago, Bauhaus-Archiv, British Museum, Design Museum and Design Museum Den Bosch. Distinctions recorded are Commander of the Order of the British Empire, Royal Designer for Industry, Compasso d'Oro and Good Design Award.

• Name — Jasper Morrison • Born — 1959 • Birthplace — London, England • Known for — Chair design; founder of Jasper Morrison Ltd; co-originator of the Super Normal design manifesto • Education — Bryanston School • Alma Mater — *Ravensbourne, Foundation course (1979) • Kingston Polytechnic, Bachelor of Design (1982) • Royal College of Art, Master of Design (1985) • Berlin University of the Arts • Occupation — Industrial designer • Honours — *Commander of the British Empire • Royal Designer for Industry • Website — https: jaspermorrison.com/ • Illustration — Thinking Man's Chair first exhibited at Aram Gallery and later manufactured by Cappellini (1985–1988)

Morrison was born in London, England, and was educated at Bryanston School in Dorset. His design studies began with a foundation course at Ravensbourne College of Art (1978–79), after which he studied at Kingston Polytechnic, graduating in 1982 with a Bachelor of Design degree. He then attended the Royal College of Art, from which he received a master's degree in Design in 1985. He also studied at the Berlin University of the Arts (formerly the Hochschule für Bildende Künste). He has spoken about his childhood memories of the Braun SK 4 "Snow White's Coffin" radiogram (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."

Morrison's work has been praised for "emphasizing the value of the essential and the importance of the ordinary." Writing for Domus magazine, the Milanese curator Maria Cristina Didero said that "Morrison has always had an aversion to design ego. His work does not shout, does not seek spectacle, does not aim to dazzle." He has designed products and furniture for many manufacturers and brands such as Alessi, Alias, Cappellini, Emeco, Flos S.p.A. (company), FSB (German manufacturer), Hermès, Ideal Standard, Magis (Italian company), Issey Miyake, Olivetti, Puiforcat (brand), Rosenthal, Samsung, Sony, SCP (the first company to manufacture one of Morrison's designs), Üstra, and Vitra. Morrison is the lead designer at boutique Swiss consumer technology company Punkt., known for its minimalist MP01 and MP02 mobile phones. He has also collaborated with the Japanese retail company MUJI on a variety of products ranging from housewares to housing. 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. • Illustration — SCP side table drawing with annotations (1986) In a Domus magazine review of his 2015 exhibition Thingness at Le Grand-Hornu, the design critic Alice Rawsthorn stated that Morrison "is one of the most influential product designers of our time." 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." His work has been widely exhibited and is in the collection of the British Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum, and Design Museum in London, the Vitra Design Museum in Germany, the ADI Design Museum in Milan, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, as well as the M+ museum in Hong Kong and other institutions. Morrison's designs have received many awards including the Compasso d'Oro, Good Design Award, and 12 iF Product Design Awards. In March 2007, he was awarded an honorary doctorate in Design from Kingston University. Morrison received the Isamu Noguchi Award in 2015, 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". In the same year, he also received the Compasso d'Oro "Career Award" 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. • Illustration — Air-Chair production process 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. Morrison oversaw the exhibition design for a retrospective of the work of Lella and Massimo Vignelli held at the Milan Triennale museum in 2026.

• Illustration — Jasper Morrison: Take a Seat exhibition, Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris (2009) • 1988 Some New Items for the Home, DAAD Galerie, Berlin, Germany • 1989 Some New Items for the Home (Part II, with Vitra), Galerie Facsimile, Milan, Italy • 2006 Super Normal, (curated by Jasper Morrison and Naoto Fukasawa), Axis Gallery, Tokyo, Japan • 2009 Jasper Morrison: Take a Seat, Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, France • 2011 Jasper Morrison: Danish Design: I Like It!, Danish Museum of Decorative Art, Copenhagen, Denmark • 2015 Thingness, Grand-Hornu, Boussu, Belgium • 2018 Objects & Atmosphere, Iittala & Arabia Design Centre, Helsinki • 2019 Corks, exhibition of cork editions, Kasmin Gallery, New York • 2022 Early Work, Jasper Morrison shop, London, England

Jasper Morrison is recorded as having received Commander of the Order of the British Empire, Royal Designer for Industry and Compasso d'Oro. Formation and teaching. Morrison studied at Bryanston School, Ravensbourne University London, Kingston University and Royal College of Art. He trained under Vico Magistretti.