Michael Peters OBE is internationally famous as a designer. He has been on the forefront of design industry for more than 35 years. His work has changed the relationship between design and business and his influence on consumers has been enormous. Over the course of his career, Peters has created some of the most successful design companies in the world including Michael Peters and Partners, Michael Peters Group PLC, and Identica.
Michael Peters History
In his work as a designer and strategist, Michael Peters has become a pioneer of the design industry, consistently emphasizing the importance of aesthetic quality applied to the highest standards of creative thinking. His name is synonymous with British design, having been at the forefront of the industry for more than 30 years.
Michael studied graphic design and typography at the London College of Printing and Graphic Arts (now London College of Communication) and later went onto the School of Art and Architecture at Yale, studying under Paul Rand and Josef Albers Norman Ives, Herbert Matter and Alexej Brodovitch and he acknowledges these teachers and the Bauhaus School as huge influences on his career, graduating with a Masters n 1963 (MFA Yale). After graduating from Yale, Michael worked for CBS Television in New York on campaigns in advertising and design. In 1965 he moved back to London to begin a long and illustrious career in design, setting up his own design company, Michael Peters and Partners in 1970. He was also one of the founders of the School of Communication Art.
In 1970 he established Michael Peters and Partners, which revolutionized the role of packaging design in the marketing of consumer products. In 1983, he led the company onto the London Stock Exchange, and by 1989 it had an annual turnover in excess of £45m, working with clients such as the BBC, British Airways and the Conservative Party. In 1990 Michael was awarded the OBE for his services to design and marketing. Two years later, he founded The Identica Partnership in London, now one of the world’s leading international brand design consultancies.
Major clients include Universal Studios, Johnnie Walker, National Power, Levis, Martell, Vodafone, Nike, Aeroflot and Roust Inc. Along with Winsor & Newton, the impressive list of clients that Michael Peters has worked also includes BBC, Virgin, British Airways, Bird’s Eye, Shell International, Unilever, Phillips (Holland), Giorgio Armani, Procter & Gamble, BP, Tesco, the new Wembley Stadium, NatWest, Ocean Spray, Planters, Reebok to name a small selection from a vast portfolio.
Michael Peters remains a key player in the design business as a brand consultant and continues to promote the power of design worldwide. YES Logo, a retrospective book charting Michael Peters’ career and his contributions to the design world was published by Black Dog Publishing in October 2008.
Michael Peters has won countless design awards over the course of his career. His first D&AD Yellow Pencil was won in the 60s, early in his profession. In 1990 he was awarded an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) for his services to design and marketing. He was also nominated for the Prince Phillip Designer’s Prize in 2002. In 2009 he was awarded the D&AD President’s Award for outstanding contribution to creativity.
