Richard is an illustrator, academic, and educator with nearly three decades of experience working across the creative industries. His work has been commissioned internationally for advertising campaigns, packaging design, editorial illustration, and educational publishing, including collaborations with the BBC, Marks & Spencer, Cadbury, Harrods, The Times, Liberty London, Aardman Animations, and Scope.
Richard specialises in visual storytelling and narrative illustration, with a particular focus on picturebooks and sequential image-making. He has illustrated more than eighty books for children and young adults, including Children of the Throne (Frances Lincoln, 2025) and Our Tower (Frances Lincoln, 2022), both created in collaboration with Joseph Coelho, the UK's twelfth Children's Laureate. His illustrations for Our Tower were nominated for the Yoto Carnegie Medal for Illustration. Other recent titles include The Thing at 52 by Ross Montgomery (Frances Lincoln, 2023), and Night Jar, Birdsong, and Little House by Katya Balen (Harper Collins and Barrington Stoke, 2023). His first wordless picturebook, Once Upon a Snowstorm (Faber & Faber, 2018), was shortlisted for the World Illustration Awards and exhibited at Somerset House, London, in 2019. The book was subsequently nominated by IBBY for inclusion in the Fourth International Collection of Silent Books, and shortlisted for the Bishop's Stortford Picture Book Award. In 2023, the work was adapted for the stage and performed at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh.
Richard's illustration practice has received significant national and international recognition. His work has been honoured with Gold and Silver Awards from the Association of Illustrators (UK), awards from the Society of Illustrators (USA), and Merits from 3x3: The Journal of Contemporary Illustration (USA). He was also shortlisted for the London Transport Museum's Prize for Illustration and received the Hiii Illustration Award (China) ‘Best of the Best’ distinction. His publications have earned a British Book Design Award, and his work has been selected repeatedly for exhibition in the Association of Illustrators' Images: The Best of British Illustration and the World Illustration Awards, with exhibitions shown in galleries, museums, and universities internationally.
As a practitioner-academic, Richard’s research draws upon his extensive industry experience to utilise illustration as a method of interrogation and problem-solving across a variety of visual communication practices. His work examines the relationship between theory and practice, with particular interests in illustration and animation as forms of practice-based research. He is especially interested in how these disciplines engage with unconventional narrative forms, participatory experiences, and emerging media technologies.
Through collaborations with external partners and wider design teams, Richard embeds illustration as a strand of transdisciplinary design, bringing together academic enquiry with real-world application. He is a co-founder of IMAGE, the School of Design and Creative Arts' community of practice, which supports collaborative research in illustration, animation, graphics, and emerging media.
Richard’s PhD is entitled Utilising Unconventional Wordless Visual Narratives as a Spatially Designed Group Reading Experience. The project explores how wordless illustration can be used to facilitate collective interpretation and discussion of challenging subjects, including online grooming, debt bondage, and child exploitation. By combining visual narrative, spatial design, and participatory engagement, the research investigated the potential of illustration as a catalyst for dialogue, empathy, and awareness-raising amongst children. His doctoral supervisors were Professor Paul Wells and Professor Rebecca Cain.
Recent related material includes:
- Johnson, R. (2026) ‘Utilising unconventional wordless visual narratives as a spatially designed group reading experience’, PhD thes Loughborough University. Available at: https://doi.org/10.26174/thesis.lboro.32946782
- Johnson, R. (2025) ‘The apparatus of wordless storytelling’, The 15th illustration research symposium: apparatus: the role of technology in illustration, Koç University, (Istanbul), 21st-22nd of November. Available at: https://doi.org/10.17028/rd.lboro.31085962
- Johnson, R. (2025) ‘Silent storytelling: utilising unconventional wordless illustration to explore themes of child exploitation with children in an educational context’, Confia: 12th International conference on illustration and animation, Villa do Conde, (Portugal), 26th-27th June. Instituto Politécnico do Cávado e do Ave. pp. 378-388. Available at: https://hdl.handle.net/2134/31091275
- Johnson, R. (2024) ‘Utilising unrestrained wordless illustration in the discussion of complex social issues’, ICON: the 12th illustration conference. prisms: the illustration education symposium. Minneapolis Institute of Art (MIA). 10th-11th July. Available at: https://doi.org/10.17028/rd.lboro.31084996
- Johnson, R. (2024) ‘Wordless illustration as a tool in the discussion of child exploitation’, ADPRex: arts & design practice research exchange, precarious art: how do we make art in a world on fire?’, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, University of the Arts, Singapore. 1st-2nd August. Available at: https://doi.org/10.17028/rd.lboro.31085521
- Johnson, R. (2023) ‘Breaking the frame: unbinding the language of wordless visual narratives’, Confia: 10th international conference on illustration and animation. Caldas da Rainha (Portugal), 6th-7th July. Instituto Politécnico do Cávado e do Ave. pp. 60-70. Available at: https://hdl.handle.net/2134/25465261
Richard is Programme Leader for the MA Illustration and a Module Leader and Tutor on the BA Graphic Design programme within the School of Design and Creative Arts.
Richard integrates professional industry knowledge with research-informed teaching to support students in developing entrepreneurial mindsets, interdisciplinary approaches, and professional competencies across a broad spectrum of visual communication disciplines. His teaching is centred on preparing students for careers within the creative industries, while encouraging experimentation, critical thinking, and innovation. Richard has supervised numerous award-winning student projects, including fifteen D&AD New Blood Pencil-winning projects, as well as work recognised by the Royal Society of Arts Student Design Awards, the Penguin Design Award, Creative Conscience Awards (including Gold and Grand Prix winners), and the overall winner for Pearlfisher Fresh Pearls.
His specialist expertise in visual storytelling informs teaching across a range of subjects, including picturebooks, graphic novels and comics, branding and visual identity, animation, storyboarding, character design, film, and narrative development for site-specific experiences and game-world contexts. Richard's contributions to learning and teaching have been recognised through several awards and commendations. He received the Digital Innovation in Teaching Award at the Loughborough University Academic Awards (2022), was shortlisted for Staff Member of the Year at the Loughborough Experience Awards (2023), and was highly commended in the Teaching Best Practice Awards (2025). He was also highly commended in the UK Postgrad Awards (2025) for PhD Student of the Year, recognising the impact and quality of his doctoral research.
Richard currently teaches into these SDCA modules:ACB280 Visual Storytelling
- ACC140 Negotiated Project
- ACC141 Major Project (Graphic Design)
- ACP207 Defining a Specialist Project
- ACP502 Visual Language and Process
- ACP503 Authenticity and Influence
- ACP504 Speculative Design and Storytelling
- ACP505 Professionalism and Partnerships
- ACP500 Major Project: Theory and Practice (Illustration)
Richard's illustrations and practice-based research have been exhibited internationally, contributing to ongoing conversations around contemporary illustration, creative practice, and visual culture:
- Johnson, R. (2024) ‘Targeted’. ICON12 gallery show [Exhibition]. Chambers Gallery, Downtown Minneapolis.
- Johnson, R. (2024) Unbinding the illustrated book: designing reading experiences through the spatial framing of wordless illustration [Exhibit]. IAIA: International Association of Illustration Academics. Illustrated and written by. The University of Newcastle, Australia. Available at: https://www.illustrationacademics.com/2024
- Johnson, R. (2023) ‘Our tower - unrestrained’. Discover children’s storytelling centre [Exhibition]. London.
- Johnson, R. (2022) ‘Toy circle’ [Exhibit]. IAIA: International Association of Illustration Academics. Seeking vision: 16th design principles and practices conference. The University of Newcastle, Australia. Available at: https://www.illustrationacademics.com/2022
- Johnson, R. (2022) ‘Toy circle’. Society of illustrators 64 [Exhibition & Online exhibition]. Museum of Illustration, New York. Available at: https://societyillustrators.org/onlinegalleries/ill-64/
- Johnson, R. (2022) ‘Tree-grown man’. AI-AP: American illustration 41 [Online Exhibition]. Available at: https://www.aiap.com/slideshow/AI/41/?status=chosen
- Johnson, R. (2022) ‘Toy circle’. IAIA: International association of illustration academics. Seeking vision: 16th Design principles and practices conference [Online Exhibition]. The University of Newcastle, Australia. Available at: https://www.illustrationacademics.com/2022/
- Johnson, R. (2021) ‘Crossings’. The world illustration awards [Exhibition & Online exhibition]. Somerset House, London. Available at: https://theaoi.com/world-illustration-awards/
- Johnson, R. (2019) ‘Night bus’. Prize for Illustration – London stories [Exhibition]. London Transport Museum, London.
- Johnson, R. (2019) ‘Tokyo 2020 - Spirit of competition’. Illustrators 61: Society of illustrators [Exhibition]. Museum of Illustration, New York. Available at: https://www.soicompetitions.org/?what=gallery&c=156
- Johnson, R. (2019) ‘Tokyo 2020: Spirit of Competition’. Hiiibrand Illustration ‘best of the best’ [Exhibition & Online exhibition]. Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China. Available at: https://hiiibrand.com/winners
- Johnson, R. (2018) ‘Free as a bird’. Migrations: The international centre for the picture book in society (ICPBS) in collaboration with BIBIANA, The International House of Art for Children [Exhibition & Publication]. Slovakia, Bratislava. ISBN13: 978-1910959800
- Johnson, R. (2018) ‘Once upon a snowstorm’. The world illustration awards [Exhibition & Online exhibition]. Somerset House, London.
Johnson, R. (2018) ‘Once Upon a Snowstorm & Free as a bird’. 3x3 Journal of contemporary illustration international picture book show No.15 [Online exhibition & Publication]. ISBN13: 978-1-946750-08-2. Available at: https://3x3mag.com/annuals/annual15/j
Richard welcomes interest for postgraduate supervision. He has particular interest in the strategic production, interaction and application of narrative illustration and animation through practice-based research for emerging media.
Current PhD supervisions:
- Keyki Sun: Constructing animated virtual influencers: negotiating authenticity and developing parasocial relationships, co-supervised with Professor Paul Wells, (CSC funded).
- Oscar Trickett: Narrative illustration as a research method to interrogate gender-based violence: creating a collaborative visual journalism methodology, co-supervised with Dr Xiyuan Tan.
- Aga Kowalska: Tactile narratives: an investigation into how material and design strategies in picture books support storytelling around themes of migration, displacement and evolving identity, co-supervised with Andrew Selby.
- Yingtong Charon Zhao: Reframing the ethics of commercial illustration in the age of AI: authorship, empathy, and cultural identity, co-supervised with Andrew Selby, (CSC funded).
- Yueting Yang: Becoming animal and visual metaphor: therapeutic encounters through art and affect, co-supervised with Andrew Selby.
- Xiaojie Gao: Design of museum narrative systems: building a cultural perception space and emotional connection between public and heritage, co-supervised with Andrew Selby.