Pierre Johnson

I’ve always been drawn to design. As a kid in Chicago, I didn’t just build with Legos, Tinkertoys, and Lincoln Logs—I treated them like blueprints for something bigger. Creativity was everywhere in my house. My Dad taught piano lessons in the living room, and the kitchen table was constantly covered in paint brushes and half-finished sketches.

For a while, I thought I’d take a more practical path. I started college as a business major, but after a year, I knew I was forcing something that wasn’t me. So I switched gears, transferred to Columbia College Chicago, and leaned fully into design.

That shift opened doors I never expected. Before finishing school, I spent two years in the Caribbean, living and working at a luxury resort. It was immersive, fast-paced, and taught me the intricacies of high-end branding—and the art of interfacing with VIP clients.

Back in Chicago, I finished my degree while juggling everything from teaching graphic design lessons to selling life insurance to vending beer on the riverboats—a balancing act that somehow made perfect sense at the time.

Since then, I’ve built a career around bringing ideas to life, whether at agencies, startups, in-house teams, or on contract. I’ve worked with global brands, led creative projects, and collaborated with some of the most talented people I know. But design doesn’t stop at my desk. A few years ago, I bought a rental property and took on the challenge of renovating it myself—turns out, problem-solving, vision, and aesthetics matter just as much in construction as they do in the digital universe.

Design, to me, is more than aesthetics—it’s about shaping ideas into something tangible, something that resonates. Whether it’s a brand, a product, or a space, the real magic happens when creativity meets purpose. Every project is a chance to tell a story, solve a problem, or inspire action. And in a world that’s always evolving, I’m driven by the challenge of creating something that leaves a lasting impact.