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Jonathan Barnbrook
British graphic designer and type designer, born 1966
Jonathan Barnbrook is a British graphic designer, type designer and filmmaker. He is best known for the album covers he designed for David Bowie, from Heathen to Blackstar. He also makes typefaces and political posters, and he has said he wants to use design as a weapon for social change. His studio, Barnbrook, works from London. Read this page in about five minutes, then use the links at the end.
Posselt, Norman. Jonathan Barnbrook. 28 Nov. 2016. Wikimedia Commons. Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 9 Nov. 2026. Resized for display.
Fact Sheet
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1966 | Born in the United Kingdom. He later trains at Saint Martin’s School of Art and the Royal College of Art in London. |
| 1992 | Designs the typeface Mason, first released as Manson by the Emigre foundry. |
| 1997 | Begins six years of work with the artist Damien Hirst, including the design of Hirst’s big book. |
| 1999 | Signs the First Things First 2000 manifesto, which asks designers to use their skills for worthwhile causes. |
| 2001 | Puts up a billboard in Las Vegas during an AIGA conference with a quote by Tibor Kalman. |
| 2002 | Designs the cover of David Bowie’s album Heathen, the first of several Bowie covers. |
| 2003 | Creates the logo and identity for Roppongi Hills, a huge new district in Tokyo. |
| 2007 | Friendly Fire, a show of his studio’s work, opens at the Design Museum in London. The Barnbrook Bible comes out. |
| 2016 | Designs Blackstar, Bowie’s last album. |
| 2017 | Blackstar wins the Grammy for Best Recording Package. |
Barnbrook also art directed two issues of Adbusters magazine and designed identities for the Mori Art Museum and Art Basel.
Five Key Works
1992: Mason
A typeface with a shocking first name
Barnbrook first called this typeface Manson, after the killer Charles Manson. He said he wanted it to show love and hate, beauty and ugliness.
Emigre faced criticism for the name, and the font was renamed Mason. It mixes old carved letters with new digital ideas.
What to look for:
- Letters like old stone carving
- Alternate shapes in each font
Mason typeface specimen from the Mason page at Emigre, the foundry that publishes the typeface.
Image not owned by Scott Agnoli. Used for general educational purposes. Courtesy of Emigre (emigre.com); click the image to visit the original page.
2001: Billboard
Designers, stay away from corporations that want you to lie for them
After he signed the First Things First 2000 manifesto, Barnbrook designed an issue of Adbusters called Design Anarchy.
He also made this billboard with a quote by Tibor Kalman. It went up in Las Vegas while American designers met there for an AIGA conference.
What to look for:
- Words as the whole image
- Ad style used against ads
Adbusters First Things First billboard, 2001, from the project page on the Barnbrook studio site.
Image not owned by Scott Agnoli. Used for general educational purposes. Courtesy of Barnbrook (barnbrook.net); click the image to visit the original page.
2002: Heathen
His first cover for David Bowie
The cover shows a photo of Bowie with no name on it. Barnbrook wanted the fewest possible elements, since fans know his face.
The album title is printed upside down, as a sign of going against what people expect. He used his own typeface Priori.
What to look for:
- Very few elements
- Upside down title
David Bowie, Heathen, 2002, from the project page on the Barnbrook studio site.
Image not owned by Scott Agnoli. Used for general educational purposes. Courtesy of Barnbrook (barnbrook.net); click the image to visit the original page.
2003: Roppongi Hills
Six trees for a Tokyo district
Barnbrook won an international competition to design the logo for Roppongi Hills, a large new district in Tokyo.
Roppongi means six trees. So he made six different logos, all built from six circles, and they are used side by side.
What to look for:
- A family of logos
- Simple circles
Roppongi Hills identity, 2003, from the project page on the Barnbrook studio site.
Image not owned by Scott Agnoli. Used for general educational purposes. Courtesy of Barnbrook (barnbrook.net); click the image to visit the original page.
2016: Blackstar
A black star for Bowie’s last album
Barnbrook worked closely with Bowie on Blackstar, his last album. The design follows the themes in the songs.
After Bowie died, the graphics were shared under a Creative Commons license so fans could use them. It won a Grammy in 2017.
What to look for:
- Black on black
- A single star shape
David Bowie, Blackstar, 2016, from the project page on the Barnbrook studio site.
Image not owned by Scott Agnoli. Used for general educational purposes. Courtesy of Barnbrook (barnbrook.net); click the image to visit the original page.
Try This
Pick a cause you care about. Make a poster for it using only words, in one typeface, with no pictures.
Further Looking
- Barnbrook: Friendly Fire, 2007: The studio page for the Design Museum show. https://barnbrook.net/work/design-museum-friendly-fire/
- Barnbrook: Blackstar: Images and the story of Bowie’s last cover. https://barnbrook.net/work/david-bowie-blackstar/
- Emigre: Mason: The Emigre page for the Mason typeface. https://www.emigre.com/Fonts/Mason
Further Reading
- Barnbrook, Jonathan. Barnbrook Bible: The Graphic Design of Jonathan Barnbrook. Booth-Clibborn Editions, 2007.
Explore More
Website
Barnbrook
His independent studio in London. Browse album covers, identities, posters, activist work and his typefaces.
Visit resource →Reference
Jonathan Barnbrook
Overview article on his training, typefaces, David Bowie covers and political work.
Visit resource →Video
Twos Talks with Jonathan Barnbrook
A long 2025 interview from Twos Studio about his David Bowie covers, type design, Adbusters and portfolio tips.
Visit resource →Think About It
He calls design a weapon for social change. What message would you put on a billboard, and who should see it?
Sources
Works Cited
“Adbusters: First Things First.” Barnbrook, barnbrook.net/work/adbusters-first-things-first/. Accessed 30 Oct. 2026.
“David Bowie: Blackstar.” Barnbrook, barnbrook.net/work/david-bowie-blackstar/. Accessed 30 Oct. 2026.
“David Bowie: Heathen.” Barnbrook, barnbrook.net/work/david-bowie-heathen/. Accessed 30 Oct. 2026.
“Design Museum: Friendly Fire.” Barnbrook, barnbrook.net/work/design-museum-friendly-fire/. Accessed 30 Oct. 2026.
“Graphic Design for a Music Icon for More Than a Decade | Twos Talks with Jonathan Barnbrook | #2.” YouTube, uploaded by Twos Studio, 10 Oct. 2025, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tiLTRMVDGU. Accessed 30 Oct. 2026.
“Jonathan Barnbrook.” Barnbrook, barnbrook.net/about/jonathan-barnbrook/. Accessed 9 Nov. 2026.
“Jonathan Barnbrook.” Wikipedia, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Barnbrook. Accessed 30 Oct. 2026.
“Mason.” Emigre, http://www.emigre.com/Fonts/Mason. Accessed 30 Oct. 2026.
“Roppongi Hills.” Barnbrook, barnbrook.net/work/roppongi-hills/. Accessed 30 Oct. 2026.
Image Credits
Posselt, Norman. Jonathan Barnbrook. 28 Nov. 2016. Wikimedia Commons. Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 9 Nov. 2026. Resized for display.
Mason typeface specimen from the Mason page at Emigre, the foundry that publishes the typeface. Image not owned by Scott Agnoli. Used for general educational purposes. Courtesy of Emigre (emigre.com); click the image to visit the original page. Source page: https://www.emigre.com/Fonts/Mason. Image file: https://www.emigre.com/assets/img/fonts/carousel/Mason0.png. Thumbnail: 640×360, center crop.
Adbusters First Things First billboard, 2001, from the project page on the Barnbrook studio site. Image not owned by Scott Agnoli. Used for general educational purposes. Courtesy of Barnbrook (barnbrook.net); click the image to visit the original page. Source page: https://barnbrook.net/work/adbusters-first-things-first/. Image file: https://barnbrook.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/FTF_2001_03.jpg. Thumbnail: 640×360, center crop.
David Bowie, Heathen, 2002, from the project page on the Barnbrook studio site. Image not owned by Scott Agnoli. Used for general educational purposes. Courtesy of Barnbrook (barnbrook.net); click the image to visit the original page. Source page: https://barnbrook.net/work/david-bowie-heathen/. Image file: https://barnbrook.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/dbhc_2002_01.jpg. Thumbnail: 640×360, center crop.
Roppongi Hills identity, 2003, from the project page on the Barnbrook studio site. Image not owned by Scott Agnoli. Used for general educational purposes. Courtesy of Barnbrook (barnbrook.net); click the image to visit the original page. Source page: https://barnbrook.net/work/roppongi-hills/. Image file: https://barnbrook.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/rh_1-1024×752.jpg. Thumbnail: 640×360, center crop.
David Bowie, Blackstar, 2016, from the project page on the Barnbrook studio site. Image not owned by Scott Agnoli. Used for general educational purposes. Courtesy of Barnbrook (barnbrook.net); click the image to visit the original page. Source page: https://barnbrook.net/work/david-bowie-blackstar/. Image file: https://barnbrook.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/DB_Blackstar_01-1000×667.jpg. Thumbnail: 640×360, center crop.
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