"Johannes is fast and omnivorous. A multitasking hero. He is extremely sensitive and able to express himself without words. His graphic idiom is very clean-cut and his three-dimensional perception excellent.”
— Alberto Zontone, former Commercial Director, Moroso
Unconventional speaker
The founder and vision behind Johannes Torpe Studios, Danish designer Johannes Torpe is an unconventional creative in every way imaginable. Guided by the believe that we do our best work when we pursue things that move us, Johannes Torpe is an advocate for an unrestrained and intuitive approach to design and life in general.
A playful world-citizen
Johannes left school at the age of 12 to play the drums and is completely self-taught as a creative practitioner. His playful attitude has made him a pioneer in the world of lifestyle, design and immersive branding experiences. For over 20 years he has helped clients worldwide build and strengthen their brands with thought-provoking solutions in concept design, interior design and industrial design.
Having worked in most areas of the world Johannes' practice has achieved a universality that speaks for itself. His vast experience and diverse portfolio reveal a fearless approach to the business of design. To him creativity is neither confined to disciplines nor industries. This mindset allows him to share unique insights into the creative industries on both a personal and a professional level.
Rock star attitude
A speech or lecture by Johannes Torpe is a visual experience with an abundance of photos and videos. His ‘rock star’ attitude always engages and entertains the audience leaving them invigorated and the content inspires and provides food for thought.
This video about his keynote speech at Design Indaba 2018 gives you an idea about his stage presence.
As a practitioner who has worked across a multitude of continents and disciplines, Johannes reflects in an enlightening way on his fearless approach to design and holistic concept about creativity. His speeches are permeated with inspiring and entertaining stories about how he addresses the future of hospitality and retail, and how design should answer to the challenges of today. He also generously shares anecdotes from his unconventional and free-spirited upbringing in a hippie commune in Denmark in the 70's and thoughtfully connects this to where he is today.
“To share my story about the hippie child from Denmark who left school at the age of 12 to follow his passion for music and later – without any formal training - became a designer with his own international company and moved on to become the first Group Creative Director for Bang & Olufsen is a privilege. I am humbled by the responses I get from students and professionals alike who in my personal story find inspiration and courage to trust their intuition”, he explains.
He shares his story with honesty and humour and it is a personal mission for him to connect with his audience.
Excerpt of the key events where Johannes Torpe has held speeches over the course of the years.
"I asked Johannes to be our Space Congress luncheon speaker on our “Exploration and Innovation” day after I heard him last June because I was inspired by his perspective on innovation. So many people think it’s all about technology when Innovation is really about thinking about doing something differently, and Johannes really brought that to life describing how he changed the way loudspeakers looked to make them more attractive to buyers, particularly females who are about aesthetics as well as the technical.
Also, his redesigning of the Bang & Olufsen store to make it interactive so people who might not normally be interested were, which increased the branding and brought more customers into the store. These, along with others he shared, were great ideas, and I wanted others to hear about them and his perspective.“
— Suzy Cunningham, Strategy & Integration Manager at NASA
“Enter Johannes Torpe´s universe and you are stepping into a playful, sci-fi environment of “blobjects” and protruding curved surfaces. Like the outer limit of a video game, you are invited to experience his designs, fluidly interacting with them, surfing on them – manipulating them not just consuming them. “
— Laetitia Wolff, Founding director of futureflair,
Former Editorial director at Surface Magazine
“Johannes Torpe’s profoundly human, humane and humanistic approach to design is exactly what the industry needs. A presentation from him covers large areas of insight and inspiration that one would not normally associate with design, but hearing Johannes, it makes perfect sense. Delivering not so much a presentation, more a performance, his focus on creativity stems from an abiding interest in and compassion for people. Definitely a designer for the new age.”
— Aidan Walker, Content Director of Conferences at the International New York Times, Former Director of AD China Design Forum
“Johannes Torpe is a sensitive and emphatic human being who cannot help provoking people a little. As a professional artist he sits between music and design and is very much a melting pot of diverging inspiration. Johannes is a surge of energy and doesn´t always know where he gets his ideas. He has lots of experience with interior design and a clear perception of rooms and spaces. […] Because Johannes has seen so much, his eye is trained to spot quality.”
—Rolf Hay, Founder and Director of HAY
“Thank you for sharing your inimitable style, sparkling insights, and gracious spirit with our students, who draw inspiration from your keen business acumen. Thanks to you, our students will heed their intuitions, creating magical and story-driven designs that celebrate the human spirit.”
— Paula Wallace, SCAD President and Founder
“On behalf of BJDW we are delighted to have Johannes with us this year again. Johannes' well known multi-disciplinary approach and dynamic personality also makes him the perfect speaker to instantly click with the audience.”
— Yanling, Curator at Wholis Design Fest, Beijing Design Week 2017 / Chairman for Open Heart Design Alliance