Aaron Johnson reclining and stretching in his office chair at his design workspace
Aaron Johnson’s handwritten signature

Aaron Johnson

Creative Direction / Art Direction / Graphic Design

The Generic Aisle.

An unexpected place to begin.There’s a story here

Before I understood branding,
I understood
its absence.

I was just a kid when I first encountered the generic-products aisle at a Jewel grocery store.

Every package was white, with black lettering and a simple green ribbon-style label. The same typography. The same colors. The same appearance, product after product.

Nothing stood apart.

More than 40 years later, I can still picture that aisle.

I didn't know it then, but that experience would help shape the way I think about design—and the power of making something memorable.

The perspective behind the work

Hard to Ignore, By Design.

Original thinking. Real-world execution.

20+ years setting creative direction and shaping brands, campaigns, publications, digital experiences, and spaces.

Civil rights law office mural installation, corridor overview
Original concept / Architectural scale / Installation

Selected work / A visual exhibition

Anything but
generic.

Explore all 20 projects ↗

01 / Environmental & Experiential

Civil Rights
Law Office Mural

An original mural composition that brings historical portraits and quotations into an immersive law office corridor.

View case study

02 / Brand / Digital / Marketing

PICK!

An original brand identity brought into a consistent visual language across digital product presentation, restaurant outreach, and proposal design.

View case study
Existing PICK brand, app-interface and marketing presentation
Existing brand/interface presentation. NRA material is a proposal concept only.

03 / Print / Editorial / Hospitality

Don Pepe’s
Menu Design

An original menu concept and complete layout system, connecting expressive imagery with clear categories, typography, and information hierarchy.

View case study
Don Pepe’s menu cover with supplied logo and food imagery
Don Pepe’s menu spread showing typography, categories and supplied food photography

Menu concept & design: Aaron Johnson.
Existing logo & food photography supplied by the restaurant.

Collegiate volleyball schedule poster

04 / Advertising / Art Direction

Collegiate
Athletics Campaign

A consistent visual system across sports, combining photography direction, energetic compositing, and schedule information.

View case study

05 / Editorial / Recruitment

International-
Student Viewbook

Creative direction and publication design connecting recruitment information with carefully selected institutional photography.

View case study
International-student viewbook interior spread 4
Institutional archival photography, curated for the publication.
Día de los Muertos-inspired portraits installed behind restaurant booths

06 / Environmental / Hospitality

Don Pepe’s
Columbia Murals

Creative concepts and large-format compositions shaped around restaurant-supplied subject direction, photographed in the installed dining environment.

View case study

The person behind the perspective

Creative direction.
Hands-on design.

A little more about Aaron ↗