Sir John Sorrell is a British designer and a renowned advocate and campaigner for creative education and for the creative industries.
Career
John Sorrell set up his first business, Goodwin Sorrell, in 1964 with Chuck Goodwin. John co-founded the design and identity business Newell and Sorrell in 1976 with his wife Frances Sorrell. Newell and Sorrell became one of Europe’s biggest and most successful identity consultancies, with clients that included British Airways, the Body Shop and the Royal Mail. The business won numerous awards for creativity and effectiveness. In 1997, Newell and Sorrell merged with Interbrand to form Interbrand Newell & Sorrell. John and Frances left Interbrand Newell & Sorrell in 2000.
The Sorrell Foundation
John and Frances Sorrell co-founded the Sorrell Foundation in 1999 with the aim of inspiring creativity in young people and improving lives with good design. The Sorrell Foundation has worked with more than 100,000 young people across the UK on a range of programmes, including Joinedupdesignforschools, the Young Design Programme, and . In 2009, John and Frances set up the network. John is co-chair of the Sorrell Foundation.
The Saturday Club Trust
John is co-founder and trustee of the Saturday Club Trust, a new charity formed in 2016 to take over the development of the Saturday Clubs from the Sorrell Foundation. The Saturday Club network offers young people aged 13–16 the opportunity to study on Saturdays for free. Currently there are around 50 Clubs around the UK: Art&Design, Science&Engineering, Fashion&Business and Writing&Talking.
John is chairman of London Design Festival, which he co-founded in 2003, and co-produces with Ben Evans. London Design Festival celebrates and promotes London’s and the UK’s creativity. The Festival brings over 400 events to an international audience each September and has become the standard bearer for over 100 design festivals set up in cities around the world since its inception. John is president of London Design Biennale, which he co-founded in 2016, and co-produces with Ben Evans. This biannual exhibition, staged at Somerset House, invites participating countries and cities to exhibit original design installations in response to a theme. Installations are curated by the leading museums and design organisations in the world.
Other roles
John has been a trustee of the Victoria & Albert Museum since 2011, and Chairman of University of the Arts London since 2013. University of the Arts London is Europe’s largest specialist arts and design university. A UK Business Ambassador since 2009, John has been appointed by successive Prime Ministers to champion the UK’s Creative Industries sector overseas. John founded the Creative Industries Federation in 2014 - the independent voice for the UK’s creative industries. The Creative Industries Federation unites the UK's diverse arts and creative industries to secure the policies and funding needed to further Britain's global success as a cultural powerhouse. In April 2017, he stepped down as chair of the Creative Industries Federation. John chaired the UK Design Council from 1994 to 2000 after carrying out a major review, which created a blueprint for the transformation and future strategy for the organisation. He was Chair of CABE from 2004 to 2009, a Vice-President of the Chartered Society of Designers from 1989 to 1992, and Chairman of the Design Business Association from 1990 to 1992.
John has published four books: ‘Creative Island’ and ‘Creative Island II’ feature inspired design from Great Britain. He co-authored ‘Joinedupdesignforschools’ with Frances Sorrell and co-authored ‘Virtuous Circle’ with Darren Henley and Paul Roberts.
Early life
John was born in London in 1945 during an air raid in the Second World War. He went to Saturday morning art classes at Hornsey School of Art when he was 14. He then studied art and design there full-time between the ages of 16 and 19. His experience of Saturday morning art classes inspired his later foundation of the National Art&Design Saturday Club.
