Bradley Morgan Johnson began his career as an architectural draughtsman before retraining as a production designer. He has created several coin designs for The Royal Mint, including coin designs representing the letters ‘J’ and ‘Z’ for the Great British Alphabet series, and the reverse of the Elton John 2020 UK £5 coin in our Music Legends collection. We asked him about his experience of working on Britannia.
How did your design for Britannia come about?
“I was invited to pitch for Britannia 2025 and put forward four designs. I was aware from the brief that a more dynamic style was wanted; I love Art Nouveau sculpture and took inspiration from a sculpture of Britannia in this style.”
How did it feel when you found out your design had been chosen to feature on such a celebrated coin as Britannia?
“This was one of the first times I’ve won a competitive pitch like this. It came out of the blue and it’s hard to put into words how I felt; there was a sense of relief at winning, but I was also really thrilled.”
What excited you about the challenge of designing Britannia?
“I’m such a fan of classical sculpture and this challenge gave me the opportunity to explore this passion of mine. I didn’t want to think about the gravity and importance of the brief too much.”
Describe your creative process for this design.
“My approach to any brief is the same, I look at the story and character first … I looked at Britannia from the earliest sources, deciphering what she meant. I like to work in a sketch book and then bring these draft ideas into a digital environment and work on them there.”
What was the challenging aspect of this brief?
“Composition is always tricky, but I had the main figure quite early on. Working with The Royal Mint’s Product Design team, I tried a few different things and then we looked at the framing elements, which is where we brought in the sunburst background.”
What aspects of the design are you proud of?
“The figure of Britannia is strong; it’s clear what you’re looking at and who she is. The design is unfussy, and I’m really pleased that it’s streamlined and easy to read.”
“This is the first coin that I’ve designed and sculpted myself. This is a big deal; I’ve been sculpting for a long time and it was good to have The Royal Mint trust in my ability to realise the design.”
Were there any memorable moments or experiences when your worked on this project?
“Being selected was a joy in the first place and it was great that I had a month to work on the project and develop the design. This is also the first coin I’ve designed featuring The King.”
