About Us
Ph.D was founded in 1988 by two English blokes determined on serving an enlightened roster of clients with visual acuity, crisp thinking and penetrating wit.
Over the past two decades, partners Clive Piercy and Michael Hodgson became internationally renowned for their ability to deliver big ideas in meticulously-crafted, delightfully-wrapped messages. The work of Ph.D is executed across a wide range of mediums including environmental design, books, web, print, motion graphics, and as Visual Personalities, Ph.D’s patent-pending blend of branding, logo and identity. Ph.D’s clients include a mix of Fortune 500 companies, innovation leaders and cultural institutions such as 20th Century Fox, Border Grill, Chronicle Books, Frederick Fisher & Partners, The Getty Foundation, Herman Miller, liveBooks, Nike, and The Rand Corporation.
Today, Ph.D is led by Michael Hodgson, whose style can be described as "classic with a twist": a blend of the bold playfulness championed by his dear friend British fashion designer Paul Smith and the casual cool of his American idol Steve McQueen. Born and raised in London, Michael studied at St. Martin’s School of Art in London and graduated from Brighton College of Art in 1974. He began his career at the influential magazine Harpers & Queen under the legendary Willie Landels, where Michael served as art director until 1979. Michael is President Emeritus of AIGA Los Angeles and serves on the advisory board of the AIGA Center for Sustainable Design, where he has been instrumental in recruiting over 100,000 design firms (and counting) to sign the Designers Accord, a Kyoto treaty for responsible design. In 2007 he was named an AIGA Fellow, the highest honor awarded by AIGA chapters. Most weekends he can be found on his Trek carving trails through the Santa Monica Mountains or perhaps dashing across the finish line at a local triathlon. Michael is married to Gill Hodgson and has three beautiful daughters: Lily, Maudie Rae, and Lucie. He always, always makes time for tea.