Dan brown author biography john

John Langdon is an artist, an independent graphic designer, a writer, and Typography professor at Drexel University. He is best known for his ambigrams, most notably those in Dan Brown’s best-selling novel, Angels & Demons. John’s forte is making abstract concepts visual, almost always through the design of words, letters, and symbols.

Ambigrams. Logos. Words as art. As both an artist and a graphic designer, I specialize in the visual presentation of words. Language, philosophy, and science are interwoven into the design of words, which are manipulated to create surprising illusions. This unique approach culminates in a wide variety of corporate logos, and in ambigrams — words that can be read equally well from more than one point of view. Most of my ambigrams read the same when turned “upside down,” or rotated 180 degrees.

I was an English major. That left things pretty open. I worked in the photo-lettering department of a type house. I got an excellent graphic design education from the pages of art directors annuals and design publications. After a few years at a Philadelphia design studio, I began freelancing in 1977 as a logo designer, type specialist, and lettering artist. I have taught typography and corporate identity design, at Moore College of Art from 1985-88, and since 1988 at The College of Media Arts and Design at Drexel University.

Little by little I brought together my interests in language, symmetry, illusion, philosophy, and physics. My strongest influences along the way were Salvador Dali, the cubists, M.C. Escher, Rene Magritte, the psychedelic poster artists (especially Rick Griffin), and Herb Lubalin. My graphic investigations of the yin/yang symbol led to my re-discovery of the ancient Chinese philosophy Taoism, and has informed most of my work in one way or another. Writers who I have found inspirational include Edgar Allan Poe, Ogden Nash, John Barth, and Tom Robbins.

In the early 70s, trying to do with words what Dali

American author (born 1964)

For other uses, see Daniel Brown (disambiguation).

Daniel Gerhard Brown (born June 22, 1964) is an American author best known for his thriller novels, including the Robert Langdon novels Angels & Demons (2000), The Da Vinci Code (2003), The Lost Symbol (2009), Inferno (2013), Origin (2017) and The secret of secrets (2025). His novels are treasure hunts that usually take place over a period of 24 hours. They feature recurring themes of cryptography, art, and conspiracy theories. His books have been translated into 57 languages and, as of 2012, have sold over 200 million copies. Three of them, Angels & Demons, The Da Vinci Code, and Inferno, have been adapted into films, while one of them, The Lost Symbol, was adapted into a television series.

The Robert Langdon novels are deeply engaged with Christian themes and historical fiction, and have generated controversy as a result. Brown states on his website that his books are not anti-Christian and he is on a "constant spiritual journey" himself. He states that his book The Da Vinci Code is "an entertaining story that promotes spiritual discussion and debate" and suggests that the book may be used "as a positive catalyst for introspection and exploration of our faith."

Early life

Daniel Gerhard Brown was born on June 22, 1964, in Exeter, New Hampshire. He has a younger sister, Valerie (born 1968) and brother, Gregory (born 1974). Brown attended Exeter's public schools until the ninth grade. He grew up on the campus of Phillips Exeter Academy, where his father, Richard G. Brown, was a teacher of mathematics and wrote textbooks from 1968 until his retirement in 1997. His mother, Constance (née Gerhard), descended from Pennsylvania DutchSchwenkfelders, and trained as a church organist and student of sacred music. B