Robert John

Robert John is a London-based author, artist and designer from Tooting, South London, of Pakistani descent. His debut novel Dysmas Orbis is published under his own imprint, Inayat Publishing.

His work spans fiction, visual art and experiential design, and is rooted in a practice called What I See When — an exploration of surrealism, perception and the hidden layers of the world around us. The idea was inspired by his late father, who lived with Parkinson's disease and Parkinson's dementia, and began perceiving things invisible to others — things he could see, smell, touch and feel. That experience became the foundation of Robert's artistic and literary world.

Robert has worked across iconic brands through his career as a designer, including work for the BBC. His visual art book LDN Reimagined was traditionally published and earned an endorsement from writer Iain Sinclair. His debut novel Dysmas Orbis won First Prize in the LONDNR Magazine Incomplete Writing Contest in partnership with Bloodhound Books in 2024.

Dysmas Orbis is Book One of a planned five-book series.