Dr Mike Gibas, the acclaimed designer, artist, writer, and creative visionary whose work defined excellence across industries and generations, passed away on 21st September 2025 after a courageous battle with cancer. He was 63.

Mike was founder and CEO of the pioneering graphic design agency Nomad Graphique, where his imagination and craft shaped campaigns, brands, and cultural touchstones with lasting influence. His creative genius extended to comic art, most famously through Cwaig and Mike, a cartoon strip that achieved cult-like status for its humour, sharpness, and originality. He also wrote for some of Britain’s most beloved comic icons, including Roy of the Rovers, and even scripted stories for Captain Birdseye.

A huge movie buff and later an enthusiast for musicals, especially enjoyed with his daughter, Mike’s passions ran deep and wide. In July 2025, he was awarded his doctorate, completing a Creative Writing PhD, the cover looked as though it had been ripped straight from the pages of a comic book: think a screenplay involving Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, a sprinkle of autoethnography, and a dash of quantum entanglement. It was, fittingly, a wild ride.

His portfolio of achievements was vast. He masterminded the rebrand of Letchworth Garden City’s cinema, which famously hosted the world premiere of Con Air. He contributed to seminal 1980s publications including Soccer International and the No. 1 best-selling famine relief book Cartoon Aid. And in the global travel and hospitality industry, Mike’s legacy is unparalleled: as creator and creative director of the World Travel Awards, his imagery has, for over three decades, adorned hotels, airline tail fins, reports, broadcasts, taxis, and even World Cup final hoardings. The iconic trophy, cast in bronze by Asprey Garrard, the Crown Jewellers, remains one of the most coveted symbols of achievement in the sector, all thanks to Mike’s vision.

Yet beyond the accolades and accomplishments, Mike will be remembered most for the man he was. A lifelong Liverpool supporter with a dry sense of humour, an infectious laugh, the warmest dark eyes and a gift for wry observation, he was both a gentle and a generous soul, “a bear of a man” who could fill a room with warmth. Countless colleagues, friends, and collaborators recall tears of laughter shared in his company. For many, he changed lives: introducing them to the world of desktop publishing, the Apple Macintosh, graphic design, and even the Walker Brothers, always with Marvin Gaye, Björk, or other favourite sounds playing in the background of his studio.

Mike leaves behind his beloved wife Rhonda and daughter Anja, the centre of his life and joy.

For his family, friends, and all who admired him, the words of his cherished Liverpool Football Club will forever echo: You’ll Never Walk Alone.

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