Dan Jonsson studied graphic design and illustration at Konstfack University College of Arts, Crafts and Design in Stockholm (1954–58). For a short period, in 1959 he was a student of Armin Hofmann and Emil Ruder at the Kunstgewerbschule in Basel. Dan started his career as art director at various advertising agencies in Stockholm, while also working as a freelance illustrator of books. In 1965 he started his own studio with an emphasis on graphic design and illustration. Among his clients were large companies like Astra Zenica and Scania, banks, magazines such as Femina, the daily newspaper Dagens Nyheter and several publishers. In the late 1980s and early 90s, Dan taught as a professor at Konstfack, Stockholm. He has been awarded several Golden Eggs (Swedish Association of Advertising), participated in numerous poster biennials, and won the 1995 Icograda Excellence Award, London. His work is represented at the National Museum of Fine Arts, Stockholm.