Mika Launis

{{short description|Finnish illustrator and graphic designer (born 1949)}}

Mika Launis (born 1949) is a Finnish illustrator and graphic designer who studied graphic design at the University of Art and Design in Helsinki. For his final project, he did the illustrations for a children's book written in Northern Sámi.{{cite web |url= http://pandora.lib.hel.fi/puistola_/historia/matapupu/show.php?article=nn-pp111994.htm&words= |title= Puistolalaisen Mika Launiksen kuvituksia Nurkalla (Puistola resident Mika Launis' illustrations on display at Nurkka) |accessdate=2008-03-04 |format= |work= MaTaPuPu newspaper |language= Finnish }} Launis has illustrated several books, mainly children's books. In addition, he has provided illustrations for book covers, of which his most well-known are probably the covers of the Finnish versions of the Harry Potter books. Some of his works have also been published as postage stamps. Launis was the 1997 recipient of the Rudolf Koivu Award, which is awarded to illustrations in children's and young adult books.{{cite web |url=http://www.tampere.fi/kirjasto/sni/snpalk6.htm |title= Rudolf Koivu -palkinto |accessdate=2008-03-04 |format= |work= |language= Finnish }} Furthermore, he won the competition to design Finland's first Euro postage stamp.{{cite web |url=http://www2.hs.fi/english/archive/news.asp?id=20001019IE3 |title=Mika Launis wins euro stamp competition |accessdate=2008-03-04 |format= |work= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604123800/http://www2.hs.fi/english/archive/news.asp?id=20001019IE3 |archive-date=2011-06-04 |url-status=dead }}