Julia Peet

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Bradbury Thompson

Bradbury Thompson was an influential designer of the twentieth century. His use of pop colors to accentuate certain areas of a design was intriguing to audiences around the world. People loved his work because it was generally vibrant and fun. He used color to add highlights and emphasize certain components of his work, like in his “Rock Roll: 1969-1979” or “Mademoisel: 1952”. Thompson also used shape and form to create his own hierarchy within his design and make certain elements stand out. The color schemes are simple and easy to absorb. Thompson would often work in conjunction with multiple designers over extended periods of time in order to perfect a design; whether it be a magazine cover, a poster, or another medium. Often Thompson makes use of the technique of silhouetting, where he blacks out or whites out one shape in order to make it come forth from the background. Thompson manages to do this with color too, which makes for quite an interesting piece.. Bradbury Thompson is thought to be a powerhouse designer of “pop art”, where color, form, and shape take precedence over the intimate details. Bradbury Thompson’s works connected powerfully with later designers and artists, and inspired them to continue the tradition of pop art into the modern era.

Bradbury Thompson: bibliography, facts, design
Bradbury Thompson: Graphic Design Archive

Three concepts I learned from Bradbury Thompson are:
1. Thompson stressed the importance of Background and Foreground imaging to bring his designs to life and add a 3 dimensional element to them.
2. Thompson made use of color to add highlights instead of shading.
3. Thompson really emphasized Shape and Form over the intimate details of a composition, which seemed to make the piece really pop.

Bradbury Thompson, Yale University Capital, 1968

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• Bradbury Thompson, Yale University Capital, 1968
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• Bradbury Thomson, UCLA Extension, 1990
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• Bradbury, Thompson, Pitney Bowes, 1980
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• Bradbury Thompson, Inspiration for Printers II, 1953-1955
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• Bradbury Thomson, Rock Roll, 1969-1979
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• Bradbury Thomson, Mademoisel, 1952
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