The Art of Graphic Design [Hardcover]

Bradbury Thompson (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 232 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press; 1st edition (September 28, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300043015
• ISBN-13: 978-0300043013
• Product Dimensions: 13.6 x 10 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,691,869 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More than a Biography..., August 13, 2000

By 

Jane E Davison (Kent, OH USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Art of Graphic Design (Hardcover)

This gorgeous memoir showcasing Bradbury Thompson's work for Westvaco Paper is, without doubt, one of the most prized books in my design library. It is beautifully crafted and printed and is a full-color, visually rich stroll through one of the most significant design careers of the 20th century. Reflections from several contributors guide readers through Thompson's experiences at Westvaco and reveal the imagination and intelligence of an unassuming genius. The text is a balanced accompaniment to his work and unpacks the philosophically and technically innovative processes Thompson used for producing exceptionally creative work in the post-war world of publishing. Thompson is not afraid to credit sentiment, collaborate with the other arts, or find inspiration in any source. Furthermore, his solutions are sensitive to the practical demands of life in the 40's and 50's. Deadlines, the value of humor, the importance of family, and the desire for experimentation are woven throughout the chapters and projects. The book is organized by projects and ranges from his Monalphabet, Alphabet 26, and designing the Washburn Bible to purely aesthetic concerns of creating motion with graphics and type. Students and designers who believe visually exciting, cutting-edge design is exclusive to their own immediate recollections of 20th century trends will be amazed to discover ideas, visual experimentation and originality over fifty years old. This is also print design pre-dtp and so the manipulations of type, image and color are absolute technical marvels. The resulting aesthetic is stronger than simply a cool retro "look" and for most designers will be simply ... inspirational.

5.0 out of 5 stars One man's love of letters, September 26, 2009

By 

Robin Benson - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Art of Graphic Design (Hardcover)

I wasn't aware of this stunning book until I saw it featured in a title I reviewed recently: Bibliographics: 100 Classic Graphic Design Books. It reproduced five spreads from the book and I knew I had to have a copy. Though published in 1988 copies are available but a rather pricey, the pre-used copy I bought was in perfect condition, fortunately.

I was aware of Thompson's work for Westvaco Inspirations but didn't know he designed sixty issues over twenty-four years and rather amazingly he was asked to take over the design when he was only twenty-seven. There are 160 glorious pages devoted to Inspirations with plenty of large reproductions of spreads and they clearly show Thompson's exuberance and joy for type, color and creative page design. It was interesting to see, that by 1942, he was using his trademark style of graphics and type printed in process colors. His Alphabet 26 gets a good showing with thirteen pages reproducing nine Inspiration spreads.

The remaining fifty odd pages in the book cover stamp design for USPS, magazine covers, a long section on book design especially Westvaco's yearly Christmas keepsakes which Thompson designed for twenty-five years. One of which was the now famous 'Red Badge of Courage' from 1968 with a hole punched through the pages to simulated a bullet hole, inspired by stories of Civil War soldiers whose lives had been saved by a pack of cards or something else they had in their clothing. The last book featured is the Bible which Washburn College, Topeka, asked Thompson to design. The sample pages shown reveal a mastery of type design with ragged right text and perhaps more importantly setting the lines with natural breaks rather than the contrived line breaks that had been a traditional way of text setting in all previous Bibles. Thompson's 'Washburn Bible' was published in 1980 by Oxford Uni Press and can still be picked up cheaply. A remarkable publication.

'The Art of Graphic Design' is an amazing book which will intrigue any publication designer and others, it celebrates the life of a great creative mind and his timeless design work for the printed page.

***SEE SOME INSIDE PAGES by clicking 'customer images' under the cover.

4.0 out of 5 stars great book! great references !, June 23, 2009

By 

PC on the Mac (CA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Art of Graphic Design (Hardcover)

At first, i've just planned to use this book only for my presentation and would sell it later but after i've got it, i've totally changed my mind.

Tons of Thompson's great works with the explanation how great they are which help you more understand his style.

i have to admit that you can find some contents and also images on the internet [i think the internet sources just took some contents from the book for showing or analyzing Thompson's style]

Anyway, this book still provides much more deeper details which are incredibly amazing to collect!