Saturday, March 03, 2007

Bradbury Thompson: Alphabet 26


Alphabet 26 is Bradbury Thompson’s radical proposal for the redesign of the alphabet. Click here to read excerpts from an essay that he wrote to accompany a printed piece that he planned to have published at the beginning of 1996.

Bradbury Thompson (1911-1995) sadly died before its completion.

Sometimes called the father of modern magazine design, Bradbury Thompson was one of the most talented (and nicest) designers America has produced. Below is an excerpt from the inside flap of his book, The Art of Graphic Design (Yale 1988).

The art director of Mademoiselle and design director of Art News and Art News Annual in the decades after World War II, he also designed the formats for some three dozen other magazines, including Smithsonian.

Thompson is in addition a distinguished designer of limited edition books, postage stamps, rationalized alphabets, corporate identification programs, trademarks, and sacred works (most notable, the Washburn College Bible, in which the words are set in the cadence of speech).

When it came to the blending of photography, typography and color, nobody did it better than Bradbury Thompson. In his own quiet way, he expanded the boundaries of the printed page and influenced the design of a generation of art directors.

Learn more about: Bradbury Thompson and his Alphabet 26.

That's Right,

HMK

First Things First: 101 Research


This is from an article in yesterday's New York Times:

There are “brand aspirationals” (people with low incomes who are obsessed with names like KitchenAid), “price-sensitive affluents” (wealthier shoppers who love deals), and “value-price shoppers” (who like low prices and cannot afford much more).

The new categories are significant because for the first time, Wal-Mart thinks it finally understands not just how people shop at its stores, but why they shop the way they do.

Uh, yeah. It's amazing what can be accomplished and how much time and money can be saved when you do even just a little 101 reseach first...

If you believe in the concept of process and research (not to mention the obvious), It’s Not Only About Price at Wal-Mart is a great read.

That's Right,

HMK