Bradbury Thompson (1911–1995) was the maestro when it came to the magazine as symphony. He so mastered the rhythmic tenor of his pages that one couldn’t help hearing music while turning them. With Westvaco Inspirations, which he edited and designed for more than 60 issues (1939–1962), he had to juggle other designers’ and artists’ work with his own concept and composition. Among these issues were some design and typographic history milestones, but among my favorites were two issues produced on photography in 1954 and 1956, which showed Thompson’s genius for integrating photography, typography and painting together as essential elements of design.
Print’s 75th Anniversary Issue: A celebration of all things print, and all things PRINT.Exclusive new work by Milton Glaser, Jessica Hische, Paula Scher, Mucca Design and many more. The last of the magazine editors. Six unsung design heroes. The best of the Bauhaus. Get Print’s 75th anniversary issue today.