Will Bradley

This self-thoght graphic designer and art editor was highly influenced by the British Arts and Crafts Movement. Before becoming a typographic designer with a Chicago printing company, he began as an errand boy for a Michigan newspaper and then an apprentice engraver. Towards the end of the 19th century (1895), he established the Wayside Press in which books, adverts, and his own short-lived literary journal (Bradley: His Book) were produced. His style is considered a branch of Art Nouveau. Bradley's work are often compered to Aubrey Beardsley's works (who was British). Bradley is mostly credited for popularising the two-dimensional poster style in the United States.  

Poster of The Chap Book, 1894

In this poster, the artist presents two female figures which are very similar to each other. Both figures resemble each other from all aspects: from their physique to the clothes they’re wearing. Despite being a flat design, the artist uses curves throughout the whole design which are eventually developed into some sort of continuity. Regarding the colours used, Bradley chose to use only flat colours for both the title and the design. In the blank space, the artist  seems to fill it with bold lines, circular curves and floral forms. It seem that there is no importance given to the facial expressions of these female figures due to its lacking in detail. The artist chose to use Serif typography which is a rather classical font. In fact, he seems to experiment more on the rest of the cover rather than the typography. 

Kiss from Bradley His Book by Will Bradley, 1896 

In this book cover, the artist presents a female figure and a peacock. Again, flat colours are used however when it comes to the design, there seems to be more experimentation and creativity. It is added a symmetrical border to the design which makes the whole layout look more formal. There is also a contrast between the techniques and colours used for the female figure and for the peacock. Unlike the first cover, this features more details in both the figures and the background: the artist seems to give more importance to the facial expressions and to the body shape of the female figure. At the same time, this looks like a Greek, mythological statue. The serif font of this cover has a more classical look then the other one before.

Reference

Livingston, A. I., 2003. Graphic Design and Designers. London: The Thames & Hudson.

The University of Alabama, 2005. Will H. Bradley: Early Master oF Graphic Design. [online] Available at: <http://bindings.lib.ua.edu/gallery/willbradley.html> [Accessed October 2013].