karen kim portfolio
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UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, BALTIMORE COUNTY [UMBC] | Aug 2005 May 2011B.A. in Graphic Design
UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND [UMD] | Aug 2013 Dec 2016Masters in Architecture
A C A D E M I C C O U R S E SCOMPREHENSIVE STUDIO | Fall 2015Comprehensive building and site design. Course content bridges the gap between design and technology,
between practice and education, in a studio setting. Designed an animation studio for a real client,
Pigmental Studios in connection with Gensler.
GRADUATE STUDIO IV | Spring 2015Concentrates on problems and theories of urbanism and urban design techniques in the context of the city
of Frederick and the State of Maryland. Collaborated with graduate students from Real Estate Development
program to come up with a plan for development of the Monocacy Boulevard site in Frederick, MD.
GRADUATE STUDIO III | Fall 2014Learned classical methods of design to create more comprehensive contemporary spaces and tackled the
issue on how to symmetrize among an asymmetric space. Final project consisted of designing a symphony
hall.
GRADUATE STUDIO II | Spring 2014Focused on promenade and spatial connectivity with abstract projects, teahouse design of an existing
building in the site of Georgetown, DC, and landscape design transformation of a parking lot in
Georgetown. Also collaborated with Environmental Science students to create a vertical green wall system.
GRADUATE STUDIO I | Fall 2013Foundation studio course for the study of architectural design, designed to introduce the student to formal
and spatial concepts explored in two and three dimensions. Emphasis is placed on developing drawing and
model making skills and a concern for craftsmanship.
r e s u m E D U C A T I O N
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S O F T W A R EEXPERIENCED IN: Adobe Creative Suite, ArcGIS, AutoCAD, Microsoft Office, RhinocerousEXPOSURE TO: Grasshopper, Sketchup, Revit
E X P E R I E N C ECENTER FOR ART, DESIGN & VISUAL CULTURE [CADVC] GRAPHIC DESIGN INTERN | Feb 2011 May 2011Non-profit organization devoted to exhibition, publication, education, and outreach projects that cover
todays social and aesthetic issues. Designed flyers, posters, and postcards for event publicity. Interacted
with artists and professors for design consultations. Installed students work for the Senior Exhibition show.
FREELANCE GRAPHIC DESIGNER | May 2011 PresentMy studio focuses on non-profit organizations. Represented clients include Foundation of Children in
Vietnam.
BARTLEBY ARTS EDITOR | Oct 2008 Dec 2010Wrote weekly in-depth reviews of artwork submissions for UMBCs creative arts journal, Bartleby.
Volunteered by creating posters/flyers for fundraising and publicity distribution, and solicited submissions.
MK TILE CONTRACTOR INC. APPRENTICE | Jun 2011 PresentOptimal material utilization: use cost saving techniques of various materials to meet the clients needs,
get best materials for the best environment. Learned the process of tile installation.
A W A R D S & H O N O R SDEANS LIST, 2011HONORABLE MENTION, 2011: Monograph design in the Senior Exhibition show
L A N G U A G E SKOREAN: Native/bilingual prociency SPANISH: ConversationalFRENCH: Elementary prociency
H O B B I E S & I N T E R E S T SAdult ballet dancer
Travelling (exploring cities)
Playing the piano
Reading (architecture, science fiction, non-fiction)
Amateur photographer for engagement photos
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a r c h i t e c t u r eC O M P R E H E N S I V E S T U D I OFor my design of the animation studio for
Pigmental Studios, I have chosen the site of
Georgetown, DC in order to establish a cultural
destination in the site. The building was designed
to the challenging slope of the site, which led to
the idea of creating multiple ground levels that
matched the existing layers on the site (Potomac
River, Water Street, Whitehurst Freeway, Francis
Scott Key Bridge, C&O Canal, and M Street).
UP
UP DN
UP DNcamera/equi200 sqft
storage200 sqft copy print area
300 sqft
tech room with space for 10 racks800 sqft
sound studio1000 sqft
audio booth200 sqft
bathroom150 sqft
bathroom150 sqft
screen room1000 sqft
edit suites200 sqft
graphics400 sqft
edit suites200 sqft
edit suites200 sqft
bath
room
150
sqft
soundstage2000 sqft
production control room400 sqft
production control room400 sqft
video production stage3000 sqft
soundstage2000 sqft
bath
room
150
sqft
bath
room
150
sqft
soundstage2000 sqft
production control room400 sqft
production control room400 sqft
video production stage3000 sqft
soundstage2000 sqft
bath
room
150
sqft
small conf.200 sqft
large exec oce240 sqft
storyboard600 sqft
storyboard600 sqft
small conf.200 sqft
small conf.200 sqft
small conf.200 sqft
large exec oce240 sqft
Terrace
Terrace
Terrace
bath
room
150
sqft
bath
room
150
sqft
kitchen1000 sqft
nap/shower200 sqft
massage200 sqft Terrace
bath
room
150
sqft
bath
room
150
sqft
cafe600 sqft
Water Street Level
C&O Canal Level
Level 3
Level 4
Level 5
Level 6
Level 7
Level 8Floor Plans.
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Renderings.
Study models.Site model.
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12
34
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
121
2
1 Al
ucob
ond
met
al pa
nel
2 Ty
pica
l wall
3 Va
por B
arrie
r4
Insu
latio
n5
Gyps
um b
oard
6 Co
ncre
te p
arap
et7
Alum
inum
scre
en8
Hollo
w st
eel t
ube
9 Ka
wnee
r dou
ble
glaz
ed 1
600
curta
in wa
ll sys
tem
10 W
18 I
beam
11 S
teel
deck
ing w
ith p
oure
d co
ncre
te12
Con
cret
e co
lumn
910 8 7
Wall
Sec
tion
1 -
1
Plan
view
1 -
1
110
3
Wall section.
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12
34
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
121
2
1 Al
ucob
ond
met
al pa
nel
2 Ty
pica
l wall
3 Va
por B
arrie
r4
Insu
latio
n5
Gyps
um b
oard
6 Co
ncre
te p
arap
et7
Alum
inum
scre
en8
Hollo
w st
eel t
ube
9 Ka
wnee
r dou
ble
glaz
ed 1
600
curta
in wa
ll sys
tem
10 W
18 I
beam
11 S
teel
deck
ing w
ith p
oure
d co
ncre
te12
Con
cret
e co
lumn
910 8 7
Wall
Sec
tion
1 -
1
Plan
view
1 -
1
110
3
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South elevation.
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North elevation.
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Water Street/Ground
C&O Canal
Level 3
Level 4
Level 5
Level 6
Level 7
Level 8
Longitudinal Section1/16 = 1
Top: Longitudinal section of the animation studio.Bottom: Cross section of the animation studio.
Section cutting through public zone1/16 = 1
Water Street/Ground
C&O Canal
Level 3
Level 4
Level 5
Level 6
Level 7
Level 8
Potomac River
Whitehurst Freeway
Water Street
C&O Canal
M Street
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Water Street/Ground
C&O Canal
Level 3
Level 4
Level 5
Level 6
Level 7
Level 8
Longitudinal Section1/16 = 1
Section cutting through public zone1/16 = 1
Water Street/Ground
C&O Canal
Level 3
Level 4
Level 5
Level 6
Level 7
Level 8
Potomac River
Whitehurst Freeway
Water Street
C&O Canal
M Street
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G R A D U A T E S T U D I O I VIn this studio, along with my group members, we collaborated with graduate students from
Real Estate Development program to come up with a plan for an urban development of the Monocacy
Boulevard site in Frederick, MD. We designed a master plan and devised traffic calming strategies to make
the site more pedestrian friendly.
Project name: Monocacy Town Square
Team members: Russell Holstine & Meghan Leahy
Above: Aerial render.Opposite page, top: Airport Boulevard render.Opposite page, bottom: Town Square Vista render.
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CROSSWALK MONOCACY BLVD.
URBANSTREET
THRESHOLD AIRPORT
CROSSWALK
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6422416242310
Pedestrian Trac lane Trac lane Pedestrian
5 642
24
16
24
2310 5
Bike Bike Pedestrian Pedestrian Vegetated
buer Vegetated
buer Left turn lane/Flexible laneTrac lane Trac lane
2% 2%
Monocacy River Existing
Monocacy River Existing
24 241512 12
12 12 12 1215
10
10
12 12 12 1215
20
24 241512 12
12 12 12 1215
10
10
100
Vegetation
Rumble Strips
Parallel Parking
Different Paving Pattern
Vegetation, Rumble Strips,Different Paving Pattern and Parallel Parking
Trafc Circle
20
16 24 5 6 610 5 5 24
CHUR
CH
AVIA
TIO
N
SCHIFFERS TADT
MONROE
MONOCACY
MO
NO
CA
CY
2424
1518 8 8
8 8 18
Complete Street Section
Traffic calming strategies for Monocacy Boulevard.
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WEEKEND TRAFFIC ROUTE
WEEKEND TRAFFIC ROUTE
Monocacy Blvd
Monocacy Blvd
Airport Blvd
60 ft
GROCERY&
CAFE40,000 SQFT
SPECIALTY13,500 SQFT
SPORT10,000 SQFT
FOOD8,000 SQFT
LOADING/ SERVICE
BANK13,500 SQFT
FURNITURE18,000 SQFT
AUTO7,000 SQFT
SPECIALTY12,000 SQFT
BABY11,000 SQFT
RETAIL FLOOR 137,000 SQFT
EAST FREDERICK
TOWN SQUARE
OFFICE FLOORS 2-340,000 SQFT
50 ft
OFFICE FLOORS 1-350,000 SQFT
HEALTH&
BEAUTY30,000 SQFT FOOD
3 @ 5,000 SQFT
OFFICE ( FLOORS 1-5)122,000 SQFT
HOTEL ( FLOORS 1-4)AIRPORT ADMIN
( FLOOR 5)122,000 SQFT
150 ft
200 ft
75 ft
165 ft
200 ft
225 ft
AMPITHEATRE
LOADING/ SERVICE
275 SPOTS200 SPOTS
200 SPOTS
100 SPOTS
14 SPOTS
175
ft
AIRPORT BLVD:THE NEW STREET WILL CONNECT RENN FARM AND MONOCACY BLVD TO THE CREATE A GATEWAY TO THE AIRPORT
OUTDOOR MOVIE THEATER:CENTER HAS A RAINWATER COLLECTION FOUNTAIN RUNNING THROUGH IT
LOGGIA FOR FOOD TRUCK/VENDORS :THE OPEN PIAZZA SPACE CAN BE USED AS AN OPEN MARKET SPACE AND HOST FOOD TRUCKS DURING WEEKEND EVENTS OR AIR SHOWS
OUTDOOR MOVIE THEATER:30 MOVIE SCREEN WHICH CAN BE SEEN FROM THE PARKING LOT, DOUBLING AS A DRIVE IN MOVE THEATER.
OFFICE SPACE :THE ADMINISTRATION BUILDING FOR THE AIRPORT WILL BE TORN DOWN AND REQUIRE A RELOCATION. THE TOP FLOOR OF THE HOTEL WILL ACT AS THE MAIN OFFICE FOR AIRPORT PROVIDING VIEWS
THEATER OF TREES :THE ROWS OF TREES ALONG THE PROPERTY LINE OF THE SITE WILL ACT AS A THEATER OF TREES TO PROTECT AGAINST NOISE AND PRIVACY
THEATER OF TREES :SECOND GATEWAY INTO THE AIRPORT
HOTEL :THE HOTEL WILL ACT AS A HUB FOR ANYONE UTILIZING THE AIRPORT, AND GUEST A PLACE TO STAY WHILE VISITING FAMILY AT THE RENN FARM DEVELOPMENT
BIOSWALE :BIOSWALES INCORPORATED INTO PARKING LOTS HELP FILTER WATER WHICH FLOWS TO THE RAINWATER COLLECTION AT THE AMPITHEATER
56 SPOTS
N
0 400 800 1200 1600
Renn Farm
GREENWALL :HELPS WITH WATER
RUNOFF FILTRATION AND ACTS AS A
SHELTER BELT ALONG MONOCACY BOULEVARD
60 SPOTSGATEWAY1
GATEWAY2
THRESHOLD
VISTA 2
VISTA 1
PHASE 3
Final phase plan of Monocacy Town Square.
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Top: Longitudinal section of Monocacy Town Square.Bottom: Cross section of Monocacy Town Square.
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S I T E A N A L Y S I S
kM0 1.15 2.3 3.45
Synthesis Diagram: Corridors and Street Grid Interwoven into Topography and Most Prevalent Soil Type in Rock Creek, District of Columbia and Takoma ParkArch 460 Site Analysis and DesignProfessor VanderGootKaren Kim03/10/15, Draft 02
Source of Soil Types: http://websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov/app/
16th
Str
eet N
W
Missouri Avenue NW
Blair Road NW
New
Ham
pshi
re A
ve N
W
Eastern Ave NE
This course approaches site analysis and design from the disciplinary perspectives of architecture,
landscape architecture, ecology, and urban planning. The two primary themes that structure the course
are Site Systems (hydrologic, topographic, vegetative, cultural, and historical systems) and Infrastructure
(energy, waste, mobility, and food).
Left: Energy diagram showing the difference of biomass and energy consumption between D.C., and Maryland.Right: Synthesis diagram of corridors and street grid interwoven into topography and most prevalent soil type in Rock Creek, D.C., and Takoma Park.Opposite page: Hydrology diagram showing water flows and average annual rainfall of Rock Creek, D.C., and Takoma Park.
kM0 1.15 2.3 3.45
Dierence of Biomass Potential and Energy Consumption Between District of Columbia and MarylandArch 460 Site Analysis and DesignProfessor VanderGootKaren Kim05/12/15 and Draft 04
Source of Total Annual Consumption and Biomass Potential: http://www.eia.gov/Btu (British Thermal Unit) is a traditional unit of energy equal to about 1055 joules.
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44.21 inches
44 inches39.74 inches
kM0 1.15 2.3 3.45
Hydrology: Directions of Water Flow and Average Annual Rainfall of Rock Creek, District of Columbia and Takoma ParkArch 460 Site Analysis and DesignProfessor VanderGootKaren Kim02/03/15 and Draft 01
Source for Takoma Park Average Rainfall: http://www.idcide.com/weather/md/takoma-park.htmSource for Rock Creek Park Average Rainfall: http://www.explorenaturalcommunities.org/parks-places/rock-creek-park/natural-history/physical-setting/climateSource for Washington D.C. Average Rainfall: http://www.erh.noaa.gov/lwx/climate/dca/dcaprecip.txt
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S T U D Y A B R O A D : I T A L I AStudy Abroad Italia entailed two classes that involved making analytic drawings of buildings in cities and
a drawing class that honed our visual representation of architecture. We have studied in Florence, Rome,
Vicenza, Venice, and Como.
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Piazza del Campidoglio plan and section elevation. Teatro Olimpino details.
Cortile de Santa Maria della Pace bay study and section.Cortile de Santa Maria della Pace plan and section elevation.
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This page and opposite page: Piazza di Santa Maria in Trastevere analytic drawings.
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SantIvo di Sapienza plan and section elevation.
San Andrea al Quirinale plan and interior elevation.
SantIvo di Sapienza axonometric drawing.
San Andrea al Quirinale axonometric drawing.
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Teatro Olimpico watercolor. Piazza di Santa Maria in Trastevere watercolor.
Via Margutta watercolor. Arch of Janus watercolor.
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An abstract promenade study that required the use of sixteen planes with pieces cut out and using those
subtracted pieces to spatially connect the planes to create procession from beginning to end.
G R A D U A T E S T U D I O I I
Preliminary sketches of the promenade study.
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Foundation for the Children of Vietnam (FCVN) is a non-profit organization that supports children in
destitute areas of Vietnam. FCVNs fundraising project, Walk For Wheels, is a five thousand kilometer
run/walk that raised money to buy two hundred mountain bikes to aid the children with their method of
transportation. For this cause, I designed the event t-shirt to promote the charity.
1. To symbolize the goal of donating of mountain
bikes, I used a simple graphic representation of
a bicycle.
2. The bikes were then placed in the shape of the
map of Vietnam.
3. For a realistic view, the final design was rendered
on a red shirt with yellow ink to signify the national
colors of Vietnam. FCVNs slogan, Bringing
Smiles Across the Miles is included.
W A L K F O R W H E E L S
G R A P H I C D E S I G N
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Photo credit: FCVNThe members of FCVN visited the children in
Vietnam to provide them with the mountain
bikes and t-shirts.
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The Monograph project in Advanced Typography
(ART 430) was constituted from heavy research
about the history of a typeface and its designer.
The subject of my monograph is Alphabet 26,
a monalphabet devised by Bradbury Thompson.
My monograph design gained honorable mention
at the Senior Exhibition Show at UMBC in 2011.
M O N O G R A P H
Alphabet 26
Bradbury Thompson is well known for his creation
of typeface Alphabet 26 (Figure 1). This typeface
was designed when he realized that his son could
not reread the same word due to the inconsistency
between uppercase and lowercase of the first letters.
Alphabet 26 is distinctive from other typefaces
because it incorporates both uppercase and lowercase
letters. Basically, it is and uppercase alphabet with no
ascenders or x-height.
All letters are consistent in serifs and capline (except
the letter i, whose dot starts above the capline). On the
other hand, the baseline of the alphabet is not uniform
because the lowercase letters of the alphabet possess
descenders that run beneath the baseline. These
lowercase characters do not follow a typical x-height.
Instead they begin at the capline of the uppercase
letters.
Alphabet 26 is described as a Transitional typeface,
using the ATypI system. In fact, Alphabet 26 is
Alp
ha
be
t 2
6 T
he M
ona
lpha
bet
| 1
The Anatomy of Bradbury Thompsons Monalphabet
J
J
T
T
Q
Q
Baskerville
Garamond
spurs
spurs
link
wave-like tail
finishing stroke below baseline
Figure 1. Thompsons monalphabet, the Alphabet 26. The letters in black represent the upper-case characters, fuschia letters for lower-case characters, and cyan for just one design that exists for each character.
Alphabet 26 was first
presented in Westvaco
Inspirations in 1950.
It contains only one symbol
for each of the 26 letters
because having 2 lead
to confusion in school
children. Alphabet 26 was
planned based on logic of
consistency.
2 | K
aren Kim
Z
Z
g
g p
pspurs
spurs
open loop
closed loop
flag
flag
composed of the Baskerville typeface, which falls under
the Transitional category. This characteristic is evident
by its vertical axis. Alphabet 26 shares many similarities
with the typeface Garamond. Both are very much alike
in having an upright stress, similar weight and contrast.
Differences exist in the terminal shapes of certain
letters with descenders and types of serifs. Alphabet
26 has more longer and curvilinear qualities whereas
Garamond has shorter and concise terminations. For
example, the capital letter J in Alphabet 26 extends
upward in a rounder manner, but the uppercase
J in Garamond swoops downward, having more
of an oblique curve.
Some flags appear different in both set of fonts.
The lowercase p in Alphabet 26 has a flag that is flat
and descends downwards a bit. Garamonds lowercase
p goes downward as well, but has a slight dip in the
middle of the flag. The same circumstances apply to
every other lowercase letters.
The spurs of both capital T in both Alphabet 26 and
Garamond have serifs, but they are obviously distinctive.
Garamonds capital T has spurs on top of its flags and
the left serif is situated in a slight angle and the right
serif is on a vertical axis. The T of Alphabet 26 has no
spur nor sits at an angle. The same situation goes for
the letter Z. The starting serif of Garamonds capital
Z has a spur and sits slanted.
The lowercase g appears very different in both
typefaces. Although they share the same figure,
Alphabet 26s g has a thinner and curvier link and an
open loop and Garamonds g has a thick link and a
closed loop. Both uppercase Qs share the same vertical
axis but have different tails. Garamonds Q has a tail that
is simple finishing stroke below the baseline, whereas
Alphabet 26s Q has a link and then a wave-like tail.
AlphabetThe Monalphabet
26Bradbury Thompson and the Exploration of Functional Typography
16 | Karen Kim
Figure 6. Hamburgefonstiv set in Primary Sassoon typeface, created by Rosemary Sassoon.
Alp
ha
be
t 2
6 T
he M
onal
phab
et |
15
Question of Functionality
To investigate further into the reason why Thompsons
Alphabet 26 is a little short of being practical, it must
be compared to Rosemary Sassoons font system.
Like Thompson, Sassoon created a solution so that
children will read better, but with a more systematical
and intellectual approach. Whereas Thompson just
simply took the font Baskerville to assemble Alphabet
26, Sassoon constructed her own, the Sassoon Primary
(Figure 6). In comparison, their styles are drastically
different. One has an appearance of a font that was
casted by a metal type, and the other a handwritten
texture. This was indeed Sassoons intention. With her
type, she wanted to portray the accelerating movement
that one gives when writing with a pen. Sassoon was not
satisfied with the fact that typefaces were changing (i.e.,
shortening of ascenders and descenders to fit as many
Primary Sassoon is widely
used for education. Teachers
construct print-outs of the
letters of the alphabet based
from this type face. It is also
used for childrens illustration
books and sign systems
intended for children.
The tactile and handwritten
quality of Primary
Sassoon is what makes it
visually communicative
with children.
Rosemary Sassoon received
a PhD for her research of
handwriting analysis from the
Department of Typography
10 Rosemary Sassoon. Computers and Typography. Oxford: Intellect Books, 1993.11 Rosemary Sassoon. The Designer: Half a Century of Change in Image, Training, and Techniques. (The University Chicago Press, 2008), 75.
Hamburgefonstiv set in Alphabet 26.
Hamburgefonstiv written in general handwriting that compares the style between Primary Sassoon and Alphabet 26 to show that writing in mixture of upper and lower case letters is rather difficult and daunting to momorize.
lines in a page). As a result, it had an impact on
childrens ability to read. The question of functionality
was in concern. When she was asked by a teacher why
her students could read one page and not the other on
the opposite page, Sassoon claimed that it was because
the text was justified. A justified text retains the shape
of a rectangle. Therefore, the last line fails at guiding
the eyes of children over to the next page, since
hanging lines are not present for guidance. Dorothy
Ibbotson, a special needs teacher, began a study to see
which typeface(s) children preferred the most.
The results varied by the level of intelligence. Overall,
it turned out that most children were more partial
to the slanted sans serif. This led Sassoon to invent
a sans serif type that exuded friendliness with ample
spaces between letters.10
Despite Thompsons intention, perhaps the type he
used to present his idea was not successful because
Baskerville was not a suitable font for children to
begin with. Unlike Sassoon Primary, Baskerville does
not possess the high arches and outward strokes that
make it look warm and appealing to children. His
approach would have been effective if he had sought
more underlying problems and work from the bottom.
While Thompson was just influenced by his son to
solve readability, Sassoon directly interacted with
teachers and was able to observe the problems herself,
which gave her more practical ways of deciphering
them. According to Sassoon, it is a designers job to
address the problem with complete understanding
in order to examine the importance of functional and
formal requirements.11
This page and opposite page. Spreads from the monograph.
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Alp
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be
t 2
6 T
he M
ona
lpha
bet
| 1
7
The Future of Alphabet 26
Despite Thompsons intention to create a logical and
analytic system of the English alphabet, it resulted in
quite the opposite side of the spectrum. Instead of
making readability easier, it actually slowed it down.
Part of this reason may be that people were so used
to reading the Latin alphabet of forty-five letters, so
the absence of some capital and lowercase letters
was confusing to the majority. Thus, Alphabet 26 was
deemed as foreign. It still has not been accepted as
an official alternative English alphabet to this day, but
is rather used as a display face for aesthetic reasons.
Because of the fact that letters with ascenders and
Where Did it End Up?
Figure 7. Thompsons design idea from his sons toy, Horsepower.
descenders have been removed, Alphabet 26 somehow
looks childlike and youthful, which is not necessarily
an appropriate choice when more practical type faces
are needed. Besides practicality though, Alphabet 26
was valued by people for visual interest and its ability
to grab attention. Its been used by other graphic
designers to create useful trademarks.
Thompson hoped that someday, Alphabet 26 will be
of general use and suggest solutions to create another
simplified alphabet in the future. For some time,
his monalphabet experiments were viewed as pointless
by typographic critics. But the rationale behind its
existence to this day was that Thompson was open to
Thompsons Alphabet 26 is
mostly popular in fashion
magazines. Titles and short
words are set in this typeface
to parallel the aesthetic
photographs.
18
| Karen K
im
the idea of researching, experimenting, and simply
playing with type. He believed that,
A constant interest in work plus an interest in everyday
things can give the artist and designer endless numbers
of fresh ideas.12
One day he tripped over his sons toy horse, which
gave him an inspiration to create a two-page spread
of a toy horse and an internal combustion engine
to represent horsepower on wheels (Figure 7). Another
instance where he got inspired was when he opened
the door of his home one night, and just that simple
act led him to realize the aspect of life or living,
which was visualized graphically.13 His opportunity to
design the Westvaco Inspirations magazines gave
him chances to feed the minds of people who were
anticipating new thoughts and techniques, with no
specific editorial objectives. Thompson persevered
in his designs whether it was typography alone or a
combination of type and images. His determination is
what inspires designers to continue producing solutions
for functionality sake.
12 The Art of Graphic Design, (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1988), 43.13 On the topic of being influenced by everyday objects to translate into graphic design. The Art of Graphic Design, (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1988), 43.
Leaving Home
He left his hometown Topeka, Kansas to pursue his
passion for designing in New York, where he faced new
challenges as a designer. Offered to join Westvaco
Corporation (West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company)
by its producer Rogers-Kellogg-Stillson, he was able
to render his creative concepts and experiment with
the printing process, typography, and use of color.
The company issued Westcavo Inspirations which was
a graphic arts publication (Figure 3 on page 4) that
presented typography, photography, art work and
graphic design on print. His design ideas influenced
the companys magazine for 24 years. It was known
to be the prime corporate contributor to graphic arts.
Here Thompson explored the relationship between
art and architecture in regards to typography. In
1969, the Field Enterprises Educational Corporation
gave a commission to Thompson to design the Bible,
the Washburn College Bible (Figure 4 on page 6). It
took him about 10 years to finish the project and is known to be one of his most successful designs3.
With a modern mindset, he had the ability to extract
contemporary designs from conventional typefaces.
This was about the time when he introduced his famed
Monalphabet, known as the Alphabet 26 typeface,
composed from a combination of upper and lowercase
letters from the Baskerville font face. The incentive for
this fonts creation was his agreement with Bauhaus
master Herbert Bayer that there should only be one
alphabet in lieu of two (uppercase and lowercase), thus
inclining both men to abolish capital letters.4 All in all,
Thompson was predominantly known for his continuous
experimentations with graphic design in terms of clarity.
His opinion of effective graphic design is:
The interfusion of word and image. But of the two,
typography is the most important part.5
It is obvious that Thompson was an avid believer
of functional design that referred back to classicism
with a hint of simplicity.1958, Thompson used the letters D-A-N-C-E to mimic the dance moves of the model which makes the design expressive.
M Stands for Men. Symmetry is created by letter M to accompany the center image.
3 R. Roger Remington and Barbara J. Hodik, Nine Pioneers in American Graphic Design, (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1989), 162. 4 Mildred Friedman and Steven Heller, Graphic Design in America: A Visual Language History (New York: Walker Art Center, 1989), 109.5 R. Roger Remington and Barbara J. Hodik, Nine Pioneers in American Graphic Design, (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1989), 167.
Bradbury Thompson
was well known for his
plethora of typography and
photography experiment
by straying from the norm
and crossing into untouched
boundaries. Not only did
he satisfy his curiosities, but
he also gave a tremendous
contribution to the history of
graphic design.
At Washburn University,
Thompson has a facility
named after him, called
the Bradbury Thompson
Alumni Center.
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c o l o p h o nDesigned and bound by Karen Kim.
Produced using a typeset in Interstate Mono Light, Scala Sans SC, and Scala Sans.
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