ejnord.com | Stuart Bradford Editorial Art

Once again, I find myself marvelling at the marriage of art and text in the New York Times. Editorial art has got to be the most underrated and underappreciated segment of the design community.

I came across Stuart Bradford while reading an article on dementia. OK, to be honest… I didn’t get past the first couple of paragraphs. But Stuart’s art definitely held my attention and I quickly made my way over to his portfolio. One of the things I really admire about editorial artists is their ability to take the everyday brick and mortar of visual art — clippings, simple shapes, stock photos, etc. — and make stylish, conceptual illustrations.

Stuart’s style is consistent and unmistakable. His pieces cover a wide range of subject matter, but his refined style runs through all of them. In looking at his work as a whole, a few things stand out.

First, his use of color is just ridiculously nice. Seriously, you should take notice. He has a painter’s sense of color themes, mixes, hues, and gradients. And even with the wide range of color he employs, his pieces all sit comfortably next to each other.

Second, his pieces have depth. Many editorial artists have a somewhat flat style… and that works sometimes. Flat isn’t necessarily bad. But creating meaningful depth with clip-based collages is harder than it looks. The subtle, easy-to-overlook details are where Stuart’s illustration skills really shine, as he adds subtle textures, gradients, and obfuscations.

Third, Stuart’s pieces have a nice flow and balance. And they sit next to articles without the slightest bit of antagonism, even when they might seem a bit odd or obscure.

Or should I say quirky?