So you’re asking why I bothered digging into Drew Thompson? Honestly, curiosity got me first. I was scrolling through some old design forums last Tuesday when his name popped up in three different threads. People kept arguing about whether his approach to visual storytelling was genius or outdated junk. Figured I should see for myself.
Started by hunting down his physical books – total nightmare. Drove to four different used bookstores downtown on Wednesday morning. At the third shop, this cranky old guy pointed me to a dusty “Design Principles” paperback jammed between cooking guides. Paid $3 for it like winning the lottery. That afternoon, I brewed my strongest coffee and crashed on the couch with sticky notes everywhere.
Thursday’s experiment was messy. Tried Thompson’s color theory method on my kid’s school poster project. Mixed paints on cheap cardboard until 2AM trying to match his “emotion layers” technique. Looked like a rainbow puked on it at first. Woke up Friday realizing I’d used neon green instead of olive – Thompson would’ve facepalmed. Redid the whole thing with thrift-store acrylics.
By Saturday, I got why people argue about him. His stuff feels clunky until you actually do it. Was reorganizing my pantry when his spatial composition principles clicked. Started grouping canned beans by color gradients like some art weirdo. My wife walked in laughing but damn – you find tomato paste way faster in a “warm tone” section.
Biggest win? Fixing my chaotic YouTube thumbnails Sunday. Applied Thompson’s focal point rules: bolder header fonts, less junk in corners. Views jumped 30% in two days. Still hate his pretentious writing style though – dude needed a better editor.
Should you study him? Only if you’re ready to get paint on your hands. Reading about Thompson’s theories is like watching cooking shows hungry. You gotta burn a few meals before it tastes right.
