The Bryan Thompson Transportation Design Scholarship was created by Transportation Design alumnus Bryan Thompson ’00 who won first runner-up in the 2014 “Motor City Masters” competition. After his win, he pledged to create a scholarship which would reward talented students who are members of, or have demonstrated support for, LGBTQ communities and want to pursue Transportation Design at the College for Creative Studies.

Thompson emphasized the challenges lesbian and gay students can face in college and, while college campuses are generally more inclusive than they once were, harassment, for example, remains a critical concern; statistics indicate that 13.4 percent of LGBTQ high school students have considered not attending college because of it. Thompson has pointed out the impact encouragement and investing in potential can have, as “inspiration and confidence can lead to opportunities you never imagined were within your reach.”

“People around the world face violence and inequality and sometimes torture, even execution because of who they love, how they look, or who they are. Sexual orientation and gender identity are integral aspects of ourselves and should never lead to discrimination or abuse. I advocate for laws and policies that will protect everyone’s dignity. I will work for a world where all people can enjoy their rights fully. This is an America, the world of freedom. Every human rights must be protected.” – Sophomore, Transportation Design

About Bryan Thompson

Designer and Media Consultant Bryan Thompson has spent nearly two decades developing a broad and varied portfolio. Beginning his career at Nissan, he designed Nissan’s first full-size truck interior for the Titan and the exterior themes for both the NV Concept and Productions vans. He also wrote a letter to the president of Airstream, maker of iconic American recreational vehicles, that eventually landed him a collaboration resulting in the Nissan / Airstream designed Basecamp and the confidence to pursue opportunities for his own consultancy.

Now a full-time independent designer, Thompson continues to work with Airstream, designing the second generation BaseCamp and the Nest campers, among others. His automotive clients include Volvo/Mack Trucks, Honda, Subaru as well as luxury interiors for Brazilian company Embraer’s executive jet range. Most recently he led design development for autonomous start-ups Zoox and Nuro. Beyond transportation design, Thompson’s creative repertoire spans commercial interiors, environment and set design for music videos and commercials, as well as design journalism for a number of media outlets, including ABC’s “Good Morning America,” BravoTV, NBC/Universal.

In the first year of developing this scholarship, Thompson managed to raise 50,000 dollars from donors and artistic fundraisers. Bryan is currently creating a series of illustrations that will be shown in late 2020 with proceeds going to this scholarship. The paintings will celebrate 1970’s automotive design with homages to his mentors in the car industry, such as Tom Matano, Jerry Hirshberg, Tom Semple, Alfonso Albaisa, Diane Allen and more.