Poster, 'Fiji By Air By Teal'

In the mid-1950s, competition for tourist traffic to Fiji became fierce as other airlines began flying the route. TEAL made the most of Arthur Thompson’s graphic design talent to spearhead a campaign that encouraged travel to Fiji.

In the 1950s, Thompson (1915-1997) worked for TEAL (Tasman Empire Airways Limited), the forerunner of Air New Zealand. Exotic, colourful designs enticed travellers onto TEAL’s flights to glamorous destinations across the Pacific.

Thompson was a commercial artist who worked in New Zealand and Britain. He studied at the Elam School of Fine Arts and in the 1960s had a successful career as a costume and set designer for film and television.