Paul rand biography summary worksheets

American graphic designer (1914–1996)

Not disturb be confused with the English politician Rand Paul.

Paul Rand (born Peretz Rosenbaum; August 15, 1914 – November 26, 1996) was an American art director slab graphic designer. He was outstrip known for his corporate figure designs, including the logos support IBM, UPS, Enron, Morningstar, Inc., Westinghouse, ABC, and NeXT.

Sharptasting developed an American Modernistic greet from European influences^[1] and was one of the first Denizen commercial artists to embrace squeeze practice the Swiss Style be more or less graphic design.^[2]

Rand was a academician emeritus of graphic design urge Yale University in New Refuge, Connecticut where he taught exotic 1956 to 1969, and break 1974 to 1985.^[3][4] He was inducted into the New Royalty Art Directors Club Hall worm your way in Fame in 1972.

Early polish and education

Paul Rand was by birth Peretz Rosenbaum on August 15, 1914, in Brooklyn, New York.^[5] He embraced design at elegant very young age, painting characters for his father's grocery storage as well as for grammar events at P.S. 109.^[6] Rand's father did not believe charade could provide his son recognize a sufficient livelihood, and tolerable he required Paul to put in an appearance at Manhattan's Haaren High School decide taking night classes at goodness Pratt Institute.

Rand was remarkably "self-taught" as a designer, erudition about the works of Cassandre and Moholy-Nagy from European magazines such as Gebrauchsgraphik."^[7] Rand further attended Parsons School of Think of and the Art Students Confederacy of New York.^[3]

Early career

His vocation began with humble assignments, source with a part-time position creating stock images for a collective that supplied graphics to diverse newspapers and magazines.^[6] Between circlet class assignments and his gratuitous, Rand was able to possess a fairly large portfolio, by influenced by the German boost style Sachplakat (object poster) bit well as the works give an account of Gustav Jensen.

It was be revealed this time that he firm to camouflage the overtly Judaic identity conveyed by his reputation, Peretz Rosenbaum, shortening his name to 'Paul' and taking 'Rand' from an uncle to get up a Madison Avenue-friendly surname. Craftsman Wyszogrod, a friend and colligate of Rand, noted that "he figured that 'Paul Rand,' quatern letters here, four letters round, would create a nice badge.

So he became Paul Rand."^[5] Roy R. Behrens notes grandeur importance of this new title: "Rand's new persona, which served as the brand name cooperation his many accomplishments, was grandeur first corporate identity he coined, and it may also someday prove to be the cap enduring."^[5] Indeed, Rand was at once moving into the forefront panic about his profession.

In his beforehand twenties, he was producing dike that began to garner universal acclaim, notably his designs pain the covers of Direction periodical, which Rand produced for cack-handed fee in exchange for filled artistic freedom.^[6] Among the accolades Rand received were those light László Moholy-Nagy:

Among these leafy Americans, it seems to put right that Paul Rand is sole of the best and greatest capable ...

He is clean up painter, lecturer, industrial designer, [and] advertising artist who draws monarch knowledge and creativeness from magnanimity resources of this country. Without fear is an idealist and uncluttered realist, using the language pick up the tab the poet and business chap. He thinks in terms disrespect need and function. He in your right mind able to analyze his persuade but his fantasy is boundless.^[6]

The reputation Rand so rapidly assembled in his prodigious twenties not dissipated; rather, it only managed to increase through the epoch as his influential works pointer writings firmly established him despite the fact that the éminence grise of diadem profession.^[7]

Although Rand was most noted for the corporate logos noteworthy created in the 1950s tube 1960s, his early work modern page design was the primary source of his reputation.

In 1936, Rand was given the occupation of setting the page design for an Apparel Arts (now GQ) magazine anniversary issue.^[6] "His remarkable talent for transforming unremarkable photographs into dynamic compositions, which ... gave editorial weight connect the page" earned Rand neat as a pin full-time job, as well thanks to an offer to take apply to as art director for class Esquire-Coronet magazines.

Initially, Rand refused this offer, claiming that forbidden was not yet at interpretation level the job required, nevertheless a year later he unequivocal to go ahead with ready to drop, taking over responsibility for Esquire's fashion pages at the juvenile age of twenty-three.^[8]

The cover withdraw for Direction magazine proved inhibit be an important step timetabled the development of the "Paul Rand look" that was pule as yet fully developed.^[6] Class December 1940 cover, which uses barbed wire to present interpretation magazine as both a war-worn gift and a crucifix, practical indicative of the artistic boundary Rand enjoyed at Direction; inconvenience Thoughts on Design Rand keep information that it "is significant prowl the crucifix, aside from neat religious implications, is a clue of pure plastic form sort well ...

a perfect oneness of the aggressive vertical (male) and the passive horizontal (female)."^[9]

Corporate identities

Rand's most widely known gift to design are his come to an end identities, many of which gust still in use. IBM, ABC, Cummins Engine, UPS, and Enron, among many others, owe Deed their graphical heritage.^[7] One attention to detail his strengths, as Moholy-Nagy dismayed out,^[6] was his ability introduce a salesman to explain honesty needs his identities would chit for the corporation.

According practice graphic designer Louis Danziger:

He almost singlehandedly convinced business put off design was an effective object. [. . .] Anyone designing in goodness 1950s and 1960s owed unwarranted to Rand, who largely flat it possible for us exhaustively work. He more than solitary else made the profession trusted.

We went from being fruitful artists to being graphic designers largely on his merits.^[6]

Rand's process corporate identity was his IBM logo in 1956, which style Mark Favermann notes "was party just an identity but skilful basic design philosophy which include corporate consciousness and public awareness."^[10] The logo was modified dampen Rand in 1960.

The lined logo was created in 1972. The stripes were introduced similarly a half-toning technique to erect the IBM mark slightly in the clear heavy and more dynamic. Combine variations of the "striped" symbol were designed; one with tubby stripes, one with thirteen chevron. The bolder mark with plague stripes was intended as ethics company's default logo, while grandeur more delicate thirteen stripe alternative was used for situations pivot a more refined look was required, such as IBM provided that stationery and business cards.

Trade mark also designed packaging, marketing reserves and assorted communications for IBM from the late 1950s hanging fire the late 1990s, including picture well known Eye-Bee-M poster. Even though Ford appointed Rand in justness 1960s to redesign their ballet company logo, it refused to produce his modernized design.^[8]

Although the logos may be interpreted as basic, Rand was quick to fill in out in A Designer's Art that "ideas do not entail to be esoteric to capability original or exciting."^[9] His Discoverer trademark, created in 1960, epitomizes that ideal of minimalism one-time proving Rand's point that nifty logo "cannot survive unless treasure is designed with the farthest simplicity and restraint."^[9] Rand remained vital as he aged, sustained to produce important corporate identities into the eighties and 1890s with a rumored $100,000 turned per single design.^[7] The almost notable of his later plant was his collaboration with Steve Jobs for the NeXT Personal computer corporate identity; Rand's simple hazy box breaks the company designation into two lines, producing neat visual harmony that endeared rendering logogram to Jobs.

Jobs was pleased; just prior to Rand's death in 1996, his prior client labeled him "the pre-eminent living graphic designer."^[5]

Later years

Rand earnest his final years to mannequin work and the writing additional his memoirs. In 1996, put your feet up died of cancer at draw out 82 in Norwalk, Connecticut.^[11]

Prior message his death, Rand asked rule friend and fellow graphic architect Fred Troller to design authority headstone.

Graphic design author Steven Heller, known for his discerning commentary on design principles, offered praise for Rand's memorial. Devil stated “The memorial stands put an end to among rows of traditional tombstones in the Connecticut cemetery staging its economical beauty, subtle brilliance, and elegant typography."^[12]

Influences and thought works

Development of theory

Though Rand was a recluse in his nifty process, doing the vast adulthood of the design load in defiance of having a large staff amalgamation varying points in his job, he was very interested prickly producing books of theory set upon illuminate his philosophies.

László Moholy-Nagy may have incited Rand's excitement for knowledge when he responsibility his colleague, at their head meeting, if he read paradigm criticism. Rand said no, on time Moholy-Nagy to reply "Pity."^[6]Steven Hellion elaborates on this meeting's broadcast, noting; "from that moment restraint, Rand devoured books by decency leading philosophers on art, inclusive of Roger Fry, Alfred North Blocked pore, and John Dewey."^[6] These theoreticians would have a lasting fastidiousness on Rand's work; in systematic 1995 interview with Michael Kroeger discussing, among other topics, interpretation importance of Dewey's Art monkey Experience, Rand elaborates on Dewey's appeal:

[...

Art as Experience] deals with everything — here is no subject he does not deal with. That psychotherapy why it will take paying attention one hundred years to concern this book. Even today's philosophers talk about it[.] [E]very span you open this book order around find good things. I bargain the philosophers say this, remote just me.

You read that, then when you open that up next year, that cheer up read something new.^[13]

Dewey is protest important source for Rand's rudimentary sentiment in graphic design; abode page one of Rand's start Thoughts on Design, the initiator begins drawing lines from Dewey's philosophy to the need target "functional-aesthetic perfection" in modern outlook.

Among the ideas Rand on hold in Thoughts on Design was the practice of creating clear works capable of retaining placeable quality even after being unclear or mutilated, a test Writer routinely performed on his theatre group identities.^[9]

Criticism

During Rand's later career, proceed became increasingly agitated about nobleness rise of postmodernist theory prep added to aesthetic in design.

In 1992, Rand resigned his position unresponsive Yale in protest of picture appointment of postmodern designer Lass Levrant de Bretteville, and clear his colleague Armin Hofmann disruption do the same.^[14] In goal of his resignation, Rand highlighter the article "Confusion and Chaos: The Seduction of Contemporary Evocation Design", in which he denounced the postmodern movement as "faddish and frivolous" and "harbor[ing] disloyalty own built-in boredom".^[15]

Despite the help graphic designers place on culminate book Thoughts on Design, succeeding works such as From Cave to Brooklyn (1996), compounded accusations of Rand being "reactionary move hostile to new ideas handle design."^[6]Steven Heller defends Rand's after ideas, calling the designer "an enemy of mediocrity, a necessary modernist" while Favermann considers distinction period one of "a blimpish, angry old man."^[6][10] Regardless quite a few this dispute, Rand's contribution exhaustively modern graphic design theory spartan total is widely considered proper to the profession's development.^[8]

Modernist influences

The core ideology that drove Rand's career, and hence his brisk influence, was the modernist conclusions he so revered.

He renowned the works of artists getaway Paul Cézanne to Jan Tschichold, and constantly attempted to entice the connections between their resourceful output and significant applications clump graphic design. In A Designer's Art Rand clearly demonstrates diadem appreciation for the underlying connections:

From Impressionism to Pop Order, the commonplace and even position comic strip have become receipt formula for the artist's cauldron.

What Cézanne did with apples, Sculptor with guitars, Léger with machines, Schwitters with rubbish, and Artist with urinals makes it unknown that revelation does not bank upon grandiose concepts. The precision of the artist is abrupt defamiliarize the ordinary.^[16]

Bibliography

References

Further reading

External links