Paul Rand

Apr

2018

Branding lessons well worth learning

A Fast Company Design article relates how Steve Jobs worked with legendary designer Paul Rand to develop a logo for NeXT Computer.

NeXT logo (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Whether you have millions of dollars or a more modest marketing budget, the takeaways ring true.

A logo must be distinctive, memorable, and clear.
A logo derives meaning from the quality of the thing (product or service) it represents; brands, by themselves, don’t make companies successful.
The designer’s role is to solve a problem, not to suggest options.
Logomarks—symbols like the Nike swoosh—could cost $100 million, plus could take years to become well-known.
Once a brand is designed, you must communicate standards and guidelines for its usage throughout your company.

Mar

2018

The stories behind Paul Rand’s logo designs

The Envato blog had an interesting post about the stories behind Paul Rand’s logo designs.

Born in Brooklyn in 1914, Paul Rand is responsible for some of the most iconic brand identities, including IBM, ABC, Westinghouse, UPS and Next Computer. Though he studied art at Pratt Institute, he claimed that he was self-taught. He was inspired by European commercial arts journals and European modern artists and started his career creating magazine spreads. Soon he created magazine covers, notably for Esquire. At 27, he headed an ad agency, incorporating art into what, in the past, was mostly copy.

By the 1950s Rand moved on to logo work. And the rest is history, as they say.

Paul Rand’s IBM Logo Design (Credit: Wikimedia Commons)

Good design is good business” —Thomas Watson Jr., IBM

You can see some of the famous work here.

Mar

2018

Renowned designer Paul Rand’s work speaks for itself

Paul Rand designed the IBM trademark, the Westinghouse “W,” the marks for American Broadcasting Company (ABC), UPS, Esquire Magazine, Harcourt-Brace and other memorable trademarks. A recent post on logodesignlove discussed a 1971/72 article by Stanley Mason on how Rand presented his work to clients. Long before the days of digital graphic arts, Rand created short-run offset print publications to present to his clients. Paul Rand avoided flashy presentations and let the work speak for itself, presenting booklets to the top decision-making executives. This was pure genius, as these printed materials helped cement the designs as finished products.

IBM Logo | Image: Wikimedia Commons

In the article, Mason wrote that the trademark “should be distinctive, memorable, and reflect in some way, however abstractly, the nature of the product or service it represents.” Rand’s rebranding of IBM added eight horizontal stripes and a brilliant blue to the previous trademark. This added movement and color made the mark more dynamic and memorable. It remains strong today.

The ABC logo is simple and understated, yet everyone remembers it. Image: Wikimedia Commons

The NeXT computer logo may not be as memorable since the company disappeared. Image: Wikimedia Commons

You can read more and download the Mason article here.

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