August 15, 1914 - November 26, 1996

Paul Rand is a major figure in American graphic design. He explored the formal vocabulary of European avant-garde movements and developed a distinctly American graphic language. His work is characterized by wit, simplicity and a Bauhaus approach to problem solving.

Rand studied at the Pratt Institute, Parsons School of Design, and under George Grosz at the Art Students League.

Rand was strongly drawn to principles of design found in the European Modern Movement in the early 1930s. He brought these principles to the magazines he was art director for (Esquire and Apparel Arts) and book jacket design. His designs broke from a symmetrical arrangement of isolated elements of image and type, bringing them together into a dynamic continuum, by mixing a simplistic yet expressive combination of color field, symbol, and type.

He designed a series of covers for the bimonthly cultural magazine Direction. This work was distinguished by his use of Photomontage, full-bleed, and historical reference.

In the 1950s, he began undertake corporate identity work. He designed a group of logos for important American institutions. He used the principles of simplicity, ease of recognition, and absolute appropriateness to their subject matter. Many of these logos are still in use today including logos for Westinghouse, UPS, ABC, Next Computer, Yale University, Cummins Engine, and his most famous IBM.

The IBM logo is a comonly used example of what qualifies of good design.

Communication Arts: Design Pioneers
Playing by Mr. Rand’s Rules by Michael Bierut
Interview by Michael Kroeger