Even if you aren’t familiar with the name Paul Rand, you are definitely familiar with his work. Paul Rand was an American graphic designer and art director, who essentially defined the visual culture in America in the decades following World War II – and revolutionized how we think about corporate logos today.
He was born on August 15, 1914 as Peretz Rosenbaum in Brooklyn, NY. He enjoyed working on school art projects as a child, and painted signs for his father’s grocery store. While he received some higher education from different institutions, he claimed to have been primarily self taught, through his own explorations, interests, and reading. His influences were the German Bauhaus, the Netherland born De Stijl movement, as well as Russian constructivism. In young adulthood, he decided to change his name to Paul Rand to camouflage his Jewish heritage. He thought his surname might hinder his career, given the cultural climate of the time. His chosen name has gone on to practically be a brand in and of itself.
He started his career providing graphics and stock images to various publications. He quickly amassed an impressive portfolio and reputation. In 1936, he worked setting page layouts for Apparel Arts magazine, which is now known as GQ. This led to a position as art director for the Esquire-Coronet magazines at just 23 years of age. The December 1940 cover of Direction magazine — which uses barbed wire to present the magazine as both a war-torn gift and a crucifix — was particularly well received, and helped refine and define the “Paul Rand” look.
Paul Rand’s most revolutionary contributions to the art of American graphic design are his corporate identities. He knew that good design was good business, and was able to convince others of that. Some of his work is still in use today. Even the ones that have been retired were so successful that they are still recognizable. Think of the companies IBM, UPS, Morningstar, Enron, Westinghouse, and NeXT, and you are likely picturing the logos designed, refined or originated by Paul Rand.
Perhaps what made his corporate identities so successful was that he was incredibly thorough, and confident, as it relates to his design processes. In fact, when Steve Jobs (the notorious founder of Apple) was asked about Rand’s work for NeXT, he shared “I asked him if he would come up with a few options, and he said, ‘No, I will solve your problem for you and you will pay me. You don’t have to use the solution. If you want options go talk to other people.’” This attitude can be suggested to have left an impression on Jobs when approaching his future endeavors. A company may have all sorts of ideas about what they think they want, but Rand proved amazing things can happen when you trust your designers to do just their job unimpeded.
Why Colors Matter
When choosing colors for your brand, there is a lot to consider. Certain colors are often associated with certain traits or even expectations the public may have as it relates to what your organization offers. These associations can bridge the gap between your branding materials and target audiences. Just because your favorite color is fluorescent…
8 Signs You Need to Update Your Brand
Your brand is outdated. Maybe the logo looks old fashioned instead of timeless, or the core messaging has evolved. Sometimes things change, and that’s ok. Your target audience has changed. Whether you need to refocus on your current audience, or reach a new audience entirely, it’s time to reassess your brand. You are undergoing a…
Plan it, make it, stretch it, wrap it, ink it, spin it, long print run it : Flexographic
Flexographic printing is a form of direct relief printing that is characterized by the use of flexible printing plates. In the past, these printing plates were always made of rubber, whereas today, flexible photopolymer printing plates might also be used. These plates have a slightly raised image of the content on them, they’re inked, and…
4 Things to Consider When Embarking on a Rebrand
Define your brand’s core identity? In other words, what is your purpose, your mission, your vision? Who do you serve? And, more importantly, why? Do an internal audit. What is working for your brand? What needs to change? Market research. What does your competition look like? What do they do well? What can you offer…
Offset Lithography Printing
Offset Lithography is a printing technique that uses printing plates to transfer the intended image to the intended medium, usually paper. Sometimes this technique is simply called offset printing, or litho. The printing plates are often made of aluminum, but can also be plastic, rubber, paper, or even other materials. The term offset refers to…
How Good Branding Saves Your Company Money
Many businesses make the mistake of throwing money at marketing without thinking enough about their brand, as a whole. Paid media campaigns might garner attention, but they can’t necessarily retain it and convert as many customers without solid branding. A company with a consistent, strong perception amongst audiences will always outperform competitors with the same…
How Dunkin’ Successfully Rebranded in 2019
The history of Dunkin’ began with a restaurant called “Open Kettle” in Massachusetts, in 1948. Founder William Rosenberg served donuts for five cents and premium cups of coffee for ten cents. Rosenberg renamed his restaurant “Dunkin’ Donuts” in 1950, and franchised his brand in 1955. Since 1950, the number of Dunkin’ restaurants has increased to…
How Decades of Solid Branding Saved Coca-Cola from the Pepsi Challenge
The Pepsi Challenge was a marketing campaign started in 1975. It was simply a blind taste test between Pepsi and Coca-Cola, touting that even Coca-Cola fans choose Pepsi. It was a wildly successful marketing strategy that they revisited for decades. Coca-Cola even ran their own private tastes test, through which they found Pepsi was indeed…
