A New Era of Graphic Design
A New Era of Graphic Design
Paul Rand was one of the most influential designers of this or anytime. His approach to design is considered by most as one of the most modern approaches to design ever. Rand has worked out of his studio in Weston, Connecticut for more than the past thirty years. During those years he was a faculty member of Yale University from 1956 thru 1962, he decided to resign from this position because the University had demanded that contemporary design techniques had to be used. This was completely against Rand’s way of designing. Educated in New York at Pratt Institute from 1929 – 1932, Parson’s School of Design from 1932 – 1933 and the Art Student’s League from 1933 – 1934, Rand was a major influence in editorial design.
In 1935 threw 1941, at the age of 23, Rand became the art director of Esquire magazine and then Apparel Arts (also know as GQ magazine), this is where Rand’s career really took off. From that point Rand designed advertisements for El Producto cigars, Ancient Age, Duboneet and Disney hat makers. These early advertisements opened the doors of opportunity for the designs that Rand is most well know for doing. Rand pioneered “corporate design” and “corporate advertising” in the 40’s thru the 60’s. Rand was the first to have the viewer be a part of figuring out what was meant by the advertisement. The viewer was almost forced into using their own intelligence to come to their own conclusion to what exactly the ad or logo’s meaning was. Rand believed that the simplicity of an advertisement or logo lead to freedom and flexibility in design. Rand was also was one of the first designers to try to apply the style of European modernists such as Leger, Picasso and Van Doesburg with the use of collage and color. This let Rand develop a unique and distinct American style of design, which in turn attracted some of the biggest corporations in the United States. Rand worked as a design consultant developing identities for major corporations such as Westinghouse, ABC and IBM threw simple logos.
Rand was a trendsetter as well as a groundbreaker for decades. He brought a new prospective to something that seemed as if it could only be done one way, the old way. Rand did not let big corporations push him around, most of the time he...