CONNECTING THE PAST AND THE FUTURE PAUL RAND MARGARET ARMSTRONG
He was rather versatile art director and graphic designer whose career can be divided into three periods from 1937- 1941, he worked in media promotion and book design, from 1941-1954, he focused more on more advertising design; and from 1954 on he began concentrate on corporate identity programs producing some of the most iconic logos and identity mark of the modern age including UPS, IBM, ABC, CUMMINS,CMC, INC WESTINGHOUSE, ABC, and STEVE JOBS NEXT. Below are logos done by Paul Rand
PAUL RAND GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Peretz Rosenbaum Paul Rand was born on August 14, 1914 in Brooklyn, New York and died November 26, 1996. Paul Rand embrace design at a a very young age which started off with him painting signs for his father grocery store as well as for school events. Paul father was did not believe that art could provide his son with a sufficient livelihood, and so he insist on Paul to attend school. Paul Rand attended Manhattan Harren High School while he was attending high school he took night classes at Pratt Institute . Paul was self taught as a designer he learn about works of Cassandre and Moholy-Nagy from European magazines such as Gebrauchsgraphik. Rand attend ParsonsHe then decided to cover his jewish identity convey by his name Peretz Rosenbaum shortening his forename to Paul and taking Rand from an uncle to form a Madison Avenue friendly surname.
CAREER Paul Rand went on to lecturer at cooper union, Pratt and later at Yale University where he taught graphic design in the graduate program from 1956 to 1969. He re return to Yale in 1974.
Paul Rand eye for simplicity and great concepts in corporate identities design sees him copping a lot of corporate clients. He was one of the first American commercial artists to embrace and practice the Swiss style of Graphic design. Paul Rand career began with humble assignments starting with a part time position creating stock image for a company that supply graphics to various newpapers and magazines. Therefore paul portfolio was fairly large and influence by german advertising style Sachplakat (object Posters) as well as works of Gustav Jensen. That of which is shown this very famous IBM poster
The art cover for Diection Magazine proved to be h a very important step in the development of “ Paul Rand Look” that was not fully develop. Paul take on corporate identity was his IBM logo in 1956, which Mark Faverman Notes”was not just an identity but a basic design philosophy which permeated corporate consciousness and public awareness.
Althought logos may be interpreted as simplistic, Rand was quick to point out in A Designer’s Art “ ideas do not need to be esoteric to be original or exciting. When Rand design Westinghouse Trademark, created in 1960 , Epitomizes that ideal minimalism while proving Rands point that a logo cannot survive unless it is design with the utmost simplicity and restraint.
This poster shows the Swiss International Style and also the Sachplakat poster style done by Paul Rand. In Rand’s early twenties he was producing work that began to garner international acclaim, his designs on covers of direction magazine, which saw Rand produced for no fee in exchange for full artistic freedom. Among the awards received were among those of Laszlo Moholy-Nagy. The art cover for Diection Magazine proved to be h a very important step in the development of “ Paul Rand Look” that was not fully develop.
Paul believe that designers in commercial advertising were emphatic. “Sincere artist needs not only the moral support that an understanding of his general aesthetics statement gives him, but also the support that an understanding of his general role in society can give him. It is this role that justifies his spending the client’s money and his risking other people’s jobs, and it entitles
him to make mistakes. Both through his work and through the personal statement of his existence he adds something to the world: he gives it new ways of feeling and of thinking, he opens doors to new experience, he provides new alternatives as solutions to old problems.” Excerpted from this article “Advertisement: Ad Vivum or Ad Hominem?” (Originally published in a special issue of Daedalus: The Visual Arts Today, edited by Gyorgy Kepes (Winter 1960).)
WORK BY PAUL RAND
CAREER Armstrong was rank among a number of important woman cover designers.. Her works was started in the 1880’s. she began her career at A.C. Mcclurg and then went on to other publishers. Margaret Armstrong was primarily designing at Scrbners, for whom she design half of her total 0f output of about 270 books. She also completed her father’s memoirs. Example Of books design by Armstrong at New York: C. Scrbner’s Sons.
MARGARET ARMSTRONG BOOK COVER DESIGNER Margaret Neilson Armstrong was born September 24 1867, in New York United States. Armstrong past away July 18, 1944, New York United states. She was 76 years old when she died, daughter of Maitland Armstrong who was a stain glass artist. She was the eldest of an old artistic family , decendant of Peter Stuyvesant. The Governor of New Amsterdam, on her mother’s side . The family, which eventually included 7 childrens spent considerable time on the Hudson River 1750 ’s house known as “Danskammer,” inherited by her father; and later spent summer vacations at a lake house in north Hatley, Quebec, Canada. As young girl girl the family lived Florence Italy, where her father practiced his craft. Margaret is said to have enjoyed assisting him in studio. .
Margaret Armstrong Also specialize in designing for many of the works for few other authors including Myrtle Reed, Henry Van Dyke, Paul Bourget, and Paul Laurence Dunbar. Out of Armstrong list of wonderfully design book covers for authors I have chosen Myrtle Reed series(1899-1913)which is most outstanding for Armstrong use of white and pink inks, Gold and silver tooling and bright lavender cloth. The use of light colour palette by Armstrong and her traditional Design collection make the collection unique and bold.
Example of Myrtle Reed Cover Designs by Margaret Armstrong.
Her interest in nature was often reflected in her cover deigns, and she specialize in in plant, vine and flower themes. ArmsÂŹÂŹtrong utilized bold and strikingly coloured inks and book cloths, often designated that gold stamp areas be both glossy and matte to heighten the effect and create interest. Her slightly asymmetrical designs style which help to set her aside both many both many contemporary and prevailing style based on art Nouveau or Juendstil. As years progresses Margaret Armstrong letting style moved progressively towards a thicker stem and heavier wedge serifs. For example look at this book cover The Valiants Of Virginia by Hallie Rives. (The Bobbs-Merrill Co., 1912).
In the year of 1913 Armstrong took fewer commisoion in order to focused on her own personal career which include drawings and writings. Her designs for particular arthours proven successful, hower, that publishers. Particularly Scribner’s engaged imitators to ensure that books retained her distinctive look. Gullans noted before 1895, Armstrong never signed a binding and not always after that. This is an example of an unsigned design by Armstrong created 1895 is Hubert H. Bancroft’s The new Pacific (Bancroft Co., 1900), attribute to Armstrong by Gullans (1968).
WORK BY MARGARET ARMSTRONG
NATIONAL GALLERY OF JAMAICA