PAU L
R AND 1914 - 1996
Peretz Rosenbaum was born August 15, 1914 in Brooklyn , NY.
He started out painting signs for his father’s grocery store and developed into one of the world’s foremost graphic designers.
While in high school he took night classes at Pratt Institute and went on to study at Parsons School of Design and The Art Student’s League.
He later commented that school never offered him stimulation. He considered himself self-taught by reading about artists Cassandre and Moholy-Nagy.
His first job was creating stock images for newspaper and magazines. Between work and school he created poster designs infuenced by German sachplaket (ornamental posters).
It was at this time that he abbreviated his name to
Paul Rand. It became a symbol of his persona, a brand, and his first corporate identity.
“ Good design adds value of some kind, gives meaning, and, not independently, can be sheer pleasure to behold; it respects the viewer’s sensibilities and rewards the entrepreneur.” Paul Rand
In his 20’s Rand designed covers for Direction Magazine. He worked for free in exchange for artistic freedom. The covers brought him international acclaim.
opposite: Direction Magazine cover Winter, 1938
In 1936, after setting a page for Apparel Arts Magazine’s anniversary issue, Rand was offered a full time job with the magazine. Esquire-Coronet Magazine also offered him a position as Art Director. He initially refused, saying he didn’t think he was at the level the position required. One year later he accepted the job; he was 23 years old.
Apparel Arts cover, June 1939
In 1941 Rand became Art Director for the William Winetraub Agency. He left the agency in 1954, having gained a reputation for creating iconic brand identity and trademark design. This same year he was rated top 1 of 10 Art Directors by the Museum of Modern Art, and he received a gold medal from The Art Directors Club for his Morse Code advertisement, (opposite).
Rand continued working out of his own Weston Studio. He taught Graphic Design at Yale from 1956-1969, and again in 1974. His work paralelled the modern art movement. “Cubism is to modern painting as the so-called Swiss style is to modern typography and design.� Paul Rand
Some of Rand’s corporate identity and trademark designs.
“ The principle of a logo is to identify, and simplicity is its means. Its effectiveness depends on distinctiveness, visibility, adaptability, memorability, universality, and timelessness.�
Paul Rand Died of cancer in 1996.
Resources areaofdesign.com/americanicons Paul Rand A Designer’s Words (HellerBooks.com) Paul-Rand.com iconofgraphics.com/Paul-Rand