Graphic Design: Analysis
P2
The Designers
Paul Rand
Art Director & Graphic Designer Analysis by Waleed Beituni Page 4
Paula Sher
Graphic Designer & Art Educator Analysis by Arna Palsdottir Page 6
Saul Bass
Graphic Designer & Filmmaker Analysis by Sandy Alexander Page 8
P3
Paul Rand
Art Director & Graphic Designer
UCLA Extension (1994)
UCLA Extension (1990)
Paul Rand is an American graphic designer and art director who is best known for his corporate design work for major companies such as IBM, UPS, Westinghouse and ABC. Analyzing Rand’s design work one will notice that shapes are a repeated element used in his design work. These shapes are typically flattened silhouettes with one color tone. Elements in his poster designs are illustrated with a distorted abstract appearance. This style of flat abstract-like elements can be seen in Rand’s book cover designs and can be seen transitioned over in film posters such as 1950’s “No Way Out” where boxes with angled corners appear vertically with a distorted arrow spanning across the poster, inside those elements are the film’s title and imagery from the film. Although this varies its use of shapes and distortion has a consistency with Rand’s other designs. Often Rand’s logo designs are typographic based or use typographic elements. This reliance on typography in logo designs can be seen in Rand’s notable work such as ABC, IBM, UPS, Ford’s logos. Because Rand’s logo designs are often wordmarks they create instant recognition with the organization’s name. The wordmark includes a single letter, acronym or abbreviation representing the organization’s name. Despite the avid use of illustrative elements typographic approaches and Swiss styling are also very common for Rand. This can be seen in pieces such as the Industrial Arts Exposition (1935) and Minute Man National Historical Park (1975), the 75th UCLA Extension (1994) and UCLA Extension Summer Sessions (1993). Rand often uses a bright and vibrant color palette this can be seen in his illustrated picture books geared to children, his lively color choices can be seen extended
ATA Association (1965)
Eye from IBM (1981)
over to his advertising and corporate design work. Rand’s style is rather benign--it can be attributed with playfulness and childhood, his experimentation of bringing the innocence of his design style to a more mature audience has produced several notable works, the more notable one being the IBM poster and its usage of iconography where the letter I is represented with an eye, the letter B is represented with a bumblebee followed by the letter M. This use of iconography can be seen in Rand’s illustrative children books, the vibrancy of his color choices can also be seen there. It is interesting to see how Rand can successfully bring a style that is geared towards children to a manufacturing company like IBM. Rand has an unusual design style, it is likely why he was featured on an Apple poster with a heading that reads “Think Different”. Rand was one of the first to practice the Swiss style of graphic design, this shows his individualism and his distinction from other designers of his time. Rand’s originality is a reminder of the quote “The biggest challenge of life is to be yourself in a world that is trying to make you like everyone else.” (Anonymous). Rand’s design philosophy of thinking differently is something that can be incorporated in one’s own practice as it involves self-reliance of one’s own thinking to achieve original design outcomes that differ from the norm. The quote mentioned earlier has much relevance to graphic design as many designers follow trends which causes commonality between design pieces, having a unique design style like that of Rand allows you to stand out in a highly competitive field like graphic design.
P4
Department of the Interior (1975)
Ben Franklin Anniversary (1990)
Copyright Designers like the ones analyzed in this booklet spend many hours researching, developing and finalizing design outcomes. Their hard work is deserving of protection. Content creators spanning across all creative forms including graphic design have copyright law and intellectual property rights that protect creators from having their creations stolen or have their work used without the creator’s permission. Once a creative piece in any sector including music, architecture, interior, furniture, or graphic design is produced it immediately becomes the property of the creator. This protection that immediately begins after the production of the creative piece lasts for the creator’s entire life time and will continue to protect them 50-70 years after their death. Media forms have different copyright protection lengths for example recordings and films are protected for 50 years from the date of making or the date of their release, with typography a published arrangement will have a protection lasting 25 years from the date the arrangement was first published. There are exceptions for copyright rules, one of the bigger focuses is theft of intellectual property for a monetary gain. As a design student like the ones involved in the analysis of designers in this eBooklet are permitted to collect imagery and information for researching purposes. The moment when the use of one’s intellectual property is a criminal act and forbidden is when it’s being used for commercial use without the permission of the original creator. This restriction also relates to students and anyone’s inability to comply with the rulings is an infringement that can result in fines and for students possibly being counted as Academic Misconduct.
Cummins (1993)
Tri Arts Press (1980)
As a designer it is best to know what parts of your creative work is your intellectual property, this can be summed by what can’t be copyrighted by designers. Items that can’t be copyrighted in your design work are titles, slogans, names, symbols, and lettering or coloring. These elements can only be protected by a trademark. A trademark is recognition that distinguishes a word or figure as unique to a single business, product or individual. Creations aren’t always yours, if you are creating a piece for an employer then they will likely want to hold the sole rights to that piece. Having shared rights with an employer is beneficial to you as a designer as it allows you to claim the work as yours when referencing your design work. The copyright symbol which is a lowercase “c” surrounded by a circular stroke is a widely recognized symbol used as a notice that a piece is covered by copyright laws. If you were to ever have your intellectual properties stolen there are precautions one should take to ensure their protection. Always keep records of your work, this can be done by having dates, publishes and witnesses that can confirm the originality of the work. The reason why keeping records is important is if you have a published design that predates a copy you can prove your ownership. Having a thorough understanding of copyright is important in one’s design practice as it allow the practitioner to know when their copyright has been infringed, when and how they are protected, what precautions to take, and how to ensure the protection of their intellectual property. Analysis of Paul Rand
P5
Paula Scher
Graphic Designer, Painter & Art Educator
Boston cover, 1976
Swatch poster, 1984
The designer that has probably influenced me the most, and is my subject of analyze, is the contemporary graphic designer, painter and art educator, Paula Scher. Today she is one of the most influential women in graphic design. Using innovative approaches to communicate her designs, she repeatedly manages to deliver outstanding and original work. She is highly sought after for environmental design, identity and branding systems and promotional materials. All fields that I, as a graphic design student, am most excited to work in. Paula was born on the 6th of October 1948. She studied design at Tyler School of Art. In 1991 she became the first female principal in Pentagram, the world’s largest independent design consultancy. Her work is held in collections of the Museum of Modern Art and other museums around the world. She has received a number of design awards, including four Grammy nominations. She has created socially and politically motivated posters, New York Times Op-Ed illustrations and campaign work. For the earlier part of Paula’s career she worked in the music industry for CBS and Atlantic Records, designing record covers till 1982. In 1984 she launched her first studio, named Koppel & Scher, with fellow Tyler graduate and editorial designer Terry Koppel. Their work included identities, book covers and promotional items, including the Swatch poster Paula appropriated from one of Herbert’s Swiss Tourist Office posters. Their collaboration lasted for 6 years before separating and closing the business.
The Public Theatre logo updated since 1991
Campaign for The Public Theatre’s ‘95-96 season
I take inspiration from her work, mainly because of her passion for typography and her creative solutions in identity and branding systems. I love how she brings her designs to life and makes type talk. It is like she has a special connection with typography, that only she understands, which leads to unique and interesting designs. An aspect I draw inspiration from is how she manages to create a story and imaging each factor in a layout as a character, with the purpose to create a unified look and meaning. I admire the way she pushes boundaries in design but can always back up the act with a valid reason, resulting in a genius solution. In environmental design it is especially obvious how bold she can be, as she is not afraid to go big and different. Her informational graphics grab you and don’t leave you in doubt of their meaning. In 1991 Paula began her work with The Public Theater, her identity and branding solution is a perfect example of her skills. Drawing inspiration from an old book on American wood type, she discovered that adjusting the width of each letter in the logo would be a subtle way to symbolize all of New York. She created an identity possible to survive for years and with little tweaks could be adapted to its time. For the promotional designs she went an unexpected way, at that time, creating lively and loud designs that drew attention to The Public Theater’s performances. She brought the designs to life by getting inspiration from the atmosphere and vibrancy of the stage shows.
P6
The Metropolitan Opera, 2006
Sign for women’s bathroom, 2010
Copyright Designers such as Paula Scher often spend vast time working on design solutions and therefor need to have some sort of protection so others cannot steal/ manipulate their work or intellectual property. Copyright law protects all those who work in the creative field, such as designers, musicians, artist, writers and architects. Copyright is what protects creative work from being used without its creator’s permission. To establish copyright you must have physical evidence for your creation or idea. An idea does therefor not fall under copyright law until it has been put to paper. Once copyright has been established the designer, artist, writer etc. is entitled to the benefits that their creativity might bare. If some other party wishes to reproduce (print, copy, perform etc.) a copyright work, they must consult with the copyright owner before doing so. This also applies to posting others work on the internet. A copyright owner has the exclusive right to reproduce, distribute and rent or lend their work. Under specific circumstances, the copyright law does not provide the creators exclusive rights to their work. If a designer is hired full-time, he becomes an employee thus losing his copyrights to the employer. Although, if he is hired as an independent contractor, the designer keeps his creation unless clearly stated otherwise in his contract. Copyright works are often recognized by the copyright symbol or sign. It is a capital letter C inside a circle, ©. Following the symbol comes the date of copyright and the creator’s name (© 1980 John Johnson). In most countries it is no longer necessary or required to use the
Branding for New School, 2015
Painting of maps, 2016
symbol to gain copyright, but its presence can still often be seen. Designers and creators should always keep in mind to store and keep track of their own work as evidence of the artistic work they created. Using the previously mentioned symbol, ©, helps inform people of the creators claim to the copyright. Although the symbol is not proof of the copyright ownership, it could help if the creator brought an action for copyright infringement later on. A way to show the court that work is in someone’s possession at a specific time is for that person to send themselves a copy of the work clearly date stamped and by special delivery and keeping the envelope unopened. Yet, this is still not proof but could help the case. If someone is caught using a design without the knowledge or permission of the creator it is called copyright infringement and is punishable by law. Infringement is when two works are deemed substantially similar, meaning a person viewing the works can clearly see the similarities in artistic expression. Being inspired by another artists work is not illegal. The lifespan of copyright lasts for the remaining years of the artist plus 70 years after their death, at least in the UK. Other rules may apply to other territories but normally the minimum of the lifespan is the artist’s lifetime plus 50 years.
Analysis of Paula Scher
P7
Saul Bass
Graphic Designer and Film Maker
Storm Center Film Poster 1956
Saint Joan Film Poster 1957
Saul Bass, born in The Bronx in 1920, showed an early interest and passion for drawing and illustration. He pursued this passion studying at Art Students League and at Brooklyn College. During this time he was influenced by Gyorgy Kepes and the expanse of Russian Constructivist typography and Bauhaus design theory. He moved to Los Angeles in 1946 where he started in advertising, however, in 1954 he designed a poster for the film, Carmen Jones. So impressed were the filmmakers that he was asked to design the title credits also. Traditionally movie credits were static and just a compulsory but boring way of acknowledging the actors, producers and other people involved in the production of the movie. Bass added life and energy into the title and credit graphics creating a cinematic experience and delighting audiences before the actual film commenced. Bass’ career spanned 40 years and during this time he created iconic movie posters, logos and title sequences. He worked alongside some of the greatest film-makers including Alfred Hitchcock, Otto Preminger, Billy Wilder and Martin Scorsese. Some of his most famous works included title sequences for Otto Preminger’s, The Man with the Golden Arm in 1955, North by Northwest, Vertigo and Psycho. His distinctive movie poster design included posters for, Anatomy of a Murder, Love in the Afternoon, The Man with the Golden Arm and Vertigo, just to name a few. The blocks of vibrant colour or black combined with the hand-written off-kilter style typography became a signature and innovative style associated with Bass. Prior to the designs of Bass, movie posters consisted of key scenes from the movies or the main characters, whereas Bass communicated
The Music Center Unified Fund Los Angeles, 1979
Schindler’s List Film Poster 1993
fundamental essentials from the films using symbolic and simplistic design strategies. His posters and film sequences were popular with audiences and he was sought after by many film producers. Bass’ iconic logos had an average lifespan of 34 years. The Girl Scouts, Kleenex, Warner Communications, Continental Airlines and Kose Cosmetics all featured logos designed by Bass. Some of these designs are still seen today with probably the most famous one being Kleenex. I find Bass’ work extremely inspirational. His ability to communicate with his audience and the combination of his simplistic clean and distinctive style along with the hand-written typography create a clear message. His designs are minimalistic giving his work a sophisticated and distinctive characteristic which appeals to me a lot. His work in the film industry, in particular with his movie sequences, shows a variety to his work and his ability to change techniques to produce amazing work in so many areas. His movie sequences offered the audience an insight into the film and often acted as a prologue. His ideas were especially innovative in the sequences because he made such an impact on the movie world changing boring credits and titles into an interesting and exciting opening and closing to the film. Bass was extremely influential and inspirational as a designer and a filmmaker. His designs are still popular today and the fact that many of his logos are still in existence and that his posters are used by many practitioners as examples of great designs, demonstrates the impact that he has had on design. P8
10th Chicago International Film Festival 1974
Anatomy of a Murder Film Poster 1959
Copyright It is only fair that the work of creative people such as authors, songwriters, musicians, architects, designers and artists are protected from having their work copied or reproduced without their express permission. Hundreds of hours of work put in by a particular person could be ‘stolen’ by unauthorised people who then claim the work as their own. Copyright laws vary from country to country but basically they allow the creator of an original product or design exclusive rights for its use and distribution. There are limitations and exceptions to copyright law. Copyright protects only the original expression of ideas but not the underlying ideas themselves. A form of ‘intellectual property, copyrights, are seen as territorial rights and they do not go beyond that territory. They last for the duration of the author’s life plus between 50 and 100 years beyond their death. The length of time after death is dependent on the jurisdiction as with all copyright law it varies from country to country. To qualify for copyright the work must meet minimal standards of originality. Copyright law looks at whether the work is an original creation rather than its uniqueness as two creators may own copyright on indistinguishable works as long as it is found that it was a coincidental duplication. The work needs to display a level of labour, skill or judgement. Names, titles, words, colours or short phrases would not normally constitute being subject to copyright, however, a creation of these elements may be.
The Two of Us Film Poster 1967
The Man with the Golden Arm 1955
with copyright. Without the consent of the owner it is an infringement of the copyright to copy the actual work, rent, lend or issue copies of the work to the public, perform, broadcast or show the work in public or adapt the work. There are also other restrictions which apply. However, some actions are allowed, to a certain degree. This includes the use of work for private and research study, making copies or lending for educational purposes, criticism and news reporting or copies for lending by librarians. It is important for designers to be completely aware of the copyright law so that they firstly don’t breach it and secondly to protect their own work. There is a symbol for copyright which is universal and makes people aware that the work is subject to copyright: © It is not necessary to display the symbol to make the work subject to copyright, however, many people still use it to make people aware that the work is under copyright. It is important for designers and other producers of creative work to always keep any evidence of their work filed carefully to ensure that they are able to prove that the work is theirs. Recording dates and times of production can be helpful if there is a dispute over anything, however, this will not be conclusive evidence. Getting into the habit of using the copyright symbol on your work would help to make people aware that your work is subject to copyright and that your permission should be sought to copy it or reproduce it in anyway.
Within the UK there are certain restricted acts to do Analysis of Saul Bass
P9
Bibliography
Paul Rand Ref:
Paula Scher Ref:
Americanart.si.edu. (2017). Paul Rand | Smithsonian American Art Museum. [online] Available at: http://americanart.si.edu/collections/search/artist/?id=3936 [Accessed 10 Jul. 2017].
Abstract: The Art of Design (2017) Directed by Richard Press [Online TV Series] USA: Netlix Original Series
En.wikipedia.org. (2017). Paul Rand. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Rand [Accessed 14 Jul. 2017]. Encyclopedia Britannica. (2017). Paul Rand | American graphic designer. [online] Available at: https://www. britannica.com/biography/Paul-Rand [Accessed 11 Jul. 2017]. Paul-rand.com. (2017). Biography | Paul Rand, American Modernist (1914-1996). [online] Available at: http://www. paul-rand.com/foundation/biography/#.WWhtb4TyvIU [Accessed 10 Jul. 2017]. Thefamouspeople.com. (2017). Who is Paul Rand? Everything You Need to Know. [online] Available at: http:// www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/paul-rand-5053.php [Accessed 9 Jul. 2017]. Americanart.si.edu. (2017). Paul Rand | Smithsonian American Art Museum. [online] Available at: http://americanart.si.edu/collections/search/artist/?id=3936 [Accessed 10 Jul. 2017]. En.wikipedia.org. (2017). Paul Rand. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Rand [Accessed 14 Jul. 2017]. Encyclopedia Britannica. (2017). Paul Rand | American graphic designer. [online] Available at: https://www. britannica.com/biography/Paul-Rand [Accessed 11 Jul. 2017]. Paul-rand.com. (2017). Biography | Paul Rand, American Modernist (1914-1996). [online] Available at: http://www. paul-rand.com/foundation/biography/#.WWhtb4TyvIU [Accessed 10 Jul. 2017]. Thefamouspeople.com. (2017). Who is Paul Rand? Everything You Need to Know. [online] Available at: http:// www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/paul-rand-5053.php [Accessed 9 Jul. 2017].
Brower, S. (2014) Paula Scher’s “copycat” 1984 Swatch poster [Online]. Available at: https://eyeondesign.aiga. org/design-history-101-paula-schers-copycat-1984swatch-poster/ [Accessed: 9. July 2017] Dunne, C. (2015) Graphic Designer Paula Scher: “I Figured Out Every Identity I’ve Ever Done In A Taxicab” [Online]. Available at: https://www.fastcodesign.com/3043997/ graphic-designer-paula-scher-i-figured-out-every-identity-ive-ever-done-in-a-taxicab [Accessed: 9. July 2017] Pentagram (2017) Paula Scher [Online]. Available at: http://www.pentagram.com/#/partners/109681 [Accessed: 11. July 2017] Taylor, K. (2007) Identitiy Politics [Online]. Available at: http://www.nysun.com/arts/identity-politics/62378/ [Accessed: 9. July 2017] Unknown (2016) Paula Scher [Online]. Available at: http://www.famousgraphicdesigners.org/paula-scher [Accessed: 11. July 2017] Unknown (2017) Paula Scher [Online]. Available at: http:// www.historygraphicdesign.com/the-age-of-information/ postmodern-design/207-paula-scher [Accessed: 11. July 2017] Unknown (2015) Parsons the new identity by Pentagram [Online]. Available at : http://www.designboom.com/design/the-new-school-identity-by-pentagram/ [Accessed: 12. July 2017] Walters, J. (2010) Reputations: Paula Scher [Online]. Available at : http://www.eyemagazine.com/feature/article/reputations-paula-scher [Accessed: 12. July 2017]
Saul Bass Ref Art, L. (2017). Saul Bass biography - Galleries & Biographies - Limelight Movie Art. [online] Limelightmovieart. com. Available at: http://www.limelightmovieart.com/ galleries/saul-bass.php [Accessed 11 Jul. 2017]. Bass-saul.com. (2017). Saul Bass Biography - Infos - Art Market. [online] Available at: http://www.bass-saul.com/ [Accessed 7 Jul. 2017].
P10
En.wikipedia.org. (2017). Saul Bass. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saul_Bass [Accessed 12 Jul. 2017]. Famous Graphic Designers. (2017). Saul Bass | Biography, Designs and Facts. [online] Available at: http://www. famousgraphicdesigners.org/saul-bass [Accessed 14 Jul. 2017]. Saul Bass Poster Archive. (2017). [online] Available at: http://www.saulbassposterarchive.com/ [Accessed 9 Jul. 2017].
Copyright Law Ref DACS (2017) Frequently Asked Questions [Online]. Available at: https://www.dacs.org.uk/knowledge-base/ frequently-asked-questions#FAQ155 [Accessed: 11. July 2017] Kattwinkel, L. (2007) Copyright Basics for Graphic Designers [Online]. Available at: http://www.aiga.org/copyright-basics-for-graphic-designers [Accessed: 11. July 2017] Gov.uk (n.d.) How copyright protects your work [Online]. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/copyright [Accessed: 12. July 2017]
Campaign for The Public Theater: Scher, P. (1995) Campaign for The Public Theater’s ’95-96 season [Poster]. Available at: http://www.pentagram. com/#/projects/87507 [Accessed: 11.07.17] Identity for the Metropolitan Opera: Shanks, J. (2006) Identity for the Metropolitan Opera [Photograph]. Available at: http://farm9.staticflickr. com/8444/7801818202_1009f8eca5.jpg [Accessed: 11.07.17] Sign for women’s bathroom: Mauss, P. / Esto (2010) Sign for Women’s Bathroom [Photograph]. Available at: http://farm9.staticflickr. com/8433/7801818010_70c3d417a8.jpg [Accessed: 11.07.17] Branding for The New School: Unknown (n.d.) Environmental Branding for The New School [Photograph]. Available at: https://www.designweek.co.uk/issues/30-march-5-april-2015/paula-scher-uses-revolutionary-typeface-in-rebrand-of-the-new-school/ [Accessed: 11.07.17] Painting of maps: Byrnes, M. (2016) Painting of Maps [Photograph]. Available at: https://cdn.theatlantic.com/assets/media/img/ posts/2016/02/ps7/9852e1075.jpg [Accessed: 11.07.17]
The UK Copyright Service (n.d) UK copyright law: A summary [Online]. https://www.copyrightservice.co.uk/copyright/uk_law_summary [Accessed: 12. July 2017]
Figure referencing Boston cover: Unknown (2005) Boston cover [Online]. Available at: http://joebond.com/about-that-boston-album-cover/ [Accessed: 11.07.17] Swatch poster: Scher, P. (1984) Swatch Watch USA Poster [Poster]. Available at: http://designarchives.aiga.org/#/entries/ Swatch%20Watch/_/detail/relevance/asc/1/7/963/swatchwatch-usa-poster/1 [Accessed: 11.07.17] The Public Theater logo: Scher, P. (2008) The Public Theater Logo [Logo Design]. Available at: http://cdn.pentagram.online/pentagram-com/uploads/PS_Public_Full_239.jpg [Accessed: 11.07.17] P11
See it on issuu: http://issuu.com/waleedbtn/docs/final-outcome