Paul Rand [Hardcover]

Steven Heller (Author), George Lois (Author), Jessica Helfand (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1999

Paul Rand (1914-1996) was a pioneering figure in American graphic design whose career spanned almost seven decades. Always enquiring and investigating, he explored the formal vocabulary of European avant-garde art movements and synthesised them to produce a distinctive graphic language. Rand was a major force in editorial design, advertising and corporate identity. He was art director at "Esquire" and "Apparel Arts" magazines, and he designed the ground-breaking covers for the cultural journal "Direction". He worked at the Weintraub Advertising Agency from 1941-1954 and, in 1955, established his own design studio, acting as consultant to companies such as IBM, Westinghouse and UPS. His logos for these companies are world-renowned design classics. This book comprises a definitive collection of Rand's works, through an exploration of his advertising, publishing and corporate identity work. Steven Heller's text, with a foreword by designer Armin Hofmann, introduction by advertising guru George Lois, and a concluding essay by designer and writer Jessica Helfand, offer an insight into Paul Rand's work.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

IBM, UPS, ABC. If these acronyms ring a bell, their ubiquitous logos springing instantly to mind, then you know the work of Paul Rand (1914-1996), the Picasso of Graphic Design. A pioneer in the field of visual communication, Rand developed a fresh and individual design language drawn from European art movements including Russian constructivism, de Stijl, and the Bauhaus. His career as an art director, teacher, writer, and design consultant to major corporations spanned almost seven decades. Rand arguably got his start at the tender of 3 when he first began to secretly copy pictures of the attractive Palmolive models pictured in advertising displays in his father's grocery store in Brooklyn, New York. He later modeled his aesthetic on avant-garde artists like Paul Klee, El Lissitzky, and architect Le Corbusier, each of whom advocated a timeless spirit in design. Rand began his career in an era when working by hand was a given, a reality that would change before his eyes as the mass media, entertainment, and consumer industries were revolutionized by increasingly technical equipment, and ultimately the computer.

Steven Heller, senior art director at The New York Times and prominent author of numerous design books, presents this meticulously researched and detailed survey, which marks the first complete retrospective of Rand's powerful body of work, exploring the full range of his advertising, publishing, and corporate identity projects. Eminent designer Armin Hofmann writes the forward, and the introduction is penned by advertising legend George Lois, who writes, "The constant concern of the scholarly and humanistic Paul Rand was to create images that snared people's eyes, penetrated their minds, warmed their hearts and made them act." Appropriately, the designers of this large, bold, beautifully designed book seem well versed in Randism themselves, creating a gorgeous tribute to this quintessential artist's artist. Rand's uncanny ability to inject wit and whimsy into the corporate vocabulary is echoed here, for example, in an enlarged reproduction of an opened children's book whose spine is aligned with that of the actual book held by the reader, creating a playful trompe l'oeil effect. At 255 pages, with a staggering 452 illustrations (over 300 in color), this book is a delightful and inspiring must-have. --A.C. Smith

Review

Heller's text ... offers a suitably reticent commentary , quiet bits of explanation and brief historical contexts--a concisely informative and deeply informed professional appreciation. -- The New York Times Book Review, Bernard Sharratt

Product Details

• Hardcover: 255 pages
• Publisher: Phaidon Press (May 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0714837989
• ISBN-13: 978-0714837987
• Product Dimensions: 12 x 10.6 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #969,480 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good work about a great designer, September 12, 2000

By 

Matt G. (Portland, OR USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Paul Rand (Paperback)

Paul Rand was a giant among designers, and one of the key reasons that graphic design exists as a profession in the United States. Heller, obviously a great Rand fan and friend(not to mention a prolific author), has given his subject his due, tracing Rand's evolution as an artist and the arc of his career. From a 1942 Autocar annual report whose design is astonishingly current to some work for Dubonnet that perhaps hasn't stood the test of time as well, Heller's choices of accompanying materials is excellent, illustrating as well as telling Rand's core philosophies: Effective graphic design is straightforward, purposed, and well-reasoned. This is a straightforward, well-assembled book that falls short in two very minor ways: While much is made of Rand's European influences, none of this work appears in the book, and select examples rather than just mention of Rand's contemporaries would have done a better job of placing his work in a more historical context.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars content designer content book [full of ideas]no decorationss, August 1, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Paul Rand (Hardcover)

a book to keep for designers. heavy with ideas and great graphics. having known paul rand and being inspired by him the book also presented some graphics i have not seen as it was before my time. a book to refer to about design in general. solid text and research. miho

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, August 24, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Paul Rand (Hardcover)

I just received my book today and have not been able to put it down. Beautifully written and lavishly illustrated, Paul Rand by Steven Heller pays true homage to a man who was blessed with true talent, wit and intelligence. An amazing talent, and a fascinating book. A must-have for any serious design student or professional.