Paul Rand

Paul Rand is an American graphic designer who is best known for his corporate logo designs. Some of the companies that he made logos for are IBM, UPS, Enron, NeXT and ABC. Rand went to Pratt Institute, Art Students league and Parsons The New School of Design.

Rand was born in 1914 in Brooklyn, NY. Rand had an early start on design with painting signs for his fathers grocery store as well as for school events. You can say Rand is a self-taught as a designer. Rand first assignments was a part time position creating stock images.

Some of his designs for corporations are still in use. Companies such as IBM, ABC, UPS and Enron still use Rands graphic design.



Above are some of the company's logos he has design. Rands design are very simple but pleasant to look at. The one I like the most is the first image of IBM with using the artistic eye, bee and using the original M. It is very clever and easy to recognize. Even something as simple as that is very eye pleasing. The next one I like is UPS. It is very simple but uses a shield like a family crest like knights used back in the mid evil days.

This is a quote from Louis Danziger:

"He almost single handedly convinced business that design was an effective tool. [. . .] Anyone designing in the 1950s and 1960s owed much to Rand, who largely made it possible for us to work. He more than anyone else made the profession reputable. We went from being commercial artists to being graphic designers largely on his merits"

Rand taught design at Yale University and is inducted into the New York Art Directors Club Half of Fame in 1972.

Rand devoted his last years designing and writing his memoirs. Rand died at the age 82 from cancer in 1996.