Thoughts On Design By Paul Rand



More than any other book, this is the one that I suggest to all that I mentor or employ. Even after his death in 1996, Paul Rand is still viewed as one of the (if not the) most celebrated graphic designer(s) of our time. Although a skilled master at book and poster design, Rand is best known for his brand identity work, including his logos for IBM, ABC, UPS and Steve Jobs Company Next. Rand was one of the first American designers to use the clean 'Swiss Style' of graphic design. He was a professor emeritus of graphic design at Yale University and in 1972 was inducted into the New York Art Directors Club Hall of Fame.

   

László Moholy-Nagy wrote of Rand: Among these young Americans, it seems to be that Paul Rand is one of the best and most capable [. . .] He is a painter, lecturer, industrial designer, [and] advertising artist who draws his knowledge and creativeness from the resources of this country. He is an idealist and a realist, using the language of the poet and businessman. He thinks in terms of need and function. He is able to analyze his problems but his fantasy is boundless.

Rand’s book, Thoughts on Design is truly a masterpiece, which he wrote in 1947, aged just 33. A revised version was released in 1970 and then again more recently in 2014. Please click here to read an adapted version of Michael Bieruts forward to the 2014 edition, written for the Design Observer website. For me it's the perfect introduction to what Michael Bierut calls, "the best book ever written about graphic design." I couldn't agree more! Do yourself a favour and follow the link below to buy your copy.

An Overview of the book
One of the seminal texts of graphic design, Paul Rand's Thoughts on Design is now back in print for the first time since the 1970s. Writing at the height of his career, Rand articulated in his slender volume the pioneering vision that all design should seamlessly integrate form and function. This facsimile edition preserves Rand's original 1947 essay with the adjustments he made to its text and imagery for a revised printing in 1970, and adds only an informative and inspiring new foreword by design luminary Michael Bierut. As relevant today as it was when first published, this classic treatise is an indispensable addition to the library of every designer.

Click here to order on Amazon.

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