Paul Rand, one of the most prominent American graphic designers, was born in 1914 in New York. He attended school at Pratt Institute in New York and the Art Student’s League where he became a strong editorial designer and aided in the development of the Swiss style of graphic design. Rand’s early work, inspired by his studies in avant-garde, mimics the Constructivism and Cubism principles. He was known for his unique style and simple approaches. In 1936, Rand became the director of “Esquire” and “Apparel Arts” magazines until 1941. While taking on these duties, he also designed the covers of “Direction” magazine. From 1941 to 1945, Rand was the art director of the William H. Weintraub advertising agency. Rand then chose to do many freelance jobs and become a consultant for Westinghouse and IBM. He’s famous for many of his logo works done for large, eminent companies such as The American Broadcasting Company and United Parcel Service. On top of all that, he became a graphic design professor at Yale University in Connecticut and wrote many important books of theory. Though Rand chose to be very reclusive in his creating process, he always rendered his modernist philosophy and “defamiliarizing the ordinary” in each design. Rand passed away in 1996, due to cancer, and will remain a very highly influential figure for years to come.
Examples of his works:
Rand's American Broadcasting Company Logo
Apparel Arts Cover
Enron Logo
http://design.rit.edu/biographies/rand.html
