Paul Rand, a designer's art

the long version

Paul Rand: A Designer's Art brings together many of Rand's best essays on design and a wide selection of his brilliant graphic work from the thirties to the present. The book begins with a newly revised version of his classic 1947 text, Thoughts on Design, and moves on to his subsequent work in advertising design, corporate identity, design teaching, and typography - areas in which he continues to do exemplary and inventive work. Among the topics he explores are the role of humor in design, the trademark (the most ubiquitous of Rand's trademarks are those of IBM, ABC, UPS, and Westinghouse), design and the play instinct, the complexity of color, the role of symbols, the art of the package, and the politics of design. Each of the essays is illustrated with examples of Rand's work - posters, book jackets, product advertisements, corporate trademarks, packaging, interiors - as well as the work of artists he admires. For the design student, teacher, professional designer, and, indeed, for anyone interested in the creative communication of ideas, Paul Rand: A Designer's Art is certain to be a book that is both provocative and enlightening.