Paul Rand by Steven Heller

Paul Rand Reviews

• 
  Tim Lapetino

  Excellent, thorough and engaging history/profile/survey of Rand's influential work. Highly recommended for designers who care about the history of our profession. You can't know where you're going if you don't know where you've been.
• 
  Allen Mueller

  If you're interested in the phenomenon of Paul Rand, this is a great place to start. There's a broad political aspect to major brand deployment, and Paul Rand's brands have the most longevity of any in existence. That's part of what's interesting about him, aside from the obvious. Plus, Armin Hofmann is one of the authors. ARMIN HOFMANN from the Swiss International Type Style Movement!!!
  
  In general, I've found you can learn more about design by studying its history. I didn't find traction in my studies at design school until I began to read about and mimic various movements. The people who perpetuated major paradigm shifts offer insights as well, particularly in books like this one on Paul Rand. One should always go back to the source when studying design history, so understanding of the production methods underlying these movements is just as essential - if your aim is to become a great designer.
  
  In general, books that attempt to teach you 'how to design' tend to be rife with subjective fluff and trending stylistic tendencies while only serving to overwhelm. (Think of that time you saw too many works at a museum and left with a headache. Is there ever a real takeaway from such overindulgence?) Study designers, their production methods and history, and in time your creative intelligence will synthesize content, form, and material in new ways.
• 
  Patrik Berg

  Fascinating career. Read it! Look and learn. I did.
• 
  Lorenzo Diaz campos

  Pionero en el mundo de la comunicación gráfica en Norteamérica, Rand sentó las bases que dieron sustento a la creación para el mundo corporativo de los Estados Unidos
  La pasión de Rand comenzó desde corta edad, brillante desde pequeño para el dibujo, continuó sus estudios de bachillerato únicamente porque su padre dudaba que pudiera hacer una vida productiva a partir de su inminente talento. Brillante autodidacta se convirtió a lo largo de su carrera en un notable teórico de la comunicación visual y gran maestro de muchos otros brillantes jóvenes.
  Este exquisito volumen nos abre las puertas a la vida de uno los genios del diseño contemporáneo. Inspirado al principio por la escuela Suiza, con el tiempo creó un estilo propio que define, aún hoy en día, las bases de lo que hemos dado por llamar “Branding”. Memorables son sus imágenes para IBM, UPS, la cadena televisiva ABC, Cummings, Westinghouse y la fallida marca de Steve Jobs NEXT, todas parte del imaginario empresarial mundial y muchas de ellas aun vigentes.
  Rand escribió destacados textos sobre su disciplina, pero hay poco escrito sobre su vida y su transcendental trabajo. Este volumen, magistralmente editado por Steven Heller deja ver todos los aspectos del Maestro. Con el apoyo de la viuda de Rand, Marion, Heller tuvo acceso a documentos y testimonios del archivo personal de Rand que enriquecen el trabajo de forma brillante.
  Una referencia indiscutible para todos aquellos que desean entender los orígenes de la comunicación visual corporativa contemporánea.
  
• 
  Barry

  I was reminded of being back in school reading this book. The representations of Rand's work were quite good, causing me to bump the review up by a star. I really enjoyed looking at all he accomplished. But the reading side of this book really was a trudge. I don't think I wrote down a single note from the entire text.
• 
  Trevor

  Comprehensive overview of Paul Rand's career, from an illustrator, to one of the "Mad Men" in a Madison Avenue agency, to the visionary who designed IBM's famous logo and unified it's corporate identity.