08.15.14
The Editors | Essays

Everything We’ve Written About Paul Rand*

*But not every time we've referenced him. That would be a much, much longer list.  

Jessica Helfand

Logocentrism
For Paul Rand, a modern mark was a simple mark, and the secret to making things last lay in keeping them simple.

Steven Heller
User-Friendly Paul Rand
Paul Rand did not coin the term “user-friendly.” He would have hated its trendy sound.

Franc Nunoo-Quarcoo
The Rand House: A House to Work and Live In
While not a large house, it felt just right, as if it had been made to measure for every interaction and every function.

Michael Bierut
Thoughts on “Thoughts on Design”
On Paul Rand’s 96-page masterpiece, “Thoughts on Design.” (08.11.2014)

The Editors
Paul Rand : Observer Emeritus
Celebrating the centennial of a one of our most beloved American design icons.

Michael Bierut
Graphic Design Criticism as a Spectator Sport
Michael Bierut on logo redesign outrages, what they mean, and why we should demand more.

Esquire
A House to Live With: Paul Rand in Esquire 1953
A slideshow of Ann and Paul Rand’s house in Connecticut, as it appeared in the August 1953 issue of Esquire.

Jessica Helfand
Meet Our Intern: Paul Rand!
Our surprise upon receiving the Facebook mailer shown here, addressed to Paul Rand.

Steven Heller
Paul Rand, Painter
Paul Rand had more in common with Paul Klee than a four letter first and last name. He too, painted.

Michael Bierut
The Smartest Logo in the Room
The birth, death, and debate around one of Paul Rand's last logos: the "crooked E" he created for Enron.

Jessica Helfand
Remembering Paul Rand
This essay, a rememberance of Paul Rand, is taken from Michael Kroeger's book, Paul Rand: Conversations with Students, which will be published on January 3 by Princeton Architectural Press.

Jessica Helfand
Annals of Academia, Part I: What I Didn't Learn In Graduate School
Studying under Paul Rand. 

Michael Bierut
The Sins of St. Paul
Paul Rand is almost universally revered as the infallible father of American graphic design, which may have blinded his legions of admirers to his flaws: an overemphasis on logos as a communications tool, a lack of engagement in content, a detachment from history, and humorlessness.

William Drenttel
Paul Rand: Bibliography as Biography
This is bibliography as biography, and a posthumous testament to the considerable scope — and ongoing life — of one designer's mind. A Selected Bibliography of Books from the Collection of Paul Rand

Posted in: History




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