Thursday, 29 January 2015

Paul Rand Part 1

Paul Rand: Part 1

Where most European countries had become rubble and were completely destroyed in the aftermath of the Second World War, the United States, despite their involvement, were left unscathed. They experienced no financial losses. On the other hand, American industries flourished, eventually becoming world leaders in the global economy. The majority of European states had had their factories destroyed and their companies bankrupt and they could not do much but lean on America and depend on them to get back on their own two feet. A new age of industrial growth had begun, prodigious and unrivaled to the one before it. Fresh businesses started budding across the United States, soon becoming multinational thanks to the cutting edge trends they set in their production of commodities, providing services, and advancing in technology. As a result these countries sought to be easily identifiable by donning an easily recognized sign or symbol, and as a result many graphic designers took up the job to provide such a thing. Many designers’ work had become popular and they had made a name for themselves, one of them being the much celebrated Paul Rand.
                                                                                                         
Paul Rand had started from the very bottom. He had started as a recruit with a part-time job in illustration. What he had produced was of no extraordinary prominence. Rather, he had thought of it as junk, but nevertheless thanks to this job he became more open and cultured into the world of graphic design and the techniques used, than he had ever been in school. In the 1930’s he started a project as a self-employed worker, where he had been commissioned trivial projects. He had also decided to change his name. He had been swayed by his friends’ opinions that his Jewish name might be the cause of him being over-looked for other designers. Many were still cold and unfriendly towards the Jews due to the recent end of the war, and thought better than wanting to get involved or do business with the kin they had blamed for America’s losses. Recalling the fact that an uncle of his had done the same exact thing, calling himself “Rand”, he had decided to do the same, becoming Paul Rand from Peretz Rosenbaum. 

In the year 1936, he had been recognized by a men’s fashion magazine called ‘Apparel Arts’. Through his self-employment he became active, producing the journal’s layouts. He had become known for the eccentric ways in which he designed the covers- they were not meant for the unwise; however they were not too difficult to understand. His editors saw a lot of potential in him and would leave him completely free in deciding what to design on each new edition’s cover. Eventually, he would be offered a full-time job and also an opportunity to work with ‘Esquire’ magazine as art director.





























































References:

·        Philip B. Meggs, Megg’s History of Graphic Design, John Wiley & Sons, 2012, New Jersey






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