Throwback Thursday: Brands by Rand

Today we’re having a throwback to the work of renowned modernist designer Paul Rand (1914-1996). You might not know his name, but you will have definitely seen his work.

Rand’s work is typically bold and simple in its design, his most recognisable work being the corporate logos created in the 50s and 60s for companies such as ABC television, UPS and IBM with ABC and IBM both still using Rand’s designs today in their original forms. So what’s the recipe for a brand identity with such great longevity? Rand had his own theory:

When a logo is designed is irrelevant; quality, not vintage nor vanity, is the determining factor.

It is true that good design is timeless – and when it comes to brand identity, simplicity is often the best way to achieve this. Rand said that if ‘in the business of communications, “image is king,” …the logo, is a jewel in its crown.”

An important message that Rand delivered was also that a logo is only as good as the company that stands behind it: it is the symbol that speaks to the existing reputation of the brand. If we consider the ‘best’ corporate logos of all time, we are usually making associations with those organisations based upon their status and performance, rather than admiring the logo’s design – whether this be an explicit or implicit decision.

This is what Rand felt a logo is and does:

A logo is a flag, a signature, an escutcheon.
A logo doesn’t sell (directly), it identifies.
A logo is rarely a description of a business.
A logo derives its meaning from the quality of the thing it symbolizes, not the other way around.
A logo is less important than the product it signifies; what it means is more important than what it looks like.

Only after it becomes familiar does a logo function as intended; and only when the product or service has been judged effective or ineffective, suitable or unsuitable, does it become truly representative.

Rand is such an important figure in the world of design, both his style and his theory provide great inspiration and learning for us all.

Does your brand identify your business in the way you’d like? If you’d like to see some of the brands that we have created and developed here at Mzuri, take a look at our Brands board on Pinterest here.

Source: Logos, Flags, and Escutcheons by Paul Rand, available here.