Paul Rand: About

This is an online, progressive look at Paul Rand through the eyes of a former Photoslop, i.e. the "I know Photoshop, I'm a designer" genre, web designer. As I researched him I went from curious, to thoroughly engaged, to absolutely fascinated. The goal here is to take people who are possibly similar to my former self and move them towards becoming a better designer. I hope to accomplish this through developing an understanding of Rand.

Born in 1914, Brooklyn, NY. He studied in Pratt Institute (1929-1932), Parsons School of Design, and the Art Students League. By our age (early 20's) he was an established graphics designer -- a profession that was still in its infancy. He went on to become the art director of a few magazines, a freelancer, a writer, and even a professor for some time. Rand died in 1996.

If you look him up, you will find that he is almost always mentioned as a kind of genius, design pioneer, or at least well-known. Considering he had lived almost his entire life as a designer, it's not surprising to hear that he is a pivotal figure for designers in America. But a quick glance at his works doesn't bring about any notion of genius.

About Paul Rand