Paul Rand by Carter Sheffield Paul Rand was a modernist graphic designer who had a pivotal role in the business world of graphic design. From a young age he was considered a prodigy. When he was young he started painting sign and posters for his father ’s shop and for school events. This gave him a head start in his future career of graphic design. His career choice was met with much skepticism by his father who believed he would not be able to support himself in the art field. Still, Paul kept on his path despite his father ’s warning. Paul Rand grew up in Brooklyn, New York and was born August fifteenth, nineteen-fourteen. His early education was from Manhattan’s Haaren High School. He also took night classes at the Pratt Institute while in high school. Needless to say, he was no slacker. Though, Rand himself claims he was mostly “self-taught” as a designer. He took inspiration from famous designers such as Cassandre and Moholy-Nagy who had works in a magazine he often read called Gebrauchsgraphik. Rand soon after graduation attended Parsons The New School for Design, and the Art Students League of New York. One fact that I found interesting was Paul Rand was born under another name. His given name was Peretz Rosenbaum. Rand thought the name was too long and too Jewish to be recognized. He shortened it to Paul Rand. He chose this because it was better suited as a symbol due to both names being four letters.
“Design can be art. Design can be aesthetics. Design is so simple,
that’s why it is so complicated.”
― Paul Rand
In Rand’s early career he created stock images which were then used in newspapers and magazines. Rand built a very reputable portfolio with work from his classroom projects to any miscellaneous projects he did outside of class. Using his portfolio and his new name as the bricks for his new brand he subjected himself to much attention from other businesses curious in his new style. Rand was taken on as a designer for Direction magazine. Here he gained international attention for his creative covers. Rand was so invested in his work he even traded full artistic freedom for a paycheck. He was not being paid at all, but it was well worth it for the exposure most would agree. He managed to make a vast name for himself before he even turned twentyfive. This was not the peak of his career though. In nineteen thirty-six he created the page layout for Apparel Arts which is now known as Gentlemen’s Quarterly magazine. He was notable for giving photographs dynamic compositions and weight to the page.