Week Eight - The First Book Printed / Paul Rand

The first ever book that was printed was in Strasburg by Johannes Gutenberg in 1945 and his invention of the movable type printing that brought about the Printing Revolution. Being a blacksmith, he was able to devise the wooden printing press, similar to the agricultural screw presses. In 1455, Gutenberg produced his first printed Bible with 42 lines on each page which sold approximately 180 copies. Having previously worked with a goldsmith, Gutenberg was had the knowledge of metals as a skilful craftsman. He mixed metals such as tin and antimony, which produced a more durable press. He also introduced the oil based ink instead of the water based ink, further increasing the durability and the quality of the printed books. By treating typesetting and printing as two different components, Gutenberg which greatly enhanced the printing process. The metal letters were mass produced by a special matrix he designed which was then pressed in ink and rolled onto the paper to print. This printing revolution was to bring about an Age of enlightenment feeding the growing Renaissance and since it greatly facilitated scientific publishing, brought about the scientific revolution with the result of bringing about the spread of learning to the masses.

Influenced by the significant spread of printing and greatly influenced by German printing, William Caxton sent up his first printing press in Bruges on the first book to be printed in English was produced in 1473: Recuyell of the Historyes of Troye, a translation by Caxton himself. After which books such as the first edition of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales was published. Gutenberg’s creation of the printing press gave a chance for the books to be mass produced which was not possible before as it took about a year for a book to be hand written. It allowed the spread of knowledge as more books were able to be produced and distributed in a short time and made way for further innovations in this field.

“Simplicity is not the goal. It is the by-product of a good idea and modest expectations.” These were the words of Paul Rand whom I find an interesting designer, reflecting his belief in the “less is more”. He is responsible for designing the logos of ABC channel and Apples iconic logo of the bitten apple. His logos amplify his motto as we can see in his designs and his services. Alongside ABC, companies like IBM, UPS and now Enron owe Rand their graphical heritage.

His designs are not the more simplistic side, and that is why I was attracted to his work. It resembles my style of work, because I, like him, believe that the work need not be very excessive and flaunting for it to work. Even while I was doing my fine art, my portfolio contained more simplistic and direct pieces that told the viewer exactly what it meant. As Rand says, “ideas do not need to be esoteric to be original or exciting.”

The most notable of his works was his collaboration with Steve Jobs for the NeXT computer corporate identity. Rand’s simple black boxes break the company name into two lines, producing a visual harmony that earned him the title “the greatest living graphic designer” by his former client. His practice of creating graphic works, capable of retaining recognizable quality even after being blurred or mutilated was the best thing about his work. His works stood the test of time, and had the influence to last years, as it became the very identity and representation of a company.

Paul Rand

He drew examples from the works of great artists such as Paul Cezanne to Jan Tschichold, and constantly attempted to draw connections between their creative output and significant applications in graphic design. It is rumoured that in the eighties and nineties, for a single corporate solution, Rand charged a $100, 000.

“Should a logo be self-explanatory? It is only by association with a product, a service, a business, or a corporation that a logo takes on any meaning. It derives its meaning and usefulness from the quality of which it symbolizes. If a company is second rate, the logo will eventually be perceived as second rate. It is fool-hardy to believe that a logo will do its job immediately, before an audience has been properly conditioned.” –Paul Rand

It is great the way he stood for his work, and was not afraid to say that logos do not make a company famous but the company makes the logo famous. It was great because some of the companies have views about how the logo should be amazing that it should do the company wonders. Both have to go hand in hand to make it a success. Even after his death, Paul Rand still remains as one of the best graphic designers in the world.

Paul Rand's Logos