Paul Rand: A Designer’s Eye

'The artist is a collector of things imaginary or real. He accumulates things with the same enthusiasm that a little boy stuffs his pockets. The scrap heap and the museum are embraced with equal curiosity. He takes snapshots, makes notes and records impressions on tablecloths or newspapers, on backs of envelopes or matchbooks. Why one thing and not another is part of the mystery, but he is omnivorous.' Paul Rand

Paul Rand: A Designer's Eye lovingly catalogues a cache of items from the archive of iconic graphic designer Paul Rand. Rand was among the first American commercial artists to embrace the Swiss Style of graphic design, and became most famous for the corporate logos he created in the 1950s and 1960s for IBM, ABC, UPS and Enron. What is less widely known, until now, is his penchant for collecting. Accumulated over a lifetime of travel, these items include a wide variety of packages, shopping bags, dolls, toys, and other beautifully designed ephemera. This offers a unique look into the mind of the legendary designer, whose influence and popularity have continued long after his death in 1996.
The foreword, written by JP Williams, a former student of Rand, tells of his relationship with the designer and describes the power objects can hold. The book also serves as a valuable design reference for aficionados and collectors of interesting and lost packaging.