August 26, 2010

Paul Rand Retrospective

Paul Rand goes over the language of form

For Paul Rand's posthumous induction into The One Club Hall of Fame, Imaginary Forces created this short film, combining original animation with a videotaped interview of Rand himself, that encapsulated his unique and timeless contribution to the design community.

4 comments:

jamie said...

Paul Rand is certainly an American design icon. I'm glad you like the video enough you were compelled to post it. I'd really like to know what are your thoughts about his philosophy and his work (or you can just wait for when I actually do assign this video later in the semester).

Eli Sebastian Brumbaugh said...

Thanks for commenting on my post.

I admire his work and some of his philosophy (that I have seen and read so far) there is still so much I don't know but then again that’s why I'm here :) haha.

One thing I found really interesting about him was his aversion to postmodernist design. I really wonder if he felt threatened by what postmodernism could mean for design? Particularly in his article "Confusion and Chaos: The Seduction of Contemporary Graphic Design" he wrote when he stepped down from his post at Yale because a postmodernist and feminist designer was hired really surprised me. He basically belittles anyone or any institution that daring enough to try a format that Rand himself didn't help define or already exist in history that he appreciated such as the old masters of the renaissance.

I wonder if design taking this shift made him feel his life's work in the design world was being forced into obsolescence? But in a sense isn't that the fate of all design work? We inspire other designers with the work we do to intern create better design that of course wants to take the place of in many cases past designs? In particular in the field of branding/identity?

In a way I think that the daring he took in his own design work helped influence other designers to take these new chances in design and in turn cause postmodern design to turn against his modernist beliefs like a teenage child rebelling against their parents.

Then again I could be totally off here.

Could you tell me what your opinion of his philosophy is?

jamie said...

It's great that you have already studied a design legend like Rand. Why don't you do a little research into sheila levrant de bretteville next!

Eli Sebastian Brumbaugh said...

Will do!

I'm always up for new artists to study.

Thanks!