Paul Rand Models and Miniatures
American, 1914-1996
Paul Rand (born Peretz Rosenbaum; August 15, 1914 – November 26, 1996) was an American art director and graphic designer. He was best known for his corporate logo designs, including the logos for IBM, UPS, Enron, Morningstar, Inc., Westinghouse, ABC, and NeXT. He was one of the first American commercial artists to embrace and practice the Swiss Style of graphic design. Rand was a professor emeritus of graphic design at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut where he taught from 1956 to 1969, and from 1974 to 1985. He was inducted into the New York Art Directors Club Hall of Fame in 1972.
Though Rand was a recluse in his creative process, doing the vast majority of the design load despite having a large staff at varying points in his career, he was very interested in producing books of theory to illuminate his philosophies. László Moholy-Nagy may have incited Rand's zeal for knowledge when he asked his colleague, at their first meeting, if he read art criticism. Rand said no, prompting Moholy-Nagy to reply "Pity."Steven Heller elaborates on this meeting's impact, noting; "from that moment on, Rand devoured books by the leading philosophers on art, including Roger Fry, Alfred North Whitehead, and John Dewey."These theoreticians would have a lasting impression on Rand's work; in a 1995 interview with Michael Kroeger discussing, among other topics, the importance of Dewey's Art as Experience, Rand elaborates on Dewey's appeal:
[... Art as Experience] deals with everything — there is no subject he does not deal with. That is why it will take you one hundred years to read this book. Even today's philosophers talk about it[.] [E]very time you open this book you find good things. I mean the philosophers say this, not just me. You read this, then when you open this up next year, that you read something new.
Dewey is an important source for Rand's underlying sentiment in graphic design; on page one of Rand's groundbreaking Thoughts on Design, the author begins drawing lines from Dewey's philosophy to the need for "functional-aesthetic perfection" in modern art. Among the ideas Rand pushed in Thoughts on Design was the practice of creating graphic works capable of retaining recognizable quality even after being blurred or mutilated, a test Rand routinely performed on his corporate identities. From: Wikipediato
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Creator: Paul Rand
Vintage Like New IBM "Think" Sign
By IBM, Paul Rand
Located in San Diego, CA
Rare and collectible vintage IBM "Think" sign in the manner of Paul Rand’s corporate graphic design system for IBM, circa 1960s. A wonderful and bright nostalgic piece of corporate ...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paul Rand Models and Miniatures
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Plastic
Vintage IBM Small "Think" Notebook
By IBM, Paul Rand
Located in San Diego, CA
Rare and collectible vintage IBM "Think" pad in the manner of Paul Rand’s corporate graphic design system for IBM, circa 1960s. The pad is in very good unused condition and measures ...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paul Rand Models and Miniatures
Materials
Plastic
Vintage Like New IBM "Think" Sign in Irish / Gaelic "Smaoinigh" - Rare
By IBM, Paul Rand
Located in San Diego, CA
Rare and collectible vintage IBM "Think" sign in Irish / Gaelic "Smaoinigh" in the manner of Paul Rand’s corporate graphic design system for IBM, circa 1960s. A wonderful and brigh...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paul Rand Models and Miniatures
Materials
Plastic
Vintage Like New IBM "Think" Sign in Norwegian "Tenk" - Rare
By IBM, Paul Rand
Located in San Diego, CA
Rare and collectible vintage IBM "Think" sign in Norwegian "Tenk" in the manner of Paul Rand’s corporate graphic design system for IBM, circa 1960s. A wonderful and bright nostalgic...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paul Rand Models and Miniatures
Materials
Plastic
Vintage Like New IBM "Think" Sign in Finnish "Ajattele" - Rare
By IBM, Paul Rand
Located in San Diego, CA
Rare and collectible vintage IBM "Think" sign in Finnish "Ajattele" in the manner of Paul Rand’s corporate graphic design system for IBM, circa 1960s. A wonderful and bright nostalg...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paul Rand Models and Miniatures
Materials
Plastic
Vintage IBM "Think" Sign in Greek
By IBM, Paul Rand
Located in San Diego, CA
Rare and collectible vintage IBM "Think" sign in Greek in the manner of Paul Rand’s corporate graphic design system for IBM, circa 1960s. A wonderful and bright nostalgic piece of c...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paul Rand Models and Miniatures
Materials
Plastic
Vintage Like New IBM "Think" Sign in Turkish "Düşün" - Rare
By IBM, Paul Rand
Located in San Diego, CA
Rare and collectible vintage IBM "Think" sign in Turkish "Düşün" in the manner of Paul Rand’s corporate graphic design system for IBM, circa 1960s. A wonderful and bright nostalgic ...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paul Rand Models and Miniatures
Materials
Plastic
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Previously Available Items
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Paul Rand models and miniatures for sale on 1stDibs.
Paul Rand models and miniatures are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of plastic and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Paul Rand models and miniatures, although red editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original models and miniatures by Paul Rand were created in the mid-century modern style in united states during the mid-20th century. Prices for Paul Rand models and miniatures can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $500 and can go as high as $750, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $750.
Questions About Paul Rand Models and Miniatures
- 1stDibs ExpertJanuary 19, 2025Opinions may vary on what Paul Rand's most famous work is. However, the American artist is best known for his corporate logos. Over the course of his career, he designed iconic graphics for IBM, UPS, Enron, Morningstar, Inc., Westinghouse, ABC and NeXT, among others. Explore a variety of Paul Rand art on 1stDibs.