Thoughts on design paul rand pdf

New York: Wittenborn, Paul rand - the good design co Thoughts on one of the greats of the design world, Paul Rand. Thoughts on design: paul rand, michael bierut: One of the seminal texts of graphic design, Paul Rand's Thoughts on Design is now back in print for the first time since the s.

Unbelievably, they were selling for a dollar. Paul rand linkedin helping professionals like Paul Rand discover inside connections to Thoughts on Design View Paul s Full Profile.

Thoughts on design by paul rand reviews, Thoughts on Design has ratings and 16 reviews. Callie said: It's probably sacrilege to say this, but I was disappointed in this book. Must read intro for a designer or anyone interested in design.

A Mad Men era commentary on the basic principles of design by one of America's great graphic designers, supported with great visuals. A closing caption: "Even if it is true that the average man seems most comfortable with the commonplace and familiar, it is equally true that catering to bad taste, which we so readily attribute to the average reader, merely perpetuates that mediocrity and denies the reader one of the most easily accessible means for esthetic development and eventual enjoyment.

Dec 06, Laurie MacQueen rated it liked it Shelves: x-owned , g-design. I read Thoughts on Design alongside the rest of my design team at work, and it was an interesting thing to discuss! In terms of personal preference, this was about the balance of image to text that I lik I read Thoughts on Design alongside the rest of my design team at work, and it was an interesting thing to discuss!

In terms of personal preference, this was about the balance of image to text that I like in a design book. However, I wish there had been a bit more discussion of the examples within the text. Yes, this is because some of the examples were added after the text was completed. However I think this problem could have been solved with insightful captions. It was also a nice length!

Lastly, I'll hit the obvious point: this book comes from an era where gender neutral language was not used. I could accept that if it didn't bring out another anachronism: this book comes from a time where we were still looking for the "one true idea," the "one correct solution," etc.

That makes some of its advice a little outdated. So in summary: while I think this book is great in laying out some design thinking, and is certainly a piece of design history, it isn't the only design text I'll ever go to. The forward to the edition of Thoughts on Design says, "Paul Rand admitted all his life that he was insecure as a writer.

It was his passion for his subject that made him such an effective one. I found the writing not so effective and not so passionate either. Some sections of the book are vague; others are indirect with the main point buried; and much of the writing has a joyless air. The visual examples are another matter. They make the text clear, and they make the boo The forward to the edition of Thoughts on Design says, "Paul Rand admitted all his life that he was insecure as a writer.

They make the text clear, and they make the book come alive. So text and visuals work together, which is, after all, the point. However, the visuals do most of the work, and the writing fails to carry a fair share of the load.

This imbalance makes sense given Rand was a widely respected designer and insecure as a writer by his own admission. I guess it's churlish to complain about a book that takes less than an hour to read, but I didn't feel my time was well spent.

I didn't care for Thoughts on Design even though it's recognized by some as a classic and important book. A very short manifest of Mr. Rand philosophy. I've found some of his point very interesting, and the others less appealing to my taste. I wonder what he'd write if it was in the Photoshop era. Jul 29, Gisela Valdera rated it liked it Shelves: design. Insightful and yet, simultaneously, quite vague in regards to most subject matters in the design world. I felt like I almost grasped some important knowledge while reading this small book.

Nov 29, Ged rated it it was amazing. This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Straight out of the gate it focuses on design and its applicability to the job in hand. My friend Stephen used to talk about designers falling into two categories: Idea led designers that focus on the communications problem Style-led designers.

Their work has a particular look and feel, that might be fashionable for a while. The Designers Republic as falling into this category Rand is blunter in his assessment under a section called The Beautiful and The Useful.

Obeying classical art rules creates useless design unless it addresses the communications. The sad thing is that 70 years later it still needs to be said with the same urgency. Rand describes the designers challenge as an overlap with strategy and planning functions in agencies. Rand started in agencies a generation before planning emerged as a discipline. Planning started in London advertising agencies. The idea of leaving pre-conceptions out of the process is a keystone of planning and strategy.

Finally, Rand focuses less on typography than one would expect. Instead he focuses on the creative use of space and direction. He viewed debates around the use of typography as an unnecessary distraction. Typography decisions would be resolved by wider thinking on space and direction.

Thoughts on Design is surprisingly accessible. Invaluable book for graphic designers of all skill levels - read in one engrossed sitting. Frankly a bit surprised I made it all the way through Illustration school without exposure to it - while it develops a different mental toolset than what might be required for Illustration specifically, the overlap in approach is almost an eclipse. Full of emphasis on foundational design principles and surprising revelations connecting visual examples to brief text explanations of concepts, a must-have for Invaluable book for graphic designers of all skill levels - read in one engrossed sitting.

Full of emphasis on foundational design principles and surprising revelations connecting visual examples to brief text explanations of concepts, a must-have for any graphic designer, from the student to the accomplished veteran. If ever you feel a bit lost in a project, this book is sure to point you back towards the path.

Jan 02, Deniss Ojastu rated it liked it Shelves: design. A book by the 20th century's guru of visual design. Short, precise and effective. Beauty and utility shall be integral part of design.

Simplicity in design is good. Using symbols as design elements is smart. Visual repetition creates emotional comfort. Isolated symbols such as letters, numbers, punctuation marks can be a good idea.

This short book only scratches the surface of semiotics of visual communication though. And it is only based on and illustrated by a very narrow field of design - graphi A book by the 20th century's guru of visual design. And it is only based on and illustrated by a very narrow field of design - graphical advertisement and corporate logos. Apr 04, Maya Gopalakrishnan rated it really liked it Shelves: non-fiction , art-design-creative. A short and insightful book packed with principles of visual design.

Paul Rand starts by talking about the mutually generative effects of beauty and utility. Though the book is short 95 pages , it contains a lot of ideas. Below are the ones I found most notable and interesting.

The role of the designer is not to create pleasing arrangements out of various elements; it is to reformulate ideas and messages, to symbolize and express them, to remove superfluities, create clarity and generate interest.

Man lives in a world of symbols, and symbols are the common language through which the designer communicates with the spectator. The Cross is the earliest of all symbols, and it is found everywhere—even independently of Christianity. Aside from the Crucifixion of Christ, it can also symbolise the union of the Male and Female, as well as God and Earth.

Instead, contribute to their meaning through interpretation, juxtaposition, association, and alteration. In typography, readability is often overemphasised at the expense of style, individuality, and the effectiveness of the design itself. Perfect symmetry is too obvious. With asymmetric balance the designer is able to achieve greater reader interest; the challenge it poses to the spectator creates intellectual pleasure.

Even if it is true that the average man seems most comfortable with the commonplace and familiar, it is equally true that catering to bad taste, which we so readily attribute to the average reader, merely perpetuates that mediocrity and denies the reader one of the most easily accessible means for esthetic development and eventual enjoyment. Branding, design, and marketing for small businesses.

Always by me. Often unorthodox. Sometimes out of line. Never boring. What is it, really? What makes good design good… and bad design bad? But who was he?