On April 3, 1998 the School of Visual Arts held a Paul Rand Symposium in New York City. To commemorate the event Nathan Garland, Georgette Ballance and I edited a keepsake titled “Paul Rand: A Designer’s Words,” a collection of many Rand quotes from various sources. It was printed by Rand’s favorite printer, Mossberg & Co., typeset by his favorite typesetters, PDR (A Division of AGT), and produced with his favorite paper, Mohawk Superfine. Nathan Garland’s design was true to Rand’s typographic aesthetic.
What is instructive about this thin volume is the critical mass of inspiring ideas and off-hand comments forging a designer’s philosophy. In fact, in the section on “Philosophy” he said:
Design is a way of life, a point of view. It involves the whole complex of visual communications: talent, creative ability, manual skill, and technical knowledge. Aesthetics and economics, technology and psychology are intrinsically related to the process. (Graphis, 1981)
Only 500 copies of the keepsake were printed, given free to the symposium participants and sold through Emigre, among other limited venues (only a few rarities remain). Now, I would like to make it available to all via PDF. If you would like to download go here or here.
