Thoughts on Design - Paul Rand

Thoughts on Design by Paul Rand, foreword by Michael Beirut / ISBN 9780811875448 / an attractive 96-page paperback with dust wrapper, 6.5 x 8 inches, from Chronicle Books

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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 1970s. Writing at the height of his career, Rand articulated in his slender volume the pioneering vision that all design should seamlessly integrate form and function. This facsimile edition preserves Rand's original 1947 essay with the adjustments he made to its text and imagery for a revised printing in 1970, and adds only an informative and inspiring new foreword by design luminary Michael Bierut. As relevant today as it was when first published, this classic treatise is an indispensable addition to the library of every designer.

"One impressive thing about Rand's book to me was always how much he was able to say about the nature of good design in 96 short pages (with the majority of those pages reproductions of his work). He was a master at arriving at designs that boiled down the essence of the intended messages, be it an advertisement or a corporate identity, and he similarly renders out the heart of basic design philosophy in this book." - BoingBoing

Paul Rand (1914–1996) is widely recognized as one of the major influences in the history of graphic design.