Paul Rand, the Picasso of graphic design
A compact yet robust design classic, published in Korea for the first time in 70 years, featuring 82 works.

『Design Thoughts of Paul Rand』 is an essay about design written by American graphic designer Paul Rand (1914-1996) when he was thirty-three.
First published in 1947 by Wytenborn Schultz in New York, it went out of print later, but was republished by Chronicle Books in San Francisco to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Paul Rand's birth.
This is the first time this edition has been translated and published in Korean.
Paul Rand was a pioneer of 20th-century American graphic design, working actively as an art director, book designer, children's book author, and educator. He is best known for designing corporate logos for companies such as IBM, ABC, UPS, Westinghouse, and NexT.
Paul Rand explains what makes good design, what doesn't, and what the "timeless principles" of design are.
It contains 82 works including magazines, trademarks, packages, and book designs that he personally worked on.
Although it is only about 100 pages long, it is more than enough to get an idea of ​​Paul Rand's design philosophy and principles.

"Paul Rand's Design Thoughts" is written in short, clear sentences, and is designed with the simplicity of a children's book, with vivid and engaging illustrations.
On the surface, this book appears to be a guide to design using examples from a designer's own work.
But in fact, this book is a manifesto, a code of conduct, and a definition of what makes good design.
---From the "Preface to the Revised Edition"

I believe that only by applying timeless principles to design can we achieve external excellence and understand the transient nature of "fashion."
I want to emphasize that these principles are timeless and applicable.
---From the "Preface to the 3rd Edition"

If it's inappropriate, it's not good design.
If it doesn't help with the means and methods of communication, it's not good design.
---From "Beauty and Practicality"

Designers should not begin work with preconceived notions.
The result of careful observation and research is an idea, and the product of that idea is a design.
Designers must go through certain mental processes to effectively solve a task.

---From "Designer's Problem"

It is not true that a symbol must be simple to be valuable as a symbol.
The fact that some of the best symbols are simplified images does not mean that the word simplification is used, but rather that it refers to the effect of simplicity.

---From "Symbols in Advertising"

There are cases where 'abstract' shapes, geometric patterns, fonts, etc. created by hand or computer are used indiscriminately.
If this use is limited to simply a means of expressing itself, the expression ultimately becomes petty.
On the other hand, if the visual language expresses the core of the idea and is based on function, imagination, and analytical judgment, it is not only original but also meaningful and memorable.

---From "Imagination and Image"

Although photograms rely on the simple mechanical principle of shining light on photosensitive paper, they offer designers a wide range of opportunities for aesthetic value and expressive craftsmanship.
In a sense, a photogram is not a depiction of an object, but is the object itself, expressing a sense of continuous movement.

---From "Reader Participation"

When a designer delivers a visual message that is not only engaging and persuasive, but also creative, dramatic, and entertaining, he or she not only fulfills his or her duty to the client, but also achieves the satisfaction of having achieved a higher level as a designer.

---From "Typographic Form and Expression"

Paul Rand was a designer who directly persuaded and executed commissioned designs for executives, thereby elevating design to the level of a CEO business.
It was possible because the era he lived in was the early days of design, but it was also possible because he was Paul Rand.
I would like to remember him as a 'visual poet' who elevated commercial design to the level of art.

---From the Translator's Note