This article will continue to explore the detour to Paul Rand in the midst of the series about Charrette, NY. The intention is to unearth a possible connection between the two giants, man and corporation.
Each was an institution. Paul Rand was THE great American Graphic Designer. Charrette was the commercial and retail institute of choice by many architects, graphic designers, engineers and others in related fields for about 30 years.
It is known that both Rand and Charrette had ties to New York and New England. Rand was born, Peretz Rosenbaum in Brooklyn, NY. He eventually lived in Westport, CT and taught at Yale. Charrette was founded in a closet at the Harvard Graduate School of Design (see previous article of that title) expanding to locations along the East Coast, had a substantial presence in NY and into the Mid-West.
What cannot be verified, yet, is whether or not their paths were parallel or perpendicular. Did they cross or were they just at the heights of their existences simultaneously? Clearly, they both had NY history and in businesses that supported each other. The questions are, ‘did they have a story that included each other? And if so, did that story take place in New York?’
Was Rand one of the famous designers listed in the Charrette 'Who's Who' of noteworthy clientele? One cannot be certain of that at this time based on available information. It is also not known if the Charrette manifest of NY clients still exists which is a document that could provide evidence.
One can only hope that after a sufficient amount of time has passed, the list, if it still exists, will become public and reveal if there was a professional connection between Rand and Charrette. It is also possible that a connection did take place in NY, that there is someone who took care of Rand as a customer or someone who delivered orders to his office. The mystery remains until an answer to one of those questions is found.
It may be possible that during the course of future interviews that someone who worked at Charrette NY did meet Paul Rand or knew that design supplies were delivered to his firm. Hopefully, there will be something exciting to report in the next article concerning the history of a renowned New York Graphic Designer and the Charrette Corporation, leader in the design supplies industry.
Comments