Paul Rand on understanding good logo design

February 13, 2:59 PMDesign Trends ExaminerNeal Shaffer

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The creative force behind iconic work for brands like UPS, IBM, ABC, and Westinghouse, Paul Rand is arguably America's most well-known identity designer. His work is familiar to people who will never know his name, and the shadow he casts over subsequent generations of designers and design aficionados is long, indeed.

What better source, then, for clear thinking on just what makes a good logo? 

Get it at this piece from graphic-design.com, which Rand penned back in 1991 for the AIGA. 

The role of the logo is to point, to designate -- in as simple a manner as possible. A design that is complex, like a fussy illustration or an arcane abstraction, harbors a self-destruct mechanism. Simple ideas, as well as simple designs are, ironically, the products of circuitous mental purposes. Simplicity is difficult to achieve, yet worth the effort.

No truer words.

For more on Rand, check out his Art Directors Club Hall of Fame page and paul-rand.com, from which the poster image above is borrowed.