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A HISTORY OF GRAPHIC DESIGN Chapter 20 – Corporate Identity and Visual Systems SUMMARY After World War II, the technological advances made during the war were applied to the production of consumer goods. Many believed the outlook for the postwar capitalist economic structure would be unending economic expansion and prosperity. “Good design is good business” was the rallying cry within the graphic design community, and the more perceptive corporate leaders understood the need to develop corporate design programs to help shape companies’ reputations for quality and reliability. The visual identification systems during the 1950s went beyond trademarks, which had been in use since the medieval guilds, to produce consistent design systems that projected a cohesive image for corporations with an expanding national and multinational presence. Strong individual designers who put their personal imprint on a client’s designed image led the first phase in the development of postwar visual identification. Such was the case with Peter Behrens at Allgemeine Elektricitäts-Gesellschaft (AEG), as discussed in Chapter 12, as well as with Giovanni Pintori at the Olivetti Corporation, an Italian typewriter and business machines company. Rather than a systematic design program like Behrens developed for AEG, Pintori put his personal stamp on Olivetti’s graphic images. Identity was achieved through the general appearance of promotional graphics, such as the promotional posters designed by Pintori shown in Chapter 20. Pintori had an ability to create simplified graphic shapes to visualize mechanisms and processes. His abstract configurations suggested the function or purpose of the product being advertised, and Olivetti garnered international recognition for its commitment to design excellence. In New York, the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) moved to the forefront in corporate identity due to the leadership of its president, Frank Stanton, who understood the potential of art and design in corporate affairs, and its art director, William Golden. The CBS trademark, a pictograph of an eye designed by Golden, is one of the most successful trademarks of the twentieth century; however, consistency in how the trademark was used was not considered necessary to the effectiveness of the corporate identity. Rather, its ongoing success depended on the quality and intelligence of each successive design solution. A climate of creative freedom at CBS encouraged fine artists, such as Ben Shahn, to accept commissions to create illustrations for CBS advertisements. The result, compared to other advertising of the period, was a high level of artistry, as seen in “The Big Push.” Shahn’s drawing added an ambience of quality and distinction to the message aimed at corporations and advertisers recommending that they purchase television advertising time during the summer sales push. In 1945, Georg Olden was hired to establish the CBS graphics department and design on-air visuals for its new television division. Olden, the first African American to achieve prominence as a graphic designer, played a major role in defining the early development of television broadcast graphics for this fledgling medium. To overcome the technical limitations of early television, Olden designed on-air graphics using simple symbolic imagery with an emphasis on concepts that quickly captured the essence of each program. Lou Dorfsman became art director for CBS Radio in 1946 and after several promotions was named vice president of CBS Corporation in 1968. Dorfsman’s design approach combined a pragmatic sense of effective communication with imaginative problemsolving presented in a straightforward and provocative manner. High-quality solutions to individual communications problems enabled him to project an exemplary image for the corporation. Like Stanton, Raymond Loewy recognized the significance of comprehensive design systems and left an indelible mark on America’s history of visual styling. His streamlined aesthetic can be seen across a range of industrial products, packaging, architecture, interiors, and corporate identities; his aesthetic suggested speed, economy, and modernity. Loewy’s flashy personality preceded his brilliant design work. Sophisticated and charismatic, he considered himself a visionary and impresario of good design across a number of mediums. He changed the way industrial designers engaged with corporate design culture by assuming more control over entire industrial and visual campaigns. For example, product designs for blue chip companies such as BP, Shell, Exxon, Nabisco, and Lucky Strike were not limited to packaging or industrial products but also included complete identity designs. Loewy also initiated a study of his audience—the public—as he aimed to define their needs and wants. This analysis affected the way he intro-

A HISTORY OF<br />

GRAPHIC DESIGN<br />

Chapter 20 – <strong>Corporate</strong> <strong>Identity</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Visual</strong> <strong>Systems</strong><br />

SUMMARY<br />

After World War II, the technological advances made<br />

during the war were applied to the production <strong>of</strong> consumer<br />

goods. Many believed the outlook for the postwar<br />

capitalist economic structure would be unending economic<br />

expansion <strong>and</strong> prosperity. “Good design is good<br />

business” was the rallying cry within the graphic design<br />

community, <strong>and</strong> the more perceptive corporate leaders<br />

understood the need to develop corporate design programs<br />

to help shape companies’ reputations for quality<br />

<strong>and</strong> reliability. The visual identification systems during<br />

the 1950s went beyond trademarks, which had been in<br />

use since the medieval guilds, to produce consistent<br />

design systems that projected a cohesive image for corporations<br />

with an exp<strong>and</strong>ing national <strong>and</strong> multinational<br />

presence.<br />

Strong individual designers who put their personal<br />

imprint on a client’s designed image led the first phase<br />

in the development <strong>of</strong> postwar visual identification. Such<br />

was the case with Peter Behrens at Allgemeine Elektricitäts-Gesellschaft<br />

(AEG), as discussed in Chapter 12, as<br />

well as with Giovanni Pintori at the Olivetti Corporation,<br />

an Italian typewriter <strong>and</strong> business machines company.<br />

Rather than a systematic design program like Behrens<br />

developed for AEG, Pintori put his personal stamp on<br />

Olivetti’s graphic images. <strong>Identity</strong> was achieved through<br />

the general appearance <strong>of</strong> promotional graphics, such<br />

as the promotional posters designed by Pintori shown<br />

in Chapter 20. Pintori had an ability to create simplified<br />

graphic shapes to visualize mechanisms <strong>and</strong> processes.<br />

His abstract configurations suggested the function or<br />

purpose <strong>of</strong> the product being advertised, <strong>and</strong> Olivetti<br />

garnered international recognition for its commitment to<br />

design excellence.<br />

In New York, the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS)<br />

moved to the forefront in corporate identity due to the<br />

leadership <strong>of</strong> its president, Frank Stanton, who understood<br />

the potential <strong>of</strong> art <strong>and</strong> design in corporate affairs,<br />

<strong>and</strong> its art director, William Golden. The CBS trademark,<br />

a pictograph <strong>of</strong> an eye designed by Golden, is one <strong>of</strong> the<br />

most successful trademarks <strong>of</strong> the twentieth century;<br />

however, consistency in how the trademark was used<br />

was not considered necessary to the effectiveness <strong>of</strong> the<br />

corporate identity. Rather, its ongoing success depended<br />

on the quality <strong>and</strong> intelligence <strong>of</strong> each successive design<br />

solution. A climate <strong>of</strong> creative freedom at CBS encouraged<br />

fine artists, such as Ben Shahn, to accept commissions<br />

to create illustrations for CBS advertisements.<br />

The result, compared to other advertising <strong>of</strong> the period,<br />

was a high level <strong>of</strong> artistry, as seen in “The Big Push.”<br />

Shahn’s drawing added an ambience <strong>of</strong> quality <strong>and</strong><br />

distinction to the message aimed at corporations <strong>and</strong><br />

advertisers recommending that they purchase television<br />

advertising time during the summer sales push. In 1945,<br />

Georg Olden was hired to establish the CBS graphics department<br />

<strong>and</strong> design on-air visuals for its new television<br />

division. Olden, the first African American to achieve<br />

prominence as a graphic designer, played a major role in<br />

defining the early development <strong>of</strong> television broadcast<br />

graphics for this fledgling medium. To overcome the<br />

technical limitations <strong>of</strong> early television, Olden designed<br />

on-air graphics using simple symbolic imagery with an<br />

emphasis on concepts that quickly captured the essence<br />

<strong>of</strong> each program. Lou Dorfsman became art director for<br />

CBS Radio in 1946 <strong>and</strong> after several promotions was<br />

named vice president <strong>of</strong> CBS Corporation in 1968. Dorfsman’s<br />

design approach combined a pragmatic sense<br />

<strong>of</strong> effective communication with imaginative problemsolving<br />

presented in a straightforward <strong>and</strong> provocative<br />

manner. High-quality solutions to individual communications<br />

problems enabled him to project an exemplary<br />

image for the corporation.<br />

Like Stanton, Raymond Loewy recognized the significance<br />

<strong>of</strong> comprehensive design systems <strong>and</strong> left an<br />

indelible mark on America’s history <strong>of</strong> visual styling.<br />

His streamlined aesthetic can be seen across a range <strong>of</strong><br />

industrial products, packaging, architecture, interiors,<br />

<strong>and</strong> corporate identities; his aesthetic suggested speed,<br />

economy, <strong>and</strong> modernity. Loewy’s flashy personality<br />

preceded his brilliant design work. Sophisticated <strong>and</strong><br />

charismatic, he considered himself a visionary <strong>and</strong><br />

impresario <strong>of</strong> good design across a number <strong>of</strong> mediums.<br />

He changed the way industrial designers engaged with<br />

corporate design culture by assuming more control over<br />

entire industrial <strong>and</strong> visual campaigns. For example,<br />

product designs for blue chip companies such as BP,<br />

Shell, Exxon, Nabisco, <strong>and</strong> Lucky Strike were not limited<br />

to packaging or industrial products but also included<br />

complete identity designs. Loewy also initiated a study<br />

<strong>of</strong> his audience—the public—as he aimed to define their<br />

needs <strong>and</strong> wants. This analysis affected the way he intro-


A HISTORY OF<br />

GRAPHIC DESIGN<br />

duced designs into consumer culture. With respect to his<br />

corporate identiy work he said: “I am looking for a very<br />

high index <strong>of</strong> visual retention. We want anyone who has<br />

seen the logotype, even fleetingly, to never forget it.”<br />

In 1954, Patrick McGinnis, the president <strong>of</strong> the New<br />

York, New Haven, <strong>and</strong> Hartford Railroad, launched a<br />

short-lived but highly visible corporate design program.<br />

McGinnis believed a contemporary logo <strong>and</strong> design<br />

program would project a modern <strong>and</strong> progressive<br />

image to industry <strong>and</strong> passenger alike. Herbert Matter<br />

was commissioned to design the new trademark, <strong>and</strong><br />

Marcel Breuer was commissioned to design the interiors<br />

<strong>and</strong> exteriors <strong>of</strong> the new trains. Unfortunately, financial<br />

problems forced the corporate identity program to come<br />

to an abrupt halt.<br />

Norman Ives’s (1923-1978) is one <strong>of</strong> the long neglected<br />

masters <strong>of</strong> corporate image design. His carefully constructed<br />

logos clearly reflect the teachings <strong>of</strong> one <strong>of</strong><br />

his principal mentors, Josef Albers. He believed that a<br />

symbol, as “an image <strong>of</strong> a company, an institution, or<br />

idea…should convey with a clear statement or by suggestion,<br />

the activity it represents.” He also charged that<br />

a logo should be memorable <strong>and</strong> legible, a “true gestalt,<br />

in which the psychological effect <strong>of</strong> the total image is<br />

greater than the sum <strong>of</strong> its parts would indicate.”<br />

During the 1950s <strong>and</strong> 1960s, many American designers<br />

embraced corporate identity as a major design activity,<br />

including Paul R<strong>and</strong>, Lester Beall, <strong>and</strong> Saul Bass, <strong>and</strong><br />

design firms such as Lippincott & Margules <strong>and</strong> Chermayeff<br />

& Geismar. R<strong>and</strong> realized that to be functional<br />

over a long period <strong>of</strong> time, a trademark should be based<br />

on elementary shapes that are universal, visually unique,<br />

<strong>and</strong> stylistically timeless. R<strong>and</strong> achieved a timeless quality<br />

in the logotype he designed for International Business<br />

Machines (IBM). The heavy slab serifs united all three<br />

letters into a unique visual form that was further unified<br />

by the distinct square counterspaces <strong>of</strong> the uppercase<br />

B. In the 1970s, he updated the mark by adding horizontal<br />

stripes at regular intervals to further unify the three<br />

forms <strong>and</strong> evoke scan lines on video terminals, which<br />

expressed the nature <strong>of</strong> the company’s products. The<br />

IBM annual reports designed by R<strong>and</strong> in the 1950s established<br />

a st<strong>and</strong>ard for corporate literature. Among R<strong>and</strong>’s<br />

other trademark solutions <strong>of</strong> this period were the 1959<br />

redesign <strong>of</strong> the “Circle-W” Westinghouse trademark,<br />

which suggests Westinghouse products by evoking wires<br />

<strong>and</strong> plugs, electronic diagrams <strong>and</strong> circuitry, <strong>and</strong> molecular<br />

structures. In 1965, he redesigned the trademark <strong>of</strong><br />

the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) by reducing<br />

each letter to its elemental geometric shape, informed<br />

by Herbert Bayer’s Universal alphabet. Beall pioneered<br />

corporate identity programs for many corporations,<br />

including Martin Marietta <strong>and</strong> Connecticut General Life.<br />

For the International Paper Company identity, which he<br />

codesigned with Richard Rodgers, the letters I <strong>and</strong> P<br />

were combined to create the symbol <strong>of</strong> a tree. He also<br />

contributed to the development <strong>of</strong> its corporate identity<br />

manual. Chermayeff & Geismar Associates moved<br />

to the forefront <strong>of</strong> the corporate identity movement in<br />

1960 <strong>and</strong> went on to produce more than one hundred<br />

comprehensive corporate design programs, including<br />

projects for Chase Manhattan Bank <strong>of</strong> New York, Mobil<br />

Oil, the American Revolution Bicentennial, the National<br />

Broadcasting Company, <strong>and</strong> Rockefeller Center. Its solution<br />

for the trademark for Chase Manhattan proved that<br />

a completely abstract form could successfully function<br />

as a corporation’s visual identifier <strong>and</strong>, in fact, become<br />

a memorable character in the inventory <strong>of</strong> symbolic<br />

forms. In response to a study <strong>of</strong> the bank’s design <strong>and</strong><br />

communication needs, particularly for urban signage,<br />

Chermayeff & Geismar designed a distinctive, extended<br />

sans-serif typeface for use with the mark. The Chase<br />

Manhattan Bank system became a prototype for other<br />

financial institutions. Bass’s mastery <strong>of</strong> elemental form<br />

can be seen in the trademarks produced by his firm,<br />

many <strong>of</strong> which became cultural icons, like the marks for<br />

Minolta <strong>and</strong> AT&T. Bass believed a trademark must be<br />

readily understood yet possess elements <strong>of</strong> metaphor<br />

<strong>and</strong> ambiguity to attract the viewer again <strong>and</strong> again.<br />

Muriel Cooper designed publications <strong>and</strong> books for the<br />

Massachusetts Institute <strong>of</strong> Technology (MIT) Press <strong>and</strong> in<br />

1963, designed the Press’s logo. Her pursuit <strong>of</strong> dynamic<br />

media led to the founding, in 1978, <strong>of</strong> the Visible Language<br />

Workshop (VLW) at MIT, <strong>of</strong> which she was also the<br />

director. She was a founding member <strong>of</strong> the MIT Media<br />

Lab, an advanced graduate research program on new<br />

media. Her goal was to move graphic design from form<br />

to content.<br />

Otl Aicher believed a large organization could achieve a<br />

uniform corporate image <strong>and</strong> consistency <strong>of</strong> presentation<br />

by systematically controlling the diverse elements<br />

within the program. An example <strong>of</strong> such a case was<br />

conceived <strong>and</strong> produced at the Ulm Institute <strong>of</strong> Design in<br />

1962 when Aicher, Tomás Gonda, Fritz Querengässer, <strong>and</strong><br />

Nick Roericht designed a highly systematic identity program<br />

for Lufthansa German Airlines. It anticipated every<br />

detail, from trademarks to uniforms, packaging, aircraft<br />

interiors <strong>and</strong> exteriors, <strong>and</strong> st<strong>and</strong>ardized paper formats,<br />

color schemes, typographic specifications, <strong>and</strong> the


A HISTORY OF<br />

GRAPHIC DESIGN<br />

character <strong>of</strong> photographs to be used in ads <strong>and</strong> posters.<br />

This program became a prototype for the closed identity<br />

system, which adhered to absolute conformity.<br />

During the 1960s, the Container Corporation <strong>of</strong> America<br />

(CCA) <strong>and</strong> Unimark became advocates <strong>of</strong> visual identity<br />

systems. CCA design director Ralph Eckerstrom <strong>and</strong> his<br />

staff created a new corporate logo for the company <strong>and</strong><br />

applied typographic consistency to the “Great Ideas <strong>of</strong><br />

Western Man” ad campaign. In 1964, CCA established<br />

the Center for Advanced Research in Design, an independent<br />

design studio that worked on advanced <strong>and</strong> experimental<br />

projects, such as a comprehensive visual identification<br />

system for Atlantic Richfield, a major petroleum<br />

products company later renamed Arco. Unimark, an<br />

international design firm with forty-eight design <strong>of</strong>fices<br />

throughout the world, was founded in Chicago in 1965<br />

by a group <strong>of</strong> partners including Eckerstrom, James K.<br />

Fogelman, <strong>and</strong> Massimo Vignelli, Unimark’s director <strong>of</strong><br />

design <strong>and</strong> head <strong>of</strong> the New York <strong>of</strong>fice. Unimark rejected<br />

individualistic design <strong>and</strong> sought objectivity through<br />

the use <strong>of</strong> the grid, a basic organizational structure set<br />

up to guide implementation <strong>of</strong> graphic communications.<br />

Because it was considered the most legible type<br />

family, Helvetica was used for all Unimark visual identity<br />

systems. The company established design programs for<br />

many large clients, including Alcoa, Panasonic, Steelcase,<br />

<strong>and</strong> Xerox. The Knoll program, directed by Vignelli,<br />

set the st<strong>and</strong>ard for furniture industry graphics for years<br />

to come. Massimo <strong>and</strong> Leila Vignelli founded Vignelli<br />

Associates in 1971 after Unimark closed its New York<br />

<strong>of</strong>fice. The new firm continued to implement the ideals<br />

<strong>of</strong> the Unimark philosophy <strong>of</strong> rational order through the<br />

use <strong>of</strong> grid systems <strong>and</strong> emphasis on lucid <strong>and</strong> objective<br />

communication.<br />

In response to a growing awareness that design could<br />

be an effective tool for achieving objectives, the United<br />

States government initiated the Federal Design Improvement<br />

Program in May 1974. All aspects <strong>of</strong> federal design<br />

were upgraded under this program, including graphic<br />

design under the <strong>Graphic</strong>s Improvement Program, which<br />

set out to improve the quality <strong>of</strong> visual communications<br />

<strong>and</strong> the ability <strong>of</strong> government agencies to communicate<br />

effectively to citizens. The federal prototype for a<br />

cohesive graphic st<strong>and</strong>ards system, which included a<br />

graphics st<strong>and</strong>ards manual with guidelines for visual<br />

identification <strong>and</strong> publication formats, was designed for<br />

the Department <strong>of</strong> Labor by John Massey. Many leading<br />

designers in America were called upon to develop visual<br />

identification programs for over forty government agencies.<br />

One <strong>of</strong> the most successful is the Unigrid system,<br />

developed in 1977 for the United States National Park<br />

Service by Vignelli Associates in collaboration with the<br />

Park Service Division <strong>of</strong> Publications. The Unigrid unified<br />

hundreds <strong>of</strong> informational folders used at about 350<br />

national park locations; later, a format was developed<br />

for the Park Service’s series <strong>of</strong> 150 h<strong>and</strong>books. In 1974,<br />

the United States Department <strong>of</strong> Transportation commissioned<br />

the American Institute <strong>of</strong> <strong>Graphic</strong> Arts (AIGA), the<br />

nation’s oldest pr<strong>of</strong>essional graphic design organization,<br />

to develop a system <strong>of</strong> passenger- <strong>and</strong> pedestrian-oriented<br />

symbols for use in transportation facilities with the<br />

goal <strong>of</strong> bridging language barriers <strong>and</strong> simplifying basic<br />

messages. A committee headed by Thomas H. Geismar<br />

studied existing symbol systems for transportation<br />

facilities <strong>and</strong> international events based on thirty-four<br />

subject areas <strong>and</strong> prepared guidelines for the development<br />

<strong>of</strong> the system, which was designed <strong>and</strong> drawn by<br />

Roger Cook <strong>and</strong> Don Shanosky <strong>of</strong> Cook <strong>and</strong> Shanosky<br />

Associates. This was an important first step toward effective<br />

graphic communications transcending cultural <strong>and</strong><br />

language barriers. Another milestone in the evolution <strong>of</strong><br />

graphic design <strong>and</strong> information systems was reached by<br />

the Olympic Games, at which international <strong>and</strong> multilingual<br />

audiences had to be directed <strong>and</strong> informed. Among<br />

the many outst<strong>and</strong>ing efforts were the design programs<br />

for the 1964 Tokyo Eighteenth Olympiad, under the direction<br />

<strong>of</strong> Masaru Katkzumie <strong>and</strong> Yusaku Kamekura; 1968<br />

Mexico City Nineteenth Olympiad, under the direction<br />

<strong>of</strong> American graphic designer Lance Wyman <strong>and</strong> British<br />

industrial designer Peter Murdoch; the 1972 Munich<br />

Twentieth Olympiad, led by German designer Otl Aicher;<br />

the 1984 Los Angeles Twenty-third Olympiad, spearheaded<br />

by the architectural firm the Jerde Partnership <strong>and</strong> the<br />

environmental <strong>and</strong> graphic design firm Sussman/Prejza<br />

& Co.; <strong>and</strong> the 2008 Beijing Twenty-Ninth Olympiad,<br />

under the direction <strong>of</strong> Min Wang.<br />

A counterpoint to the rational <strong>and</strong> structured approach to<br />

corporate identity was the design <strong>of</strong> the Music Television<br />

(MTV) identity by Manhattan Design, a New York City<br />

studio noted for its independent, risk-taking experimentation,<br />

especially for music clients. Partners Pat Gorman,<br />

Frank Olinsky, <strong>and</strong> Patti Rog<strong>of</strong>f introduced the concept<br />

<strong>of</strong> a logo with a constantly changing persona, which ran<br />

contrary to the widely held belief that trademarks <strong>and</strong><br />

visual identifiers should be absolutely fixed <strong>and</strong> used in<br />

a consistent manner. A harbinger <strong>of</strong> motion graphics,<br />

the MTV logo played a major role in redefining visual<br />

identity in the electronic age, both for electronic media<br />

<strong>and</strong> print.


A HISTORY OF<br />

GRAPHIC DESIGN<br />

KEY TERMS (IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE; THE FIRST PAGE NUMBER OF THEIR APPEARANCE IS LISTED)<br />

Propriety marks, page 412, In medieval times, these marks were compulsory <strong>and</strong> enabled the guilds to control trade.<br />

Logotype, page 412, a company br<strong>and</strong> mark consisting <strong>of</strong> only letterforms.<br />

<strong>Corporate</strong> identity, page 413, a system <strong>of</strong> visual elements used in a comprehensive program to project a consistent<br />

image <strong>of</strong> a company.<br />

Chermayeff & Geismar, page 418, The firm moved to the forefront <strong>of</strong> the corporate identity movement in 1960 with a<br />

comprehensive visual image program for the Chase Manhattan Bank <strong>of</strong> New York. One <strong>of</strong> its most far-reaching corporate<br />

design programs was for Mobil Oil, in which the name became the trademark, with the round, red O separating it<br />

from the visual presentation <strong>of</strong> other words. Rather than maintaining design consistency from project to project, the<br />

company allowed each solution to evolve from its problem. (Figs. 20-28 through 20-30).<br />

Annual report, page 421, a publication issued to stockholders <strong>of</strong> a public company as required by federal law.<br />

<strong>Corporate</strong> identity manual, page 421, a firm’s book <strong>of</strong> guidelines <strong>and</strong> st<strong>and</strong>ards for implementing its corporate identity<br />

program.<br />

Saul Bass/Herb Yeager & Associates, page 422, believed a trademark must be readily understood yet possess elements<br />

<strong>of</strong> metaphor <strong>and</strong> ambiguity that will attract the viewer again <strong>and</strong> again. Many <strong>of</strong> his trademarks, such as those for Minolta<br />

<strong>and</strong> AT&T, have become important cultural icons (Figs. 20-31 <strong>and</strong> 20-32).<br />

Unimark, page 425, an international design firm founded in Chicago in 1965 by a group <strong>of</strong> partners including Ralph<br />

Eckerstrom, James K. Fogleman, <strong>and</strong> Massimo Vignelli. They rejected individualistic design <strong>and</strong> believed that design<br />

could be a system <strong>of</strong> basic structures set up so that other people could implement it effectively. The basic tool for this<br />

effort was the grid, which st<strong>and</strong>ardized all graphic communications for dozens <strong>of</strong> large Unimark clients, including Alcoa,<br />

Ford Motor Company, JCPenney, Memorex, Panasonic, Steelcase, <strong>and</strong> Xerox (Fig. 20-38).<br />

Federal Design Improvement Program, page 425, initiated in May 1974 by the United States government in response to<br />

a growing awareness that design could be an effective tool for achieving objectives. This initiative was coordinated by<br />

the Architectural <strong>and</strong> Environmental Arts Program (later renamed the Design Arts Program) <strong>of</strong> the National Endowment<br />

for the Arts. Under the direction <strong>of</strong> Jerome Perlmutter, this program set out to improve the quality <strong>of</strong> visual communications<br />

<strong>and</strong> the ability <strong>of</strong> government agencies to communicate effectively to citizens.<br />

Vignelli Associates, page 425, founded by Massimo <strong>and</strong> Leila Vignelli in 1971. They developed the Unigrid system in<br />

1977 for the United States National Park Service in collaboration with the Park Service Division <strong>of</strong> Publications, headed<br />

by Vincent Gleason (Fig. 20-40).<br />

American Institute <strong>of</strong> <strong>Graphic</strong> Arts (AIGA), page 427, the nation’s oldest pr<strong>of</strong>essional graphic design organization. In<br />

1974, the United States Department <strong>of</strong> Transportation commissioned it to create a master set <strong>of</strong> thirty-four passenger<strong>and</strong><br />

pedestrian-oriented symbols for use in transportation facilities (Figs. 20-42 <strong>and</strong> 20-43).<br />

Cook <strong>and</strong> Shanosky Associates, page 427, the company in Princeton, New Jersey started by Roger Cook <strong>and</strong> Don<br />

Shanosky, who designed <strong>and</strong> drew the final set <strong>of</strong> thirty-four passenger- <strong>and</strong> pedestrian-oriented symbols for use in<br />

transportation facilities for the Department <strong>of</strong> Transportation (Fig. 20-43).<br />

Jerde Partnership, page 433, the architectural firm directed by Jon Jerde <strong>and</strong> David Meckel, which collaborated with the<br />

Sussman/Prejza & Co. design firm to create materials for the Los Angeles Olympic Games (Fig. 20-61).<br />

Sussman/Prejza & Co., page 433, the graphic design firm headed by Deborah Sussman, who collaborated with the<br />

architectural firm Jerde Partnership to create materials for the Los Angeles Olympic Games (Figs. 20-59 <strong>and</strong> 20-60).<br />

Idiom, page 433, a style <strong>of</strong> artistic expression or language characteristic <strong>of</strong> a particular individual, school, period, or<br />

medium.


A HISTORY OF<br />

GRAPHIC DESIGN<br />

Art Research Center for the Olympic Games (ARCOG), page 433, a working group at the Central Academy <strong>of</strong> Fine Arts<br />

(CAFA) in Beijing. Under the leadership <strong>of</strong> Min Wang, the center’s design teams, including CAFA students, developed<br />

a comprehensive design system for the 2008 Olympic Games that included athletic pictographic symbols, the Beijing<br />

Games emblem <strong>and</strong> its applications, the design <strong>of</strong> medals, torch graphics, <strong>and</strong> extensive promotional <strong>and</strong> advertising<br />

graphics (Figs. 20-62 through 20-64).<br />

Manhattan Design, page 435, a New York City studio headed by partners Pat Gorman, Frank Olinsky, <strong>and</strong> Patti Rog<strong>of</strong>f<br />

noted for its independent, risk-taking experimentation, especially for music industry clients. It was commissioned by<br />

Music Television (MTV) to design a new logo. The bold, three-dimensional, sans-serif M was joined by a graffiti-like tv<br />

scrawled on its face. The logo could be altered through infinite variations <strong>of</strong> color, decoration, material, three dimensionality,<br />

viewing angle, <strong>and</strong> motion, <strong>and</strong> could assume different personalities, participate in animated events, <strong>and</strong><br />

even be demolished. The concept <strong>of</strong> a logo with a constantly changing persona runs contrary to the widely held belief<br />

that trademarks <strong>and</strong> visual identifiers should be absolutely fixed <strong>and</strong> used in a consistent manner; thus it played a major<br />

role in redefining visual identity in the electronic age (Figs. 20-65 through 20-68.)<br />

KEY PEOPLE AND THEIR MAJOR CONTRIBUTIONS (IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE; THE FIRST PAGE NUMBER OF THEIR<br />

APPEARANCE IS LISTED)<br />

Adriano Olivetti (1901–1970), page 412, son <strong>of</strong> the founder, he became president <strong>of</strong> the Olivetti Corporation in 1938.<br />

He had a keen sense <strong>of</strong> the contribution that graphic, product, <strong>and</strong> architectural design could make to an organization.<br />

Giovanni Pintori (1912–1998), page 412, hired by Adriano Olivetti to join the publicity department <strong>of</strong> the Olivetti Corporation.<br />

The logotype he designed for Olivetti in 1947 consisted <strong>of</strong> the name in lowercase sans-serif letters, slightly letter<br />

spaced. <strong>Identity</strong> was achieved not through a systematic design program but through the general visual appearance <strong>of</strong><br />

promotional graphics. In one <strong>of</strong> his more celebrated posters, Olivetti’s mission is subtly implied by a collage created<br />

solely from numbers <strong>and</strong> the company logo (Fig. 20-1).<br />

Frank Stanton (b. 1908), page 413, the president <strong>of</strong> CBS who understood art <strong>and</strong> design <strong>and</strong> their potential in corporate<br />

affairs.<br />

William Golden (1911–1959), page 413, the CBS art director for almost two decades. He brought uncompromising visual<br />

st<strong>and</strong>ards <strong>and</strong> a keen insight to the communications process. The quality <strong>and</strong> intelligence <strong>of</strong> each successive design<br />

solution enabled CBS to establish an ongoing <strong>and</strong> successful corporate identity (Fig. 20-5).<br />

Georg Olden (1920–1975), page 414, hired by CBS in 1945 to establish a graphics department to design on-air visuals for<br />

its new television division. During his fifteen-year tenure at CBS, he played a major role in defining the early development<br />

<strong>of</strong> television broadcast graphics. He designed on-air graphics from the center out, using simple symbolic imagery<br />

with strong silhouettes <strong>and</strong> linear properties. Emphasis was placed on concepts that quickly captured the essence <strong>of</strong><br />

each program, using the connotative power <strong>of</strong> simple signs, symbols, <strong>and</strong> images. Olden was the first African American<br />

to achieve prominence as a graphic designer <strong>and</strong> in 1963 the United States Postal Service commissioned him to design<br />

a postage stamp for the one hundredth anniversary <strong>of</strong> the Emancipation Proclamation (Fig. 20–7)<br />

Lou Dorfsman (b. 1918), page 415, became art director for CBS Radio in 1946. He combined conceptual clarity with a<br />

straightforward <strong>and</strong> provocative visual presentation. Typography <strong>and</strong> image were arranged in well-ordered relationships<br />

that used blank space as a design element. The high quality <strong>of</strong> his solutions to communications problems during<br />

his four decades with CBS enabled him to project an exemplary image for the corporation. He was named director <strong>of</strong><br />

design for the entire CBS Corporation in 1964 <strong>and</strong> vice president in 1968, in keeping with Stanton’s philosophy that<br />

design is a vital area that should be managed by pr<strong>of</strong>essionals (Figs. 20-8 <strong>and</strong> 20-9).<br />

Eero Saarinen (1910–1961), page 416, the architect who designed the new CBS headquarters building in 1966.<br />

Raymond Loewy, page 417, designer known for his streamlined <strong>and</strong> modern aesthetic as applied across a range <strong>of</strong> in-


A HISTORY OF<br />

GRAPHIC DESIGN<br />

dustrial products, packaging, architecture, interiors, <strong>and</strong> corporate identities (Figs. 20-10 <strong>and</strong> 20-11).<br />

Norman Ives, page 417, master <strong>of</strong> corporate design who believed that a symbol “should convey with a clear statement<br />

or by suggestion, the activity it represents,”<br />

Paul R<strong>and</strong> (1914–1996), page 417, After playing a pivotal role in the evolution <strong>of</strong> American graphic <strong>and</strong> advertising design<br />

during the 1940s <strong>and</strong> early 1950s, he became more involved in trademark design <strong>and</strong> visual identification systems in<br />

the mid-1950s. The trademark for International Business Machines was developed from an infrequently used typeface<br />

called City Medium. The 1958 IBM annual report he designed established a st<strong>and</strong>ard for corporate literature (Figs. 20-15<br />

through Fig. 20-18 <strong>and</strong> Figs. 20-22 through 20-25).<br />

Eliot Noyes (1910–1977), page 419, IBM’s consulting design director during the late 1950s, he wrote that the IBM design<br />

program sought “to express the extremely advanced <strong>and</strong> up-to-date nature <strong>of</strong> its products. To this end we are not looking<br />

for a theme but for a consistency <strong>of</strong> design quality which will in effect become a kind <strong>of</strong> theme, but a very flexible<br />

one.”<br />

Jon Craine (b. 1940), page 419, one <strong>of</strong> two lead graphic designers in IBM’s White Plains, New<br />

York, <strong>of</strong>fice from 1979 through 1988. This <strong>of</strong>fice was responsible for designing product announcements<br />

for the Data Products Division (DPD), IBM’s largest product sector (Figs. 20-20 <strong>and</strong> 20-21).<br />

Lester Beall (1903–1969), page 418, During the last two decades <strong>of</strong> his career, he created pioneering corporate identity<br />

programs for many corporations, including Martin Marietta, Connecticut General Life Insurance, <strong>and</strong> the International<br />

Paper Company, which he co-designed with Richard Rodgers. He also contributed to the development <strong>of</strong> the corporate<br />

identity manual, specifically prescribing the permissible uses <strong>and</strong> forbidden abuses <strong>of</strong> the trademark (Figs. 20-26 <strong>and</strong><br />

20-27).<br />

Muriel Cooper (1925–1994), page 422, She had two careers—the first as a print designer for Massachusetts Institute <strong>of</strong><br />

Technology (MIT) publications <strong>and</strong> books <strong>and</strong> the second as founder <strong>and</strong> director <strong>of</strong> the Visible Language Workshop<br />

(VLW). She designed more than five hundred books, including the seminal 1969 Bauhaus by Hans Wingler, which is<br />

perhaps her most well-known design. Her goal was to move graphic design from form to content—to be able to create<br />

clear, compelling communication that could be plucked <strong>and</strong> digested from an ocean <strong>of</strong> print <strong>and</strong> the electronic sea <strong>of</strong><br />

the World Wide Web (Fig. 20-34).<br />

Otl Aicher, page 423, The 1962 Lufthansa German Airlines identification system was conceived <strong>and</strong> produced at the Ulm<br />

Institute <strong>of</strong> Design by this designer in collaboration with Tomás Gonda, Fritz Querengässer, <strong>and</strong> Nick Roericht. Aicher<br />

believed a large organization could achieve a uniform, <strong>and</strong> thus significant, (Figs. 20 -35 <strong>and</strong> 20-36). He also directed the<br />

design team for the 1972 Twentieth Olympiad in Munich, Germany (Figs. 20-52 through 20-54).<br />

Ralph Eckerstrom (c. 1920–1996), page 424, This design director <strong>and</strong> his staff created a new corporate logo for the Container<br />

Corporation <strong>of</strong> America (CCA) (Fig. 20-37).<br />

Massimo Vignelli (b. 1931), page 425, began as a partner at Unimark, <strong>and</strong> when the New York <strong>of</strong>fice closed, founded<br />

Vignelli Associates with Leila Vignelli in 1971 (Fig. 20-38).<br />

John Massey, page 426, designed the prototype federal graphic st<strong>and</strong>ards system for the Department <strong>of</strong> Labor. His<br />

goals for the new design program were “uniformity <strong>of</strong> identification; a st<strong>and</strong>ard <strong>of</strong> quality; a more systematic <strong>and</strong><br />

economic template for publication design; a closer relationship between graphic design (as a means) <strong>and</strong> program development<br />

(as an end) so that the proposed graphics system will become an effective tool in assisting the department<br />

to achieve program objectives” (Fig. 20-39).<br />

Thomas H. Geismar, page 427, headed a committee <strong>of</strong> five prominent graphic designers to act as evaluators <strong>of</strong> <strong>and</strong><br />

advisers for the creation <strong>of</strong> a master set <strong>of</strong> thirty-four passenger- <strong>and</strong> pedestrian-oriented symbols for use in transportation<br />

facilities for the Department <strong>of</strong> Transportation (Fig. 20-42).<br />

Roger Cook (b. 1930), page 427, worked with Don Shanosky on designing <strong>and</strong> drawing the final set <strong>of</strong> thirty-four passenger-<br />

<strong>and</strong> pedestrian-oriented symbols for use in transportation facilities for the Department <strong>of</strong> Transportation (Fig.<br />

20-43).


A HISTORY OF<br />

GRAPHIC DESIGN<br />

Don Shanosky (b. 1937), page 427, worked with Roger Cook on designing <strong>and</strong> drawing the final set <strong>of</strong> thirty-four passenger-<br />

<strong>and</strong> pedestrian-oriented symbols for use in transportation facilities for the Department <strong>of</strong> Transportation (Fig.<br />

20-43).<br />

Masaru Katzumie <strong>and</strong> Yusaku Kamerkura, page 428, art director <strong>and</strong> designer, respectively, who were the creative visionaries<br />

<strong>and</strong> leaders behind the identity system for the 1964 Eighteenth Olympiad in Tokyo (Figs. 20-44 through 20-46).<br />

The Eighteenth Olympiad was the first Olympiad to use a comprehensive identity program, setting a st<strong>and</strong>ard for all<br />

subsequent games.<br />

Pedro Ramirez Vazquez (b. 1919), page 429, the Mexican architect who chaired the organizing committee <strong>of</strong> the Nineteenth<br />

Olympiad. Realizing that an effective information system encompassing environmental directions, visual identification,<br />

<strong>and</strong> publicity was needed, he assembled an international design team, with American Lance Wyman as director<br />

<strong>of</strong> graphic design <strong>and</strong> British industrial designer Peter Murdoch as director <strong>of</strong> special products.<br />

Lance Wyman (b. 1937), page 429, the American designer hired as director <strong>of</strong> graphic design for the Nineteenth Olympiad<br />

(Figs. 20-47 through 20-50).<br />

Peter Murdoch (b. 1940), page 416, the British industrial designer hired as director <strong>of</strong> special products for the Nineteenth<br />

Olympiad (Fig. 20-51).<br />

Min Wang (b. 1956), page 433, design director for the 2008 Beijing Twenty-Ninth Olympiad (Fig. 20-63).

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