Paul Rand / NeXT

This design blog has gone on long enough without a Paul Rand post. It’s time to fix that. I came across this video today of a 1993 interview with Steve Jobs on the subject of Paul Rand’s then recent work on the NeXT corporate identity. The internet doesn’t need yet another post about what a great graphic designer Paul Rand was (he was though). And yeah, so Paul Rand made the NeXT logo; old news. What I’d like to point out is Steve Jobs’ perspective on the client-relationship that Paul Rand brought to the project. It’s really a fascinating logic that Rand had arrived at. More right than wrong in my opinion. Note: when this paraphrased text is spoken by Steve Jobs it comes across as less severe than the transcript that follows.

“I asked him if he would come up with a few options and he said:

‘No. I will solve your problem for you, and you will pay me. And, you don’t have to use the solution. If you want options go talk to other people. But I’ll solve your problem for you the best way I know how and you use it or not, that’s up to you, you’re the client, but you pay me.’”

You can see in the following image what solution he arrived at and was indeed adopted by NeXT. This and more images from the identity presentation document are available at paul-rand.com

Browse Timeline

• « Publication Fair
• » Publication Fair (cont.)

Add a Comment