American Corporate Design

Class on April 13th covered American Corporate Design. Corporate designs then were on their way to becoming reliable and well known while still remaining simplistic. One of the firsts to understand the value was Paul Rand who invented symbolic and communicative forms. He revolutionized American design by turning away from European styles. Another designer to contribute to the corporate design industry was Lester Beal. Through the knowledge of typesetting and printing, Bradbury Thompson helped increase the range of possibilities of design. For the first time design programs were so rational and rigidly systematized that they appeared constantly effective as long as the standards were carried on.

The New Advertising movement also emerged. Its style was using single images for visual statements, talking intelligently through the audience, and focused on the products benefits. The idea behind cutting edge design was to be sly and clever in a way that it was obvious to the consumer that they were being manipulated. One of the biggest designers known for doing such things was George Lois. He designed to provoke and shock his audience. In getting a rise out of his viewers, Lois saved a magazine from going under.

Deliberately trying to show that you are tricking your viewers just seems like a bad idea. Is that not like confessing to your viewers that you think they are dumb enough to fall for their advertisements? As a consumer that is how I would feel, but I'm sure that the designers knew what they were doing then they designed them. I wonder if it was like secretly saying were are manipulative enough for you to trust us. I guess it is kind of cutesy when you think about it. I guess I just disagree that one would have to go design in that manner to get a rise out of the viewer. I would want my viewer to recognize, think, contemplate and then understand the message in that order. New types of design do have to be explored and tried anyway.