Accession Number
2016/2.201

Title
IBM Gold Circle

Artist(s)
Paul Rand

Artist Nationality
American (North American)

Object Creation Date
1981

Medium & Support
silkscreen on paper

Dimensions
35 in x 23 3/8 in (88.9 cm x 59.37 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of Franc Nunoo-Quarcoo and Maria Phillips

Subject matter
Paul Rand transformed the corporate identity of IBM into one that was universally recognized as representative of “innovation” and “dedication.” Rand includes the striped-IBM logo in the lower right corner in order to tie the theme of the event to the identity of the company. The abstracted images not only are playful, but also are suggestive of the location of the event: verdant Hawaii. The letters “O”, “P,” and “D” stand for “Office Products Division,” which was the topic of the conference. The large gold “O” serves two purposes: one as the letter “o” and the other as a rebus of the event name Gold Circle. The visual of a gold circle is a powerful symbol of harmony and power.

EC 2017

Physical Description
A poster advertising a Golden Circle event at the Kauai Surf Hotel. The text is set next to three shapes: a blue cloud, a gold circle, a pink flower, and a green leaf alongside a red letter “P” and a green letter “D.”

EC 2017

Primary Object Classification
Print

Collection Area
Modern and Contemporary

Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form. Keywords
circles (plane figures)
graphic design