Image by Design
At the beginning of the 1960s, the Westinghouse Electric Corporation was the fourteenth largest industrial corporation in America producing a wide range of electronics for nuclear power stations, public transportation and the home. The growing global presence and extensive catalogue which amounted to over 300,000 product lines across sixty divisions, meant that a new and more ‘conscious’ design policy be introduced to maintain a consistent image throughout the corporation and across all the industries it operated within.
In 1960, the architect and industrial designer Eliot Noyes was hired as consultant director of design at Westinghouse. His duty was to help shape the philosophy of the corporation through a new and ‘long-range’ design programme. Titled ‘Image by Design’, this was to be an ongoing study of the Westinghouse image during an era of continuous development and growth, and sought to convey ‘excellence in all things’.
Further, the design programme would need to deliver an authentic expression of the company as a whole; demonstrative of quality and performance; and give it a contemporary appearance to give the impression of an ‘advanced’ corporation. Noyes commissioned renowned graphic designer Paul Rand (IBM) (with whom he had previously worked to develop IBM’s logo and design policy) to coordinate Westinghouse’s visual identity.
Key Takeaways
A conscious design policy
In 1960 Westinghouse, with 300,000 product lines across sixty divisions, hired Eliot Noyes to lead its ‘Image by Design’ programme.
Paul Rand and Eliot Noyes
Noyes brought in Paul Rand, his collaborator on IBM, to coordinate Westinghouse’s visual identity.
Five key elements
Rand’s visual language comprised a logotype, a statement, Westinghouse Blue, the Westinghouse Gothic typeface and the Circled W.
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The Graphics Identification Manual
A ‘Graphics Identification Manual’ was created to ensure a high standard of design material throughout the company, and develop a unified look that would lead to a positive perception by the public. As established in this manual, the visual language created by Rand consisted of five key elements; the logotype; the ‘statement’; the standard colour Westinghouse Blue; the Westinghouse Gothic typeface; and a logo, the ‘Circled W.’
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Rethinking the old logo
While there was the feeling that small adjustments could have been made to improve the reproducibility of the previous logo, it was felt that it did not imply the ‘nature’ of the business. Further, it was said to have lacked style, was ungraceful and impersonal, and lacked flexibility and possibility for greater variety. To really drive home the shortcomings of this logo, it was also said to be absent pictorial interest and a decorative quality, this had made it appear somewhat ‘tiresome’.
Rand’s task was to reimagine the old logo, giving it a contemporary new look that embodied Westinghouse in its entirety. He would also need to address the concerns of the previous logo whilst also carrying over some of the symbolic value it had accumulated. Iterating rather than reimagining what had come before would also save time and money.
Continue reading to discover how Paul Rand reimagined the Westinghouse logo as the Circled W, and why it came to resemble a mask →
