When I was growing up in Pittsburgh a must-stop for any visiting guests was a trip to Mount Washington, to look out over the city. If it was a special visit, we would get to ride the incline to the top.
While most folks marveled at the skyline and the natural point formed by the merging of the two rivers, the Monongahela and the Allegheny, to form the mighty Ohio River, my focus was to the north side of the city, in a warehouse district, on the giant Westinghouse signs designed by Paul Rand. I could stare endlessly at this animated loop of logos. I didn’t think of it as an example of brand identity, I saw it more like the incredible film titles I saw in the movie, “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad World” by Saul Bass. I didn’t fully understand what I was viewing beyond the fact that these functional things brought great joy to my life.
Apparently, it took a state-of-the-art computer to power this display back in the day. All I remember is that it started as a logo, then it made faces, it would look in both directions, wink, whistle, and do all sorts of wonderful things. I think that is one of Paul’s greatest gifts, to see an opportunity for fun and creativity in everything he did. His brands go beyond simply representing an organization, he gave them life.
My father was an industrial photographer in PGH who worked for Alcoa, Koppers, U.S. Steel, Westinghouse, and other global corporations. For me that flashing sign across the river made these worlds seem exciting. Creative people moved a city…yeah the world…through their work.
I eventually went on to study design at Carnegie Mellon but my career truly started on that hill in Pittsburgh, where I would stare at this magnificent manifesto of wit and playfulness for hours on end. As Alan Brew so beautifully states on our website, “We look for the magic in brands and lift them beyond the dry rationality of strategy because, ultimately, they succeed or fail in the real world of everyday life.” When I read this statement all I see is that wonderful sign on the banks of the Allegheny that still brings me joy to this day. Looking back on my career, I realize now that my drive to touch people emotionally with our work, started right there.
