Merry Christmas - Direction Magazine Cover Vol. 3 No. 9
Date
Credits
- Paul Rand 6 Designer
Format
- Magazine 518
Media
- paper 1093
Techniques
- photography 60
- printing 333
Locations Made
- United States 527
American designer Paul Rand worked for Direction magazine for free, on the condition that he could have artistic freedom. He capitalized on this boundless freedom by using his designs to speak out about current events happening in America, specifically WWII in this case. Employing the grid-based Swiss style, Rand creates a striking composition of white and red, topped with barbed wire, red dots, and the magazine title Direction in sharp, slab-serifed letters. The entire composition is made to look like a Christmas present with barbed wire ribbons, complete with a tag that says “Merry Christmas” in script font, the volume and issue number, the year, and the price. He has followed Swiss values by including a photograph rather than an illustration, enhancing the realness of his design.
This piece serves as a commentary on a society ravaged by war so much that it feels commercial and serves as a veritable gift to the people of America, wrapped in the finest and most festive barbed wire.
