Rand, Paul

Paul Rand is associated in Columbus, Indiana, with the 1974 publication Columbus Indiana: A Look at Architecture and with the graphic identity work he created for Cummins Inc. Visit Columbus credits Rand with designing the book’s now-iconic cover, a lively field of repeated letterforms that evolved into Columbus’s well-known “Dancing C’s” motif and became part of the city’s visual identity. Rand’s connection to Columbus also grew through his long relationship with Cummins, where he worked with company leadership to develop a modern corporate image centered on a clear, memorable wordmark and related design systems. One of the most influential graphic designers of the twentieth century, Rand is widely recognized for bringing clarity, wit, and visual economy to corporate identity design in the United States.

Columbus, Indiana projects
• Columbus Area Visitors Center / Columbus Indiana Visitors Bureau graphic identity, including Dancing C graphics used on signage, 506 Fifth Street, begun c. 1973–1974.
• Columbus Indiana: A Look at Architecture, cover design, 1974.
• Cummins Inc. corporate identity program, Columbus-based commission, begun 1963.

The Cummins Connection
Cummins Inc. was the most enduring of Rand’s business associations. In 1961, Rand was introduced to Cummins president Irwin Miller, who realized the company needed a modern graphic and product design overhaul. Cummins was one of the first corporations in the United States to determine that corporate branding was an investment in the equity of a company. Paul Rand eventually worked with Cummins for over thirty years, creating a multitude of impressive designs.