Naked IDEO

Steve Jobs recommended the graphic designer who designed the first IDEO logo, the legendary Paul Rand. At the time, in 1991, IDEO couldn't afford Rand's rate for a complete corporate identity, so Rand only designed the logo. (See below, upper left.) In 1997, the logo was altered by Pentagram's Michael Beirut. (Lower left.) This past year, IDEO's Michael Hendrix led an evolution of the identity system, an in-house project he called Brand New IDEO. My biggest contribution to this ongoing process has been the liberation of the word mark from the boxes, a move that allows for a less monolithic and corporate-looking identity. The new, naked logo now adorns most IDEO global brand identity materials.

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