See a beautiful selection of posters from the late 1960s, when IBM sought to align itself with modern graphic designers who were as innovative as the technology that IBM was creating.
Everyone is invited to drop in at Type Directors Club in New York to see our new exhibition, Visual Memoranda: A Selection of Posters from the IBM Poster Program 1969-1979 through August 1.
The decades following World War II ushered in an era of unprecedented growth for International Business Machines (IBM), as innovations in electronic data processing and the miniaturization of transistor-based electronics transformed the company into a multibillion-dollar colossus.
During this period, Thomas J. Watson Jr., president of IBM, sought to elevate the company’s image as a forward-thinking, technologically-advanced organization by hiring world-renowned design consultants, including Eliot Noyes, Charles and Ray Eames, and Paul Rand (who designed the instantly recognizable IBM logo and held a remarkable influence over internal staff designers.)
The IBM Poster Program was initiated in the late 1960s by staff designer Ken White, who had studied under Rand at Yale. Tom Bluhm also transferred into the team, having worked as a contract illustrator for IBM in Rochester, Minnesota. Soon, Ken’s former colleague John Anderson was also added to the staff.
Curators Robert Finkel and Shea Tillman of Auburn University have curated this beautiful show and created a companion website, which you can view here.
Take a look at the installation of the exhibition at TDC and IBM in TDC’s history here.
This exhibition at TDC is open for viewing from June 6 until Thursday, August 1 by appointment only. Email director@tdc.org for an appointment from 9:00am to 3:00pm Monday through Friday. Sorry, we are closed on weekends.
