Unimark International: the Design of Business and the Business of Design

Unimark International was a firm with global reach, with eleven offices in five different countries. Its use of the most modern design approaches and latest marketing methods quickly made it famous and unrivaled. Its clients were international corporations like Gillette, Jaguar, Ferrero, Knoll International, Olivetti, Pirelli, Ranx Xerox, Unilever, IBM, as well as American Airlines and Ford, for which it created visual corporate identities that are still in use today. Unimark was known for always using the latest technological innovations and for using computers long before anyone else. With their visual outlook, Unimark designers had a defining influence on our environment; they left an enduring legacy with their practice and their theory. Many Unimark designers have been honored with international awards for their achievements. A distinctive hallmark of Unimark design is the systematic use of the Helvetica typeface for the corporate identity of firms. The success of Unimark International, which is documented here for the first time, points the way for designers and the marketing sector today. AUTHOR: Janet Conradi, Professor of Graphic Design at Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey. 150 illustrations