IBM

The identity system

IBM’s archive places the mark within a broader design program: packaging, publications and the later eye–bee–M rebus. The packaging shown here is archival context, not a dated example of the 1972 striped mark.

Editorial study of the published system

Documented process

Rand’s 1972 eight-bar mark followed his earlier work on IBM’s letterforms. IBM’s historical account describes the stripes as a more streamlined, dynamic expression. The identity evolved through color, imagery and context while retaining its core lettermark.