In 1956 the designer Eliot Noyes was employed by the Director of IBM to rethink the company's

design as a whole, from products to communication right up to the architecture of the buildings.

Graphic Designer Paul Rand was invited to define all of the graphic documents used in the
company. Thus began one of the most memorable graphic design projects of the 20th century, at
the heart of the “IBM Graphic Design Program”.

The series of IBM logotypes created by Paul Rand culminated in 1972 in a drawn version made
up of layered strips, making the company's initials instantly recognisable all over the world. This
iconic logo, composed of 8 bars, continues to be used today.