Ben Rosen papers, 1936-2006 and undated, bulk 1945-1991

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Summary

Creator:
Rosen, Ben
Abstract:
Ben Rosen is an American graphic designer and visual communications consultant. Rosen worked as a designer for J. Gordon Carr and Associates and the Blaine Thompson Company before founding his own firm, Ben Rosen Associates, in 1952, which specialized in corporate identity programs. Rosen is the author of three books on on graphic design and typography: Type and Typography (1963); The Corporate Search for Visual Identity (1970); and Digital Type Specimens (1991). The Ben Rosen Papers span the years 1936 to 2006, with the bulk of the collection dating from 1945 through 1991, and document Rosen's sixty-year career in graphic design and visual communications consulting. The collection contains materials in a variety of formats, including correspondence, writings, graphic design and printed materials, sketches, presentation boards, photographs, and slides, that document design concepts and programs (corporate logos, letterhead, packaging, industrial design, promotion) Rosen developed, through his firm, Ben Rosen Associates, for clients including American Loose Leaf, CCMI McGraw-Hill, Equitable Life Assurance, Exxon/Esso, Food Fair Stores, IBM, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, North American Reinsurance, Philip Morris, Richardson-Vicks, Russ Berrie, and Tishman Realty and Construction. The collection also includes manuscripts and published editions of Rosen's books on graphic design and typography, and touches on several of Rosen's commmemorative projects, including a President Kennedy memorial, a United Nations 20th Anniversary book, and Rosen's submission to the World Trade Center Memorial design competition.
Extent:
65 Linear Feet
7500 Items
Language:
Material in English
Collection ID:
RL.01109

Background

Scope and content:

The Ben Rosen Papers span the years 1936 to 2006, with the bulk of the collection dating from 1945 through 1991, and document Rosen's sixty-year career in graphic design and visual communications consulting. The collection contains materials in a variety of formats, including correspondence, writings, graphic design and printed materials, sketches, presentation boards, photographs, and slides, that document design concepts and programs (corporate logos, letterhead, packaging, industrial design, promotion). Rosen developed corporate visual identity programs and packaging designs, first as an employee of J. Gordon Carr and Associates and the Blaine Thompson Company, and later through his own firm, Ben Rosen Associates, for clients including American Loose Leaf, CCMI McGraw-Hill, Equitable Life Assurance, Exxon/Esso, Food Fair Stores, IBM, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, North American Reinsurance, Philip Morris, Richardson-Vicks, Russ Berrie, and Tishman Realty and Construction. The collection also includes manuscripts and published editions of Rosen's books on graphic design and typography: Type and Typography (1963); The Corporate Search for Visual Identity (1970); and Digital Type Specimens (1991); and touches on several of Rosen's commmemorative projects, including a memorial for President John F. Kennedy, a United Nations 20th Anniversary book, and Rosen's submission to the World Trade Center Memorial design competition.

The collection is organized into five series: Personal Files, Writings, Business Files, Client Files, and Photographic Materials. The Personal Files Series includes original student drawings and sketches from Rosen's years at Cranbrook and Pratt, and later artwork; World War II materials, primarily relating to Rosen's proposed plan to the British government for the conversion of U.S. military bases into postwar British housing; and limited biographical material. The Writings Series contains articles on package design and visual communications by Rosen and others; manuscripts, published volumes, and promotional materials for Rosen's books; and unpublished book concepts and manuscripts. The Business Files Series includes administrative records, new business presentations, reference files and scrapbooks of creative output from several advertising and graphic design firms where Rosen was an employee or partner. The Client Files Series consists primarily of visual communications design work for a number of clients, and materials relating to several commemorative projects. The Photographic Materials Series contains negatives, photographs, and slides documenting some of Rosen's designs.

Biographical / historical:
Chronology
Date Event
1920 Oct. 20
Born in Detroit, Mich.
1938
Enrolled in drawing and painting courses at the Society of Arts and Crafts, Detroit, Mich.
Graduated Cass Technical High School, Detroit, Mich.
1938-1939
Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfield Hills, Mich.
1939-1941
Pratt Institute, New York, N.Y., program in advertising design
1941-1942
Designer, J. Gordan Carr & Associates
1942 Aug.-1945 Oct.
Aerial Motion Picture Photographer for the U.S. Army, stationed primarily in England
Co-founded a school of Art and Architecture for servicemen at Chalgrove Air Base in England; taught courses in drawing and design
Developed a proposal for the conversion of U.S. air bases into British housing; presented plan before British government ministers
1946-1947
Art Director, Blaine Thompson Company, New York, N.Y.
1948-1953
Freelance designer, J. Gordon Carr and Associates; projects included American Airlines, Benson & Hedges, Pepsi, Shell Oil, Sky Chef
Package design, Robert Leonard Studio
1952
Founded Ben Rosen Associates
1952-1953
Studio designer, Alan Berni and Associates
1955
Received New York State Teacher's License in Commercial Art/Package Design
Began teaching at the School of Visual Art, New York, N.Y.; developed and taught package design course
1963
Type and Typography published
Designed John F. Kennedy memorial document
Late 1960s
Lectured at Cooper Union, New York, N.Y.
1970s
Lectured at Pratt Phoenix Center, New York, N.Y.
1970
The Corporate Search for Visual Identity published
1975
Relocated Ben Rosen Associates from New York, N.Y. to Ho-Ho-Kus, N. J.
1977-1978
Formed Ritta, Rosen & Arnoldy, a consulting firm that specialized in graphic design and corporate identity
1980s-early 1990s
Member, Arts Advisory Board, Bergen Community College
1991
Digital Type Specimens published
1992
Wrote Introduction to a new edition of Jan Tschichold's Treasury of Alphabets and Lettering
2003
Submitted design proposal to the World Trade Center memorial competition
Acquisition information:
The Ben Rosen Papers were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library as a gift in 2005.
Processing information:

Processed by Casey A. Jarrin and Richard Collier, Oct. 2006

Encoded by Casey A. Jarrin and Richard Collier

Completed Nov. 2006

Accessions 2005-0104, 2006-0008, and 2006-0019 were merged into one collection, described in this finding aid.

Corporate visual identity encompasses a wide range of media and materials, from logos and letterhead designs to employee manuals, product packaging, architectural signage and company vehicle markings, and thus pose particular challenges for archival housing and description. Housing needs to accommodate the variety of formats have forced some related materials within the collection to be dispersed across a number of physical and descriptive locations. Where feasible, materials removed from their original locations in the collection have been indicated by a folder or item title appearing in brackets within the finding aid, to preserve the logical location of the item while pointing to its new physical location.

Physical location:
For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Contents

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Using These Materials Links:

Using These Materials


Restrictions:

Collection is restricted.

Photographic negatives are closed to researchers. Consult Research Services regarding the availability of use prints.

Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection.

All or portions of this collection may be housed off-site in Duke University's Library Service Center. There may be a 48-hour delay in obtaining these materials.

Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library to use this collection.

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The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the copyright section of the Regulations and Procedures of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

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Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Ben Rosen Papers, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.