Unimark International was an American design firm founded in Chicago, Illinois in 1964 by seven designers: Ralph Eckerstrom, Massimo Vignelli, James Fogelman, Wally Gutches, Larry Klein, Robert Moldafsky and Bob Noorda. Unimark filed for final Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1977, and no longer exists. Although the firm was relatively short-lived, it had a key influence on the direction of American design aesthetics, and set a philosophical direction for corporate design that is still widely followed.
Former Bauhaus faculty member, Herbert Bayer was an early member of the Board of Directors. The graphic style of Unimark's projects was decidedlymodernist. Unimark rejected the idea of the designer-as-artist, embraced standardization and systems and pioneered the use of the grid as a tool for corporate communications. The typeface Helvetica was most often used by Unimark designers.
The firm was an early specialist in designing corporate identity systems and branding. Clients included American Airlines, Ford Motor Company, Gillette,JC Penney, Knoll, and the New York Transit Authority who continue to use Unimark-created trademarks and graphic standards.
Due to the significance and history of the Unimark name, a number of copy-cat design companies have adopted it in order to attract business. However, none of these firms are connected in any way to the original Unimark International.
http://www.unimark-international.com/
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