1945 Marquardt DESIGN & PAPER Promo Bk MUTUAL Broadcast

DESIGN AND PAPER NO. 22

Work by the Affable Robert A. Schmid for Mutual Broadcasting

Vintage Marquardt & Co. Fine Paper Promotional Booklet

P. K. Thomajan (text) and Arnold Roston (design and typography): DESIGN AND PAPER NO. 22. NYC: Marquardt & Company Fine Papers, c. 1945. A very good or better staple-bound booklet in Cumberland Dull Postcard cover stock with minor shelf wear. Interior unmarked and very clean. Out-of-print.

4.75 x 7.75 softcover booklet with 24 pages of work by the affable Robert A. Schmid for Mutual Broadcasting. From "The House Organ: Design and Paper" by P. K. Thomajan from Print Vol. 5, No. 3, 1947: Sales promotion was deemed an important topic to readers . . . . One of the stars in this firmament was Robert A. Schmid, whose diverting pieces for Mutual Broadcasting excited enthusiasm at first sight. So, a whole issue, Number Twenty-two was built around him. It tee'd off with a brief essay on his motivating ideology followed by a series of dramatic double-page spreads giving case examples. Arnold Roston, art director for Mutual, was responsible for the brilliant design of this issue, selected for display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where this year's annual Art Directors Exhibition was held."

Arnold Roston, a commercial artist and NYC-based art director was very active in both the AIGA and NYC ADC and held teaching and administrative positions at Pratt and the Cooper Union. Roston worked for the Office of War information after studying under Alexey Brodovitch at the New School for Social Research. Mr. Roston designed two issues of Design And Paper, Number 22 and Number 25.

The first six of Marquardt's DESIGN AND PAPER series of promotional booklets were portfolios showcasing a variety of artists. From Number Seven on, each issue was devoted to an individual artist. The DESIGN AND PAPER series published original booklets designed by Ladislav Sutnar, Saul Steinberg, Raymond Loewy, E. McKnight Kauffer, Erik Nitsche, George Krikorian, Georges Wilmet, Ugo Mochi, Walter Westerveldt, Clarence John Laughlin, and others. Since the booklets promoted Marquardt papers, the design and printing of each issue met the highest production standards of the day.

From "The House Organ: Design and Paper" by P. K. Thomajan from Print Vol. 5, No. 3, 1947: "The idea for this typographic gem started with Edward Alonzo Miller, then associated with The Marchbanks Press. He suggested to Oswald F. Marquardt exactly 10 years ago, the project of issuing an attractive quarterly presenting fine artwork on fine papers, thereby inspiring the increased usage of the latter. Mr. Marquardt promptly O.K.'d the idea and ever since has been O.K.'ing more and more ambitious issues."

"The early issues were devoted to impressive assemblages of trademarks, title pages, woodcuts, specimens of hand lettering and distinctive typefaces by prominent designers. These were printed on varying shades of antique papers, wire-stitched and thread-tied for that extra touch."

"Distribution is directed principally to printers , art directors, trade press, and important executives. In addition, many copies go to non-customers, such as instructors of journalism and the graphic arts, who use copies as noteworthy specimens for classroom discussion."

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