The IBM Poster Program: Visual Memoranda

Well designed book that’s filled with visual inspiration. Pretty amazing that these posters were designed a corporate setting!

Great collection of IBM posters, but it's too bad they didn't hire an equally talented designer to do the cover, which is abysmal and disappointing for a design book. And the awkward use of IBM Plex Mono for captions is just such a weird choice. Also, there are plenty of typos throughout. Such a missed opportunity.

There were SEVERAL other Design Centers around the country who produced many posters that were not represented. Why was the Boulder plant the only one ? I was a Graphic designer in the San Jose Design Center for 27 years and the two of us produced many posters equal to or better than the ones in the book. The book was titled The IBM Poster Program which means the WHOLE company should have been represented not just the Boulder site. The writer did not do his research.

Title is very misleading. Posters were designed by many designers throughout IBM not just one location.

The IBM poster program was an effective and very successful program to influence employee minds and keep moving the brand forward. Many of the posters were even "tried out" internally before they went into the public realm. For 30+ years, I saw many of these posters in many IBM offices were I worked. They were a key to promoting and enhancing IBM's dominance in employee "mindspace", even as the products began to falter in the market and its unfrotunate "resource actions" began.I met some of these people during my brief tenure in publishing technical journals and managing product design of advanced technologies. They were and still are some of the best artists in the world.This is a great book with excellent examples and insightful historical data. It also ties into IBM's unique product and office building architecture program. This is required reading for anyone writing about IBM History. You can't really understand the company until you understand its 'artsy side".For those who want in depth IBM art history and its use in their products and marketing, I also suggest "The Interface" by John Harwood. You might also look at this URL for some of Noyes' work in building design, which complemented the IBM Poster Program.https://www.ibm.com/ibm/history/ibm100/us/en/icons/gooddesign/transform/