Images and text scanned from Gebrauchsgraphik, 4, 1964
The worldwide American enterprise IBM (International Business Machines) has developed modern methods of publicity which set international standards. The IBM organisation provides a studio of artistic and graphic design for each main office in a big country. These studios are not only entrusted with the design of the entire advertising matter, of packages, window displays and fair-stands but also with the creation of all the printed matter for office and field use, for conventions and other professional events and, last but not least, for the preparation and organisation of the firm’s own conventions.
Other leading industrial and commercial enterprises have similar methods. but IBM puts a premium on functional design, forms and colours which make it far easier for the potential customer to gain an insight. In this respect the IBM methods are exemplary. The IBM already opened studios of artistic and graphic design for its German and Italian offices and a few years ago another such studio was established in Paris. Frank René Testemale was entrusted with its organisation and was appointed its business and art director.
Frank René Testemale, born in Bordeaux in 1930, is a self-taught graphic artist. He started his career in the public department of the 20th Century Fox in Paris. Testemale finished his apprenticeship working for Dorland. His modern and progressive conceptions brought him great success and at least a leading position with IBM. In addition to six permanent collaborators, he occasionally calls in some specialists, but he plans to organise the studio so that it is entirely independent.
