Scope and Contents
The Kenneth D. Love papers consist of corporate brand identity manuals, industrial design and exhibition projects sketches, articles, correspondence, presentation material, reference photographs, and 35 mm slides. The brand identity manuals and design projects were created by various design firm teams, the majority of which were headed by Kenneth Love. The manuals were prepared for over 60 different corporations, retail establishments, product/service brand lines, and academic institutions including Citibank, Kmart, Gillette, Texaco, and Columbia Business School. Prepared by graphic designers in conjunction with client staff, the manuals include illustrative details and instructions describing the use of an entity’s basic identity components including logotype, brand architecture, typography, color use, and graphic presentation. Through the consistent use of these manuals by their employees, companies established and maintained their corporate identity and image.
The design projects include oversize sketches and mock-ups for industrial design projects such as chairs for the U.S. Steel Company and a toy truck for Tonka Toy Company, as well as exhibition designs for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the New York State Bicentennial (1973-1975). The professional files contain promotional material created by design firms to showcase their portfolios, correspondence between firms and clients, and branding presentations given at conferences. The files provide insight into the design firm branding identity process from research, proposals, to completion. The 35 mm slides include reference and historical images, presentation slides, case studies, as well as branding and design sketches, logotypes, and mock-ups.
Key to Abbreviations:
| Abbreviation | Design Firm | Abbreviation | Creative Director |
|---|---|---|---|
| AGP | Anspach Grossman Portugal | IC | Ivan Chermayeff |
| CGA | Chermayeff & Geismar Associates | TG | Tom Geismar |
| L+M | Lippincott and Margulies | GG | Gene Grossman |
| PMMA | Peter Muller Munk Associates | KL | Kenneth Love |
| C | Client or other source acquired | U | Unknown |
Dates
- circa 1965-1999
Creator
Conditions Governing Access
The materials are open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Copyright status for collection materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Kenneth D. Love, 2002 and 2020.
Arrangement
The papers are arranged in four series: I. Brand identity manuals, 1965-1999, II. Design projects, 1963-1995, III. Professional files, 1974-2000, IV. 35mm slides brand identity and design projects, 1963-1995.
All series are arranged alphabetically, Series I, II, and IV are arranged alphabetically by company (client) name.
Extent
36.5 Linear Feet (12 boxes and 18 flat boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Catalog Record
A record for this collection is available in Orbis, the Yale University Library catalog
Persistent URL
Abstract
Majority of the papers consist of corporate brand identity manuals alongside design projects directed and or designed by Kenneth D. Love while employed at four design firms. Also included is a small collection of articles, correspondence, professional files, and photographs.
Biographical / Historical
Kenneth D. Love was born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1940. He graduated from the University of Illinois in 1962, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in graphic and industrial design. He did postgraduate work in marketing communication at Northwestern University’s Kellog Graduate School of Management. During his 38-year career Love worked as creative director of corporate and brand identity programs, marketing communications, packaging and architectural graphics projects. He was an industrial/graphic designer for Montgomery Ward and Company, Chicago (1962-1963); senior partner at Peter Muller-Munk Associates in Pittsburgh (1963 to 1973); director of design and senior member of management at Finley-Green Joint Venture, InterAmerican Trade and Cultural Center in Miami (1973-1974); associate partner at Chermayeff & Geismar Associates, New York, (1974-1978); senior partner at Anspach Grossman Portugal, New York (1978-1995); and president and creative director at Lippincott & Margulies, New York (1995-2000).
Love directed national programs for companies including AT&T, Citibank, Signet Banking Corporation, Kmart, and Time Warner. His extensive international experience included programs for the United States Information Agency, the Department of Commerce, and the worldwide implementation of Texaco’s identity, as well as similar programs for United Parcel Services, ExxonMobil, and Fidelity Investments, among others.
His received numerous citations for his work from professional associations and publications including the American Institute of Graphic Arts, American Center for Design, the Art Directors Club, the Society of Typographic Art, Industrial Design, Print, Graphics magazines, and Communication Arts magazine’s Annual Reviews. The Sun Company identity program, for which Love headed the design, was recognized for design excellence by Time in the magazine’s 1983 Design Review. Love lectured frequently and authored numerous articles on the subject of corporate identity, design management, and environmental design.
Processing Information
Series III. Professional files contains material discussing the race-based school mascot at the University of Illinois.
Processing Information
ALSC staff arranged and described these materials according to national and local standards. Processing staff removed duplicate materials, a broken 35 mm viewing device, and slide brushes.
- Title
- Guide to Kenneth D. Love Papers
- Author
- Compiled by Susan Brady and Fantasia Thorne in 2006, updated by Hilary Wang in 2022
- Date
- December 2006
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Revision Statements
- May 2022 : Revision Statement: The collection originally titled “Kenneth D. Love corporate brand identity manual collection,” was arranged and described by processing staff in 2006. The collection was originally organized without series and only included brand identity manuals. In 2020 Kenneth D. Love donated additional materials including sketches and plans for industrial/design projects, correspondence, presentation material, and 35 mm slides. Staff renamed the collection to “Kenneth D. Love papers” and re-processed the collection to incorporate the addition, organizing the papers into four series.
Part of the Robert B. Haas Family Arts Library Special Collections Repository
Arts Library Special Collections
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