Container Corporation of America (CCA) founder Walter Paepcke and his wife, Elizabeth, had deep and personal passions for art, design, and culture. Elizabeth encouraged Walter and ultimately CCA to embark on an advertising campaign that married the words of great thinkers with the visuals of great artists and designers. The result was the unprecedented Great Ideas of Western Man.

From 1950 to 1975, CCA provided a platform for artists and designers to bring attention to philosophy, politics, and morality.

 

Great Ideas at ChiDM, 2018. Photo: The Office of Experience.

What was Container Corporation of America?

A global leader in paperboard manufacturing, CCA was a corporate leader in combining high-quality design with social and environmental responsibilities. Beyond Great Ideas, the company also launched a competition to create the recycling symbol, commissioned Herbert Bayer to design an atlas it gave away to schools and libraries, and exhibited works of paper art in museums across the country.

Why was Great Ideas of Western Man so groundbreaking?

In 1976, David Ogilvy, founder of Ogilvy & Mather, called Great Ideas “the best corporate advertising ever to appear in print.” It advertised not a product, but a company ethos—an approach to business and industry that was beyond simply commercial. It was one of the, if not the first, times a company approached advertising in this way.

The campaign raised the standard for advertising and established CCA as a leader in the utilization of design in business.

How were Great Ideas of Western Man ads created?

A small committee from CCA met, selected a “great idea,” and commissioned an artist or designer to create a visual response. The artist or designer would provide their work to CCA who would either accept or reject without any art direction, then add other details—generally the quote, credits, and CCA logo. The resulting ad ran in magazines like Time and Fortune.

In 1984, CCA donated much of the original art from the campaign to the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

What are the Great Books of the Western World?

Championed by educator Mortimer Adler, the Great Books of the Western World is a 54 volume set of fiction and non-fiction books selected by an editorial board at the University of Chicago and published by Encyclopedia Britannica in 1952. The Paepkes were profoundly influenced by a reading group focused on texts included in the Great Books series. The Great Books intended to popularize liberal arts education and bolster democratic ideas. As the product became more commercial, these goals were called into question. Today, the series’ legacy is mixed, with both supporters and critics.

 

Great Ideas at ChiDM, 2018. Photo: The Office of Experience.

 

Business of Design Week, Hong Kong, 2016.