Paul Giambarba

And then there’s me. The photo was taken in 1970 by my wife in San Gimigniano, Italy, one of its picturesque towers reflected in the sunglass lenses. Yes, I liked to smoke those little Dutch Ritmeesters. Those were the days.

I chose not to be a Polaroid employee because I had already enjoyed the freedom of freelance life for ten years before I met up with Stan Calderwood. He delighted in chiding me with, “Gee-yam, you’re just not made for corporate life!” whenever I complained–and it was often. He was right. I did a lot of travelling that was not business travel, and it was an education I would recommend to any young designer.

In the years 1960 through 1963 I built myself a home and a studio on Cape Cod, fishing and swimming whenever my work load and weather permitted. I had the great experience of being with my wife and watching my children grow without the lost hours of commuting and working elsewhere but home. I attended meetings in Cambridge only when necessary. After expat adventures in Switzerland and Italy and nine years of publishing in Northern California I returned to Cape Cod where I court a similar muse of these Branding of Polaroid years.

Comments

[Lippy]

Paul,

I am dazzled and a bit dazed at the depth of one man's contribution to what had become a cultural icon. I grew up (literally) looking at your work, never realizing it was the vision of a (mostly) sole designer.

Bravo, Gee-Am!

Let's see more!

- Lippy