Container Corporation of America

Container Corporation of America

Container Corporation of America (CCA), founded in Chicago, in 1926, manufactured corrugated cardboard boxes. Under the leadership of its president, Walter Paepcke, CCA was a patron of graphic arts and design.

Particularly influential were the CCA’s efforts, begun in the 1930s, which culminated in the famous Great Ideas of Western Man series of print ads, conceived by Herbert Bayer and introduced by Walter Paepcke in 1950. Walter’s wife, Elizabeth, was a designer and decorator who helped to showcase the talents of Chicago designers by using their works in CCA advertisements.

From 1950 to 1975, CCA ran the ad campaign in publications such as Time and Fortune magazines. Bayer, Art Director for CCA at the time, commissioned prominent artists, illustrators and designers to illustrate selected quotes. These were drawn from a broad spectrum of western thought that included philosophers, writers, scientists, and politicians, cultural and religious figures. The campaign ran well beyond Bayer's tenure. His successor, John Massey continued the campaign into the 1980s.

In 1968 CCA merged with Montgomery Ward & Company, becoming MARCOR. In 1998, after a series of mergers, it became part of the Smurfit-Stone Container Corporation. (190)

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