Jobs Paid $100,000 for Paul Rand's Singular NeXT Design Solution

Steve Jobs paid $100,000 to Paul Rand in 1986 to create NeXT's identity. The fee came with an unusual stipulation that Jobs would get one solution and not multiple alternatives.

Rand refused to offer Jobs options for his design. In a 1993 interview, Jobs recalled asking for several options, but Rand said 'No, I will solve your problem for you and you will pay me.' He told Jobs that if he wanted options, he should go talk to other designers.

Jobs founded NeXT after leaving Apple in 1985. Initially, Rand hesitated because IBM was a client, but Jobs secured their blessing and the assignment proceeded.

Rand designed the NeXT logo as a tilted black cube carrying the company name. He explained his reasoning in a presentation booklet, saying he solved a difficult problem for NeXT by creating a symbol that could be used without including the company name.