A02 Designer Investigation Pt. 2 - Raymond Loewy

I chose Raymond Loewy for several reasons. First because of the tremendous scope of work he has completed in his lifetime. Second I have a weird obsession with all things streamlined which Loewy was one of the first designers to make the style popular. And third even though he is considered an industrial designer, Raymond Loewy has worked in just about every aspect of design, including interior space, graphic and even fashion.  On top of all of that, even though they may have been updated, some of Loewy's designs are still in use today, including International Harvester and the Shell logo.

Raymond Loewy was born in Paris in 1893. Loewy received a degree in engineering before joining the French Army and becoming a captain, durring in World War I. In 1919 Loewy came to the United States. He found work as a window designer for Macy's Wanamaker and Saks. He also worked as a fashion illustrator for Harper's Bazaar. His first industrial design job was in 1929 for a company called Gestetner. Loewy worked in the design field for 7 decades until he retired in 1980 at the age of 87.

Raymond Loewy has been called many things, "the father of industrial design," or "the man who shaped America." Loewy's designs were very modern for their time. Some of them still very present in our popular culture, including the Coke bottle. One of the most interesting things I found about Loewy was the incredibly long list of companies Loewy was hired to design for. The following are a few of Lowey's designs and illustrations that I found Most interesting.

Production sketch for the 1963 Avanti

Raymond Loewy designed several things for Studebaker between the 1940's and the 1960's, including their logo. Studebaker asked Loewy to design a car for the company which would appeal to a younger demographic. What was produced was called the Avanti. What drew me to this design first was I know someone who owns one but, never knew the signifigance behind it or its famous designer until I started researching Loewy. The Avanti had a very sporty swept back style and became instantly popular upon it's release in 1963. Another reason I was drawn to this design was the car looked way ahead of its time, if compared to cars of the early 1960's.

1938 S1 Steam Locomotive

The Pennsylvania Railroad S1 steam locomotive is one of Loewy's most famous designs and the reason Loewy is considered one of the founders of the streamline style. Built in 1938 the engine was a very experimental design. When I first saw this image I was reminded of a rocket ship, which got me thinking if this could have been the influence behind the rocket ships in 1940's Flash Gordon comics.

See America in style

The 1951 Greyhound Scenicruiser, is another very famous Loewy design. What I like most about the Scenicruiser is how Iconic this bus is. Another aspect of the design I found interesting was how I associate this bus with Greyhound. Loewy built the bus for GM but, even without the Greyhound logo on the side the bus still says Greyhound to me.

Over the years Raymond Loewy has designed many identities and logos for various companies. The image to the right is an example of how many company logos he designed and how many are still used today. From the famous "guy on tractor" logo of International Harvester to the completely iconic shell logo Loewy had a gift for creating very recognizable identities for companies all over the world. What I like about this picture is the limited color pallet which Loewy used in his logo designs. Another thing is how simple most of the logos are. Loewy didn't over think the logo. As a visual communications major these and some of Loewy's other logos really interest me.  

There are many other designs Raymond Loewy was famous for. While reading about Loewy's life and career I started to get the sense that he never stopped designing. He seemed to always find a way to improve on a design and at the same time be very innovative. For a man who didn't retire until the age of 87 and had a career that lasted almost 70 years one gets the sense that design was truly Raymond Loewy's passion. Loewy is truly inspiring.

Sources:

http://www.raymondloewy.org © 2006 Loewy Design

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_Loewy