“There is a frantic race to merchandise tinsel and trash under the guise of ‘modernism.’” – Raymond Loewy
Life Magazine recently selected Loewy as one of the 100 most influential Americans of the twentieth century. Loewy is best known for such American design icons as the Coca Cola bottle, Air Force One, Lucky Strike, Greyhound Bus, Pennsylvania S-1 Locomotive, Exxon and Shell logos, NASA interiors for Sky Lab and the Space Shuttle along with the Avanti, the only automobile to be exhibited in the Louvre. Some of the better known companies who sought his influence included Revlon, Faberge, Vogue, Harpers Bazaar, Hanes, Levis, Butterick, Bulova, Omega, Mont Blanc, Seth Thomas, Rosenthal, Wyeth Furniture, Frigidaire, Formica, Koehler, IBM, Saks Fifth Avenue, Macy’s, Thalhimer’s, Bloomingdales’s, Ford, GM, Chrysler, Studebaker, BMW and Jaguar.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
| 1975 | Smithsonian Institution opened The Designs of Raymond Loewy, a four-month exhibit dedicated to “the man who changed the face of industrial design.” |
| 1972 | Poll of stylists representing the Big Three automakers voted his 1953 Studebaker Starliner Coupé an “industry best.” Also named one of the most influential Americans by LIFE magazine. |
| 1967 | Began working as a habitability consultant to NASA. |
| 1965 | Joined the President’s Committee on Employment of the Handicapped. |
| 1962 | After designing the Shell logo, it becomes such a recognizable icon that Shell drops its name from their advertisements. |
| 1961 | Designed the Studebaker Avanti, holding to the motto, “weight is the enemy.” |
| 1954 | Designed the Greyhound bus. |
| 1953 | Designed the Studebaker Starliner Coupé, which the Museum of Modern Art later called a “work of art.” |
| 1952 | Founded the Compagnie de I’Esthetique Industrielle in Paris, France. |
| 1951 | Published second design textbook, Industrial Design, and his autobiography Never Leave Well Enough Alone. |
| 1949 | Appeared on the cover of TIME magazine. |
| 1939 | Redesigned the Lucky Strike cigarette packaging. |
| 1937 | Published first book, The Locomotive: Its Aesthetics. |
| 1936 | Designed the GG-1 electric locomotive for the Pennsylvania Railroad. |
| 1934 | Designed the Coldspot refrigerator for Sears Roebuck & Company. |
| 1930 | Hired as a consultant by the Hupp Motor Company. |
| 1929 | Redesigned the Gestetner mimeograph machine. Founder and art director of Raymond Loewy, William Snaith, Inc., in New York City (later established as Raymond Loewy International). |
| 1919 | Provided popular fashion illustrations for magazines such as Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar. Freelanced as a window designer for department stores, including Saks Fifth Avenue and Macy’s |
[...] It’s no wonder then Life magazine selected Loewy as one of the 20th century’s 100 most influential Americans. [...]
By: Nov. 5, 1893: A Design Star is Born on November 5, 2008
at 6:23 am
[...] no wonder then Life magazine selected Loewy as one of the 20th century’s 100 most influential Americans. Loewy served in the French Army Corps in World War I, immigrated to the United States in 1919 and [...]
By: Nov. 5, 1893: A Design Star Is Born | NewsMeToday on November 9, 2008
at 6:50 pm