Raymond Loewy – a Legendary Designer

In Depth

What design philosophy was Raymond Loewy best known for?

Being a design student myself, I would walk around the studio and be fascinated by the myriad of objects and designs on people’s desks: buildings, shoes, chairs, cars, prints, clothing, lamps… It goes back to the idea that good design is good design regardless of the product. In that sense, Raymond Loewy was legendary. When asking about Raymond Loewy, most answers would fall along those lines: ‘He designed everything,’ or ‘He was the father of industrial design.’ It is November, and earlier this month, on the fifth, was his birthday. It would only make sense to commemorate and recognize his work, this month.

What did Raymond Loewy design?

1. Air Force One
  
  The aircraft is a distinguishing mark of the American presidency and influence.
  
  1962: Air Force One livery design. Image by U.S. Air Force.
2. PRR S1 Locomotive
  
  In addition to breaking conventions, it has made many appearances in the media, in a comic series, a painting, an anime series, and a video game.
  
  1936: Loewy with his design for the Pennsylvania Railroad’s S1 steam locomotive
  Photograph: Bettmann/Corbis
1963 Studebaker Avanti

Loewy also designed the Studebaker car company logo, and earlier in the 1950s designed Studebaker Starlight.

1948: Loewy rests on a Studebaker model in his home
Photograph: Bernard Hoffman/Time & Life Pictures/Getty Image
Coca-Cola

Loewy redesigned the company’s bottles to the famed subtly curved bottles they are known for today. He also designed vending machines, soda dispensers, and delivery trucks.

1955: The Coke bottle. “Its shape is aggressively female, a quality that in merchandise, as in life, sometimes transcends functionalism,” Loewy said.
Lucky Strike

Lucky Strike. Lowey redesigned the company’s packaging to the recognizable red bull’s-eye on a white background.

Courtesy of Tom Hermans
Shell logo

The famed logo the Royal Dutch Shell company is known for was Lowey’s 1971 redesign of the logo into a geometric, more refined symbol.

1971: Shell logo
Streamlined Pencil Sharpener

The design was so iconic that it was commemorated with a 2011 USPS stamp. Loewy himself also designed the John F. Kennedy Memorial stamp for USPS in 1964.

Loewy’s design for a pencil sharpener. Loewy redesigned the United States Postal Service’s eagle logo in 1970.
Photograph: AP
Greyhound Sceniccruiser

In addition to Loewy’s bold designs for Greyhound vehicles, he also redesigned the company’s logo to what it is today.

1951: Greyhound Bus logo and cabin design. Image by Go Greyhound!
NASA Skylab

Loewy was on a team of industrial designers that designed this precursor to the International Space Station that orbits the earth today. He contributed to the arrangement, size, and color scheme of the living quarters for astronauts.
Lincoln Continental 1941