Today’s ‘Google Doodle’ honors the 120th birthday of the “father of industrial design.”
Raymond Loewy, born in Paris on November 5,1893 is the man behind the design of many industrial products. He created the Greyhound Scenicruiser, the Shell logo, the JFK memorial postage stamp, the S1 and GG1 locomotives, the Studebaker Avanti, and Air Force One’s shell.
Loewy was an army vet who served in WWI and begin experimenting with design as a fashion illustrator in New York. He quickly moved into industrial design and created the look of many products including cigarette packs, Coca-Cola products, refrigerators, space crafts, and cars.
His career officially took off after he was asked to improve the mimeograph machine in 1929 and created the shell which was used for Gestetner duplicators for 40 years.
Loewy died on July 14, 1986. According to Susan Heller, a New York Times reporter, “…one can hardly open a beer or a soft drink, fix breakfast, board a plane, buy gas, mail a letter, or shop for an appliance without encountering a Loewy creation.”
Sources
C|Net
TIME
Raymond Loewy Foundation