 |
|
Changing the marketplace
While Loewy established his reputation as a designer, he boosted
his profession by showing the practical benefits to be derived
from the application of functional styling. In the book Industrial
Design, Loewy notes, "Success finally came when we were
able to convince some creative men that good appearance was
a salable commodity, that it often cut costs, enhanced a product's
prestige, raised corporate profits, benefited the customer and
increased employment."
One of Loewy's first major successes, a Coldspot refrigerator
he designed for Sears Roebuck & Company in 1934, served
as a testimonial to creative packaging. Loewy's streamlined
Coldspot, complete with the first ever rustproof aluminum shelves,
sent Sears refrigerator sales from 60,000 units to 275,000 units
in just two years. Another Loewy design, the GG-1 electric locomotive
built by the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1936, demonstrated on
an even larger scale the efficacy of industrial design. The
welded shell of the GG-1 eliminated tens of thousands of rivets,
resulting in improved appearance, simplified maintenance, and
reduced manufacturing costs. As the first welded locomotive
ever built, the GG-1 led to the universal adoption of the welding
technique in their construction.
Several years earlier, in 1930, Loewy had been brought on as
a consultant to the Hupp Motor Company. He called the Hupp contract
"the beginning of industrial design as a legitimate profession,"
explaining that it was "the first time a large corporation
accepted the idea of getting outside advice in the development
of their products." The Hupp contract also marked the beginning
of Loewy's long and often frustrating association with American
automobile manufacturers.
A rocky road
While Loewy introduced slanted windshields, built-in headlights
and wheel covers for automobiles, he also advocated lower, leaner
and more fuel-efficient automobiles long before fuel economy
became a concern. "He waged a long war against the worst
extravagances of Detroit styling," commented Edward Lucie-Smith
a Times Literary Supplement. "He could take a production-line
monster and make it an infinitely better-looking 'special,'
with comparatively minor rebuilding. What he could not do was
to alter the industry's fundamental attitudes. Gas-guzzlers
remained gas-guzzlers, and no fancy-pants designer was going
to be allowed to change that."
In 1961, while designing the Avanti, Loewy posted a sign that
said, "Weight is the enemy." The Avanti design eliminated
the grill, which he argued, "In this age of fuel shortages
you must eliminate weight. Who needs grills? Grills I always
associate with sewers."
In spite of the differences that Loewy had with Detroit stylists,
several of his designs are now considered automobile classics,
including the 1953 Studebaker Starliner Coupé and 1963
Avanti. In 1972 a poll of stylists representing the Big Three
automakers named one of his works an industry best. Reporting
the results, Automotive News announced, "The 1953 Studebaker,
a long-nosed coupe, with little trim and an air of motion about
it, was acclaimed the top car of all time."
Visual retention
In addition to his achievements in the transportation field,
Loewy was undoubtedly among the world's most talented commercial
artists. He began designing packaging and logos in 1940 when
George Washington Hill, then president of the American Tobacco
Company, wagered him $50,000 that he could not improve the appearance
of the already familiar green and red Lucky Strike cigarette
package. Accepting the challenge, Loewy began by changing the
package background from green to white, thereby reducing printing
costs by eliminating the need for green dye. Next he placed
the red Lucky Strike target on both sides of the package, increasing
product visibility and ultimately product sales. A satisfied
Hill paid off the bet, and for over 40 years the Lucky Strike
pack has remained unchanged.
"I'm looking for a very high index of visual retention,"
Loewy explained of his logos. "We want anyone who has seen
the logotype even fleetingly to never forget it." Among
Loewy's highly visible logotype designs are those for Shell
Oil Company, Exxon, Greyhound and Nabisco.
Next Page
| 1 | 2 | 3 |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
