Raymond Loewy Overview

MAYA: Most Advanced, Yet Acceptable. Raymond Loewy summarized his design philosophies with this motto. Loewy was a charismatic and flamboyant man whose persona supported the rise of his very successful design empire. The hand of Raymond Loewy can be seen throughout... [more]

MAYA: Most Advanced, Yet Acceptable. Raymond Loewy summarized his design philosophies with this motto. Loewy was a charismatic and flamboyant man whose persona supported the rise of his very successful design empire. The hand of Raymond Loewy can be seen throughout the country in the Greyhound bus logos that mark the hubs of small towns, the Exxon and Shell Oil signage that blooms across the expanding network of highways, and the cars he designed for various companies. If his designs do not yet appear entrenched in the collective psyche of America, consider the classic Lucky Strike cigarette pack with its red, black, and white logo, the Oreo cookies package, the TWA symbol, and the ubiquitous Coca-Cola emblem. They are considered commercial and cultural icons in contemporary society. Not content to design within an urban realm, Loewy moved into the rural arena with the heavy equipment he devised for International Harvester and the S-1 Steam Locomotive he created for Pennsylvania Railroad. He even worked on the Apollo Skylab projects. Although his projects were varied and numerous, he was considered more of a re-styler than a re-designer. Unlike many modern designers, his interests were absolutely parallel with those of the corporate bottom-line. His updated versions of everything from automobiles to refrigerators enjoyed increased sales volumes almost immediately; his contributions to the post-Depression economic growth should not be underestimated. [show less]