Visionary Raymond Loewy Honored In Google Doodle And A Look At Some Of His Greatest Designs.

Today’s Google Doodle honors what would have been the 120th birthday of French industrial designer Raymond Loewy (1893-1986). The Doodle, a pencil sketch, was inspired by the Pennsylvania Railroad's S1 steam locomotive he designed as you can clearly see the resemblance to Loewy's original sketch in the above image.



So what did Raymond Loewy actually design? Believe it or not, pretty much everything. From the world's best known brand logos, pencil sharpeners, clocks, kitchen appliances, coke bottles, coke dispensers and furniture to Planes, Trains and Automobiles (to steal a movie title), the Father of Industrial Design ”made products irresistible at a time when nobody really wanted to pay for anything,” TIME magazine once wrote.



His designs straddled the mid-century modern style and the streamlined art deco. Most recognizable amongst his achievements are the Shell and Exxon logos, the Lucky Strike cigarette packaging, GG1 and S1 locomotives, the slenderized Coca-Cola bottle, the John F. Kennedy memorial postage stamp, the interior of Saturn I, Saturn V, and Skylab, the Greyhound bus and logo, U.S. Postal Service emblem, a line of Frigidaire refrigerators, ranges, and freezers, and the Studebaker Avanti, Champion and Starliner.



above: just some of Loewy's logo designs

"Design, vitalized and simplified, will make the comforts of civilized life available to an ever-increasing number of Americans." -- Raymond Loewy

Some of his designs (shown with his beautiful sketches if possible):

Avanti:


Bottle and dispensers for Coca Cola:


Greyhound Bus and Logo Design:


Pencil sharpener, tea set, carpet and furniture by Loewy:


Lucky Strike logo and packaging:


USPS emblem and JFK memorial Stamp:



Here are just some of his 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.



In 1975 the Smithsonian Institution opened The Designs of Raymond Loewy, a four-month exhibit dedicated to "the man who changed the face of industrial design." Loewy later commented, "While working closely with the Smithsonian, I was provided with the opportunity to reassess the past." And what a past it was. Loewy - businessman, educator, illustrator and author - had undoubtedly established himself as one of history's most famous and influential designers.


above: Loewy with his design for Air Force 1

Loewy and Viola moved to France several years later, where they enjoyed leisurely travel and a more relaxed lifestyle. On July 14, 1986, after a period of poor health, Raymond Loewy died in Monte Carlo, Monaco. He was 92 years old.

Loewy's death sparked a worldwide media frenzy over his immeasurable talent and contributions to industrial design. New York Times reporter Susan Heller wrote, "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."

Official Raymond Loewy sites:
www.raymondloewy.com
www.RaymondLoewy.org
www.RaymondLoewyFoundation.com

UPDATED: New Louis Vuitton Ad Campaign Starring David Bowie - The Film (2 versions), The Print, Storyboards And The App.

"L'Invitation au Voyage - Venice," a one minute short film (shown further down in the post) featuring Arizona Muse and David Bowie is part of luxury brand Louis Vuitton's newest ad campaign (print, newspaper, digital ads and a new downloadable app accompany the film) in which the music legend and model attend the Louis Vuitton Masquerade Ball.




Vogue UK reports that "Muse's adventure starts in Paris at the Louvre, before she is whisked off in a hot-air balloon that takes her to Venice - where she meets Bowie. Cue picturesque shots of the model travelling along Venetian canals in an old-fashioned boat and decadent scenes of a masked ball - a more glamorous version of the masked, surreal soirée seen in 1986 cult film Labyrinth, which also starred Bowie. Unsurprisingly, the musician also sings a track from his new album, The Next Day ."

The one minute version: L'Invitation au Voyage:


Now added, the full film, released on November 7th:


And the 1:30 minute director's cut:


The Trailer:


Stills from the film:






The full film will premiere on the label's app on November 7.

The film and print ads promote Vuitton's new Tambour watch and Vivienne bag (shown below):


A shortened clip will be shown on television on November 10, while the campaign's print ads (below) photographed by David Sims, will appear in magazines and newspapers later this month.

The Print Ads:





Behind The Scenes:









The Storyboards (some of them):






WWD reports:
“The film is all about traveling through time, and sharing an incredible moment,” said Frederic Winckler, Vuitton’s communication and events director, who showed off 60-second and 90-second versions of the film directed by Romain Gavras, perhaps best known for his M.I.A. music videos.

The transporting clip sees Bowie’s tune become the soundtrack to a sumptuous and fantastical ball — before Muse opens her eyes to an empty room and departs, this time on an ancient Chinese boat.



Snagging Bowie for the campaign caps off a banner year for the music legend that included his first studio album in a decade, “The Next Day ” and an exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London that has moved on to the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto. It also continues a tradition Vuitton set in recent years with its popular Core Values spots featuring unexpected celebrities such as Mikhail Gorbachev and Keith Richards.

Winckler marveled at Bowie’s appeal across different age groups and how he, like Vuitton, “moves through time,” unveiling new personalities and charting new creative fields. Winckler noted: “He’s a client and someone who has a natural link with the brand.”

Winckler said he met Bowie in New York, and the script — and the harpsichord idea — won him over. “He liked the character, the role he was asked to play,” he said.

The new spots exalt Vuitton’s new Vivienne bag, from which Muse retrieves a musical score as the only evidence of her musical adventure in Venice. She also wears Monogram Idylle gold jewelry and an outfit from its Icons collection:



Bowie sports a new interpretation of Vuitton’s Tambour watch:


The App, Louis Vuitton Pass:


The French luxury group is using the Bowie-Muse campaign to introduce a new app called Louis Vuitton Pass, which allows consumers to scan an icon with a smartphone or tablet to access additional content, including making-of films — and a world exclusive of the new campaign.



Thanks to Louis Vuitton,  Vogue UK and WWD for info and images