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A Conversation with Raymond Loewy, the Father of Industrial Design

There have been many famous designers but few had more impact than Loewy.

By David Frane - August 4, 2017

in Designer Profiles

It's hard to imagine a designer who had a greater influence than Raymond Loewy, whose contributions include streamlined vehicles, iconic logos, the interior design of NASA's first space station, and a broad array of consumer products. His designs were ubiquitous over a period of decades.

Loewy died 30+ years ago and yet one still sees things he designed or products inspired by things he created. The soda dispensing machine at the place where I buy burritos bears more than a passing resemblance to the soda dispenser he designed in 1947.

In the video below Morley Safer of CBS News interviews Raymond Loewy, shows some of his products, and discusses the elements of good design and the philosophy behind his work.

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I find it ironic that this pre-internet interview (from 1979; the internet as we know it began in 1990) comes to us courtesy of the Internet Archive.

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Denis Garmash

7 years ago

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Thank You.

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Sean Baldwin

7 years ago

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A great interview. Thanks for sharing.

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Eric Strebel

7 years ago

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Wonderful to hear one of my heroes speak. Truly enjoyable. Thank you David.

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Dan Lewis

7 years ago

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Thanks for finding this interview. I know that I'm dating myself but my first job out of school ( 1972) was at Raymond Loewy / Wm Snaith in NYC. It was a very large office at the time, maybe 80 to 100 designers. I was in the Industrial Design department working on the last bits of Skylab, a City Bus for the DOT, and the beginnings of a new Presidential helicopter. What a great, real, education for a young designer just out of grad school. I loved every minute of it. Mr. Loewy's hair wasn't quite as white.

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