#HTE

A Conversation with Raymond Loewy, the Father of Industrial Design

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

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.