Streamliner: Raymond Loewy and Image-making in the Age of American Industrial Design

John Wall's in depth look at Ramond Loewy's life and start up is a great read. Born in a fairly well to do French family Ramond along with several of his brothers emigrated to the USA after WWI in the early 20th century. Loewy had the sense to design and arrange common goods, images, logos and automotive/train models into visually appealing items which increased functionality, flair and ease of use along with avoiding blocky makeup. That in turn with the post WWII consumerism explosion was a recipe for success.Filling in between the self promotion that two of Loewy's books published during his life time offered was a challenge to a subject such as Loewy and Mr. Wall does an admirable job investigating. He peels back some of the long winded stories and inflation Raymond would use to impress not only execs in companies but also the press during his heyday. In reality Mr. Loewy could be best compared to say a modern day Simon Cowell. While Mr. Loewy may not have had the singular talent to draw, sketch or physically produce say the IH logo, Studebaker cars or other items. He did have the ability to hire sketch artists, clay modelers and the ability to edit what would look better and sell for corporations. The expansion of the Loewy company and multiple offices in the USA plus Europe should not be understated. His choice instinct in editing was unsurpassed for the time of which industrial design became a profession in large part to the efforts of Mr. Loewy. This can't be taken away and Mr. Wall does an awesome job of explaining as much. It's a fascinating look into one of the 20th centuries pioneers and a worthy read at that.If one has a passing interest in industrial design, auto history and the American dream this is a great start.

The book was pretty much what I expected about designs by Loewy. On the other hand, a couple of which I was already aware were not in there, so I knocked it down to 4/5 stars.

Wonderful book on one of the greatest designers of the 20th century

Dear sir: Regarding your request for a review and my rating of the book " Streamliner: Raymond Loewy and Image Making i n the Age of American Industrial Design" ; this came from Thriftbooks of Reno, Nevada, U.S.A. arriving on 6th. September and delivered by the Argentine Postal Service in good condition, though packaging looked rather weak, the book came all right. It is just what I expected and the biographical account of the industrial designer includes his life and works as well as an outline of his personality, which adds interest to the text. Quite satisfactory and my rating is four stars. Thanks you. A. FERRER Rosario, S.Fe. Rep. Argentina

"Streamliner" is an engaging look at one of the most fascinating personalities of the mid-Century. Raymond Loewy expressed himself in a bold style that would have been remarkable in any field of endeavor. His expansive marketing skills and charming warmth were crucial to his success - but so was his ability to structure his industrial design firm to conform to that success. In short he took on the entire responsibility for client relationships, while controlling his firm's efforts with a remarkable ability to both foresee the public's desires and to assess the resulting designs quickly within his firm.All these aspects are ably described in this book - which is both enlightening and entertaining, while creating a context within the larger world of industrial design. I especially appreciated the descriptions of the Loewy firm's inner processes, and the drama around the personalities and contributions of his designers.Highly recommended!

Anyone looking for a properly researched history of industrial design in America should give this one a wide berth. The author headlines Raymond Loewy as a pioneer -- no disagreement -- then goes out of the way to be nasty to the guy. His animus toward Loewy completely distorts the book.As does he lack of understanding of the world of cars. He goes on and on about Studebaker's "sports cars", the Starliner and Avanti, not realizing that they aren't sports cars at all! The Corvette is a sports car. And anyone who calls an Austin-Healey an Austin-Healy is revealing his lack of knowledge -- only one of many misspellings.For a book about product design on 330 pages to have only 48 small illustrations scattered throughout is hardly edifying. One, however, is interesting. On page 178 he shows a clay model of a real two-seater sports car that would have been a stunner if developed. But he doesn't appreciate it. No surprise there.The author packs the book with stories of other designers that are too short to be insightful.