Walter Joseph Landor | |
---|---|
![]() Walter Landor in 1982 | |
Born | Walter Landauer July 9, 1913 Munich, Germany |
Died | June 9, 1995 Tiburon, California | (aged 81)
Occupation | designer |
Years active | 1935–1989 |
Notable work | logos and designs for Sapporo (1959), Alitalia (1967), Bank of America (1969), Levi Strauss & Co. (1969), Cotton Incorporated (1971), Miller Lite (1972, packaging) Frito-Lay (1979), Iberia (1977) Coca-Cola (1985), World Wildlife Fund (1986) |
Spouse(s) | Josephine (née Martinelli), m. 1940–1995, his death |
Children | 2 daughters |
Walter Joseph Landor (born Walter Landauer, July 9, 1913 – June 9, 1995)[1] was a brand designer and the founder of Landor & Fitch.[2] He was an acclaimed designer and a pioneer of branding and consumer research techniques widely used to this day. Landor, the company he founded as Landor Associates in 1941, has offices around the world.[3]
"Products are made in the factory, but brands are created in the mind," Walter Landor memorably stated.[4] He had a particular gift for creating designs with broad popular appeal,[5] such as the Coca-Cola script.[6] Brands as diverse as General Electric, Japan Airlines, Levi Strauss, and Shell Oil all benefited from his vision and commitment.[7]
Landor was born to Fritz and Elsie Landauer, a Jewish family, in Munich in 1913. Fritz Landauer was a prominent architect,[2] and Landor grew up drawing in his father's studio; he realized he wanted to study industrial design instead of architecture early on.[8] In early life Landor's aesthetic sense was influenced by the Bauhaus and Werkbund design movements.[3] Landor left Munich for London in 1931, studying at London University's Goldsmith College School of Art and changing his surname from Landauer to Landor.[2] He interned at W. S. Crawford, Ltd in London in 1932, and decided to that he wanted to live in Britain.[8] Following his studies at London University, Landor would help to found Industrial Design Partnership with Misha Black and Milner Gray in 1935, and one year later, the 23-year-old Landor became the youngest Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.[2][9]
In 1939 Landor traveled to the United States as part of the design team for the British Pavilion at the New York World's Fair.[2][10] After the Fair, he continued west to San Francisco and quickly decided to settle there.[2] "For me it was a city that looked out on the whole world, a city built on the cultural traditions of east and west," he later said. "How could I live anywhere else?"[11]
Landor became associate professor of industrial design and interior architecture at the California College of Arts and Crafts in 1940. In June, Landor married the former Josephine Martinelli.[12]
In 1941, Landor and his wife, Josephine, launched a design firm in their small flat, working from the living room table.[2][13] Passionate about his work, he succeeded in attracting clients from a wide variety of fields, adding staff and relocating to larger offices as the need grew.[3] In a move characteristic of his ebullient personality and original business style, Landor bought a retired ferryboat, the Klamath, in May 1943 and converted it into his company's corporate headquarters;[14] she had operated from 1924 to 1956, retiring after the opening of the Richmond–San Rafael Bridge.[15] Architect Morton Rader and designer Richard Rosek were retained for the conversion, and Landor held an "open ship" party in September 1964 to mark its completion.[16] Space on Klamath was rented to six other companies.[15] The firm moved from Klamath to their present headquarters at 1001 Front Street in the late 1980s, but retains the Klamath as their corporate symbol,[2] although the boat itself was purchased by Duraflame and was moved to Stockton.[17]
What the hell is good design? Is it something that gives satisfaction to your own ego? Or is it something that creates a positive response in the eyes, minds, and hearts of millions of people? Also, is it something that is appropriate to its category? Ideally it is all of these.
— Walter Landor, unknown source[18]
His work included brands like Del Monte (1965), Levi Strauss & Co. (1968), Virginia Slims, (1968), Cotton Incorporated (1973), Marlboro (1977), Dole Foods (1984), Coca-Cola (1985), Fujifilm (1987), and Bank of America.[2] He also designed the corporate identities for many airlines, including Alitalia, British Airways, Garuda Indonesia, Japan Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Cathay Pacific Airways, and Singapore Airlines.[2][7]
Landor received a commission for branding San Francisco Muni, resulting in the "worm" logo and orange-and-yellow "sunset" livery for vehicles; the designs were unveiled on January 27, 1975.[19] Although the Landor color scheme was phased out gradually starting in 1995 with the introduction of the gray-and-red Breda LRV2 light rail cars,[20] the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, which took over operation from Muni in 1999, retained the "worm" Muni logo for vehicles,[19] despite selecting a winner in a contest in 1996 for Academy of Art College students which proposed replacing the logo with a green, silver and orange winged circle.[21][22]
In 1985, Walter Landor gave the commencement address at ArtCenter College of Design (Pasadena, California), where he shared his five secrets for a successful design career; he was also presented with an honorary degree.[23]
Landor retired in 1989.[2] In 1994 the Smithsonian Institution honored Walter Landor by establishing a permanent collection of his designs and packaging.[2][24] Landor died in 1995 at the age of 81.[6]
Landor was awarded the 2004 AIGA Medal for his contributions to the industry.[2]