I'm An American -- Raymond Loewy

On May 11, 1941 Raymond Loewy spoke with William H. Marshall, Assistant District Director of Immigration at Ellis Island, about why he’s proud to be an American. Loewy shares his immigration story with Mr. Marshall. He explains why it took him 17 years to decide to become naturalized citizen. Loewy praises America for having great industry and plans; but condemns the country for only utilizing half of what it needs naturally and for humanity. He goes on to explain how he catapulted the industrial design profession and his predictions for the industry’s future. Raymond Loewy was born on November 5, 1893 in Paris, France to a Jewish father and French mother. When he was 15, Loewy distinguished himself as a talented designer when he won the Gordon Bennett Cup for model airplanes in 1908. Loewy served in the French Army during WWI. He moved to New York after the war in 1919. He revolutionized the industry, working as a consultant for more than 200 companies and creating product designs for everything from cigarette packs and refrigerators, to cars and spacecrafts. Loewy transformed products by “streamlining”, a technique that Loewy is credited with coining. Calling the concept “beauty through function and simplification,” Loewy spent over 50 years streamlining. His most famous creations include the Lucky Strike cigarette package, the slenderized Coca-Cola bottle, the Greyhound bus and logo, the Shell International logo, the Exxon logo and the U.S. Postal Service emblem.