Raymond Loewy. From Coca-Cola to trains the design that catches you

The Coca-Cola bottle marked a turning point in the world of communication, effectively transforming a product into a logo. It’s not necessary to read the words “Coca-Cola” to know it's a Coca-Cola. The same thing happened with Studebaker cars from the 1940s and 1950s and with the magnificent electric locomotives of the Pennsylvania Railroad GG-1 from the 1930s. The genius of the designer, in these cases as with many others, is that of a naturalized American originally from Paris named Raymond Loewy.

Loewy made the classic Coca-Cola bottle contemporary and increased its strength by working the logo and colours

For him, the representation of a brand or product is a process in which symbols and signs look for memories in the subconscious of the observer, evoking memories of the past through contemporary language. This train of thought was to influence the entire advertising industry and the visual identity process for three generations. One of his sentences summarizes the simplicity of his philosophy: “Between two products equal in price, function and quality, the better looking will outsell the other”. If we dwell on his design works, we cannot help but think that they have always existed.

The GG1 locomotive introduced a concept that was dear to Loewy: the Bullet Nose with its characteristic central headlight

The Bullet Nose as the central point of Loewy's design returned to great acclaim on the Studebakers

Among his masterpieces, the 1962 Studebaker Avanti. A harmonious coupe that couldn’t be further from the bombastic Americans of those years, characterized by elegant and clean lines and an original front characterized by the grilleless nose.

Loewy also created a car for himself, a unique model: a Lancia Flaminia Coupé, known as Loraymo, which was exhibited at the 1960 Paris Motor Show.

With the Studebaker Avanti a new approach to the front end was introduced: only two large headlights like the bright eyes of a cutting-edge sportscar. In the image Raymond Loewy and the president of the Studebaker Corporation, Sherwood Egbert

For his own personal car, a one-off Lancia Flaminia Coupé, Loewy used the talents of the Italian coachbuilder Motto, an expert in the use of aluminium. Note the futuristic rear wing – something that at the time did not exist – and the slender front end