Jan L. Logemann
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- September 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780226660011
- eISBN:
- 9780226660295
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226660295.003.0010
- Subject:
- History, American History: 20th Century
In their quest for perpetual innovation, postwar design professionals took an engineering approach to their creative work, mirroring the notion of “creative research” invoked by research consultants ...
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In their quest for perpetual innovation, postwar design professionals took an engineering approach to their creative work, mirroring the notion of “creative research” invoked by research consultants such as Dichter and Politz. This chapter traces the emergence of increasingly integrative conceptions of consumer design focusing on the examples of two prominent design consultancies headed by European immigrants. Raymond Loewy’s design studio was one of the leading consulting firms of mid-twentieth century; its service portfolio signified like few others the pervasiveness of industrial design efforts after the war. Based on the West coast, the design firm of Walter Landor was both smaller and initially more focused on the food and beverage industry, making it an ideal case study for the postwar development of package design and the rise of the supermarket as the premier retail environment. Both Landor and Loewy shared a focus on research-driven design and both championed more integrative design approaches centered on brand and corporate identities.Less
In their quest for perpetual innovation, postwar design professionals took an engineering approach to their creative work, mirroring the notion of “creative research” invoked by research consultants such as Dichter and Politz. This chapter traces the emergence of increasingly integrative conceptions of consumer design focusing on the examples of two prominent design consultancies headed by European immigrants. Raymond Loewy’s design studio was one of the leading consulting firms of mid-twentieth century; its service portfolio signified like few others the pervasiveness of industrial design efforts after the war. Based on the West coast, the design firm of Walter Landor was both smaller and initially more focused on the food and beverage industry, making it an ideal case study for the postwar development of package design and the rise of the supermarket as the premier retail environment. Both Landor and Loewy shared a focus on research-driven design and both championed more integrative design approaches centered on brand and corporate identities.
Jan L. Logemann
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- September 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780226660011
- eISBN:
- 9780226660295
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226660295.003.0013
- Subject:
- History, American History: 20th Century
“Americanization” in marketing did not simply entail out-right imports, but rather a careful and selective adaptation of specific elements. Such transnational corporate learning processes negotiating ...
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“Americanization” in marketing did not simply entail out-right imports, but rather a careful and selective adaptation of specific elements. Such transnational corporate learning processes negotiating differences between American and European consumption and marketing cultures, opened new career opportunities for the émigré consumer engineers. This chapter traces their “return” to Europe after the war as well as their impact on the transformation of Western European consumer marketing between the late 1940s and the early 1960s. The focus will be on West Germany, which had a special role in this transatlantic exchange. The returning émigrés did not simply act as cheerleaders of American consumer modernity, however. Through their cultural translations they were able to engage skeptical colleagues and consumers in Europe and, in some instances, to “Europeanize” modern marketing practice.Less
“Americanization” in marketing did not simply entail out-right imports, but rather a careful and selective adaptation of specific elements. Such transnational corporate learning processes negotiating differences between American and European consumption and marketing cultures, opened new career opportunities for the émigré consumer engineers. This chapter traces their “return” to Europe after the war as well as their impact on the transformation of Western European consumer marketing between the late 1940s and the early 1960s. The focus will be on West Germany, which had a special role in this transatlantic exchange. The returning émigrés did not simply act as cheerleaders of American consumer modernity, however. Through their cultural translations they were able to engage skeptical colleagues and consumers in Europe and, in some instances, to “Europeanize” modern marketing practice.
Jan L. Logemann
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- September 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780226660011
- eISBN:
- 9780226660295
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226660295.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, American History: 20th Century
Engineered to Sell traces the transnational careers of consumer engineers in advertising, market research and commercial design who transformed capitalism, from the 1930s through the 1960s. It argues ...
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Engineered to Sell traces the transnational careers of consumer engineers in advertising, market research and commercial design who transformed capitalism, from the 1930s through the 1960s. It argues that the history of marketing consumer goods is not a story of American exceptionalism. Instead, the careers of immigrants point to the limits of the “Americanization” paradigm. First, the book traces changes in marketing approaches increasingly tailored to consumers which gave rise to a dynamic world of goods. Second, it asks how and why this consumer engineering was shaped by transatlantic exchanges. From Austrian psychologists and little-known social scientists to the illustrious Bauhaus artists, the émigrés at the center of this story illustrate the vibrant cultural and commercial connections between metropolitan centers: Vienna and New York; Paris and Chicago; Berlin and San Francisco. These mid-century consumer engineers crossed national and disciplinary boundaries not only within arts and academia but also between governments, corporate actors, and social reform movements. By focusing on the transnational lives of émigré consumer researchers, marketers, and designers, Engineered to Sell details the processes of cultural translation and adaptation that mark both the mid-century transformation of American marketing and the subsequent European shift to “American” consumer capitalism.Less
Engineered to Sell traces the transnational careers of consumer engineers in advertising, market research and commercial design who transformed capitalism, from the 1930s through the 1960s. It argues that the history of marketing consumer goods is not a story of American exceptionalism. Instead, the careers of immigrants point to the limits of the “Americanization” paradigm. First, the book traces changes in marketing approaches increasingly tailored to consumers which gave rise to a dynamic world of goods. Second, it asks how and why this consumer engineering was shaped by transatlantic exchanges. From Austrian psychologists and little-known social scientists to the illustrious Bauhaus artists, the émigrés at the center of this story illustrate the vibrant cultural and commercial connections between metropolitan centers: Vienna and New York; Paris and Chicago; Berlin and San Francisco. These mid-century consumer engineers crossed national and disciplinary boundaries not only within arts and academia but also between governments, corporate actors, and social reform movements. By focusing on the transnational lives of émigré consumer researchers, marketers, and designers, Engineered to Sell details the processes of cultural translation and adaptation that mark both the mid-century transformation of American marketing and the subsequent European shift to “American” consumer capitalism.
Jan L. Logemann
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- September 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780226660011
- eISBN:
- 9780226660295
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226660295.003.0007
- Subject:
- History, American History: 20th Century
This short segue sketches aspects of the growing importance of commercial design for consumer marketing.
This short segue sketches aspects of the growing importance of commercial design for consumer marketing.
