Henry Dreyfuss was a pioneer
People who don't study product design may know of a handful of designers. Jonathan Ive, James Dyson, Ray Eames and maybe Dieter Rams would sound familiar to some outside of the product design circle. But no designer has had a more profound impact on the products we use every day than Henry Dreyfuss.
Dreyfuss's portfolio is vast and he was one of the first to focus on Human Factors engineering. He was the Industrial Design Society of America's (IDSA) first president in 1965. Notable designs from Henry include:
- Hoover Model 150 upright vacuum cleaner (1936)
- New York Central Railroad's streamlined Mercury train (1936)
- Bell Laboratories 300 tabletop telephone (1937)
- New York Central Hudson locomotive for the 20th Century Limited (1938)
- Westclox Big Ben alarm clock (1939)
- Royal Quiet De Luxe typewriter (1939)
- Western Electric Model 500 telephone (1949)
- John Deere tractor (1950s)
- Steamships - SS Independence and SS Constitution (1950s)
- Honeywell round thermostat (1953)
- Hoover Model 82 Constellation vacuum cleaner (1954)
- Singer Model 401A sewing machine (1959)
- American Airlines corporate identity and aircraft interiors (1962)
- AT&T logo (1969)
- Polaroid SX-70 single-lens reflex instant film camera (1972)
Henry's predecessors, Christopher Dresser and Raymond Loewy, should also be credited for their heavy influence in modern design. It's difficult to say who is responsible for being the most influential industrial designer, but Dreyfuss's influence can't be overstated. He's the strongest contender for establishing industrial design's Plymouth Rock.