Test your Design IQ
MANILA, Philippines - Who is this Broadway stage designer who designed objects for Bell Telephones, Hoover and TV sets for RCA?
He was born in Brooklyn, New York and is one of the celebrity industrial designers of the ‘30s and ‘40s. He was active as a stage designer on Broadway from 1921.
In 1929 he opened a design office after an unhappy period as a design consultant for a department store. He dramatically improved the look, feel, and usability of dozens of consumer products. As opposed to Raymond Loewy and other contemporaries, he was not a stylist: he applied common sense and a scientific approach to design problems. His work both popularized the field for public consumption, and made significant contributions to the underlying fields of ergonomics, anthropometrics, and human factors. Until 1920 he studied as an apprentice to theatrical designer Norman Bel Geddes, his later competitor, and opened his own office in 1929 for theatrical and industrial design activities. It was an immediate and long-lasting commercial success.
Among the objects he designed were aircraft interiors, hearing aids, clocks, farm equipment, Bell telephones, Hoover products, TV sets for RCA and passenger cars for New York Central Railroad.
In 1965 he became the first president of the Industrial Designers Society of America. In 1972 he and his wife killed themselves.
As of 2005 his firm continues to operate with major corporate clients.
Last week’s question: Who is the American chef whose three restaurants — Farallon, Nick’s Cove, and Waterbar — are among the most critically acclaimed dining places on the West Coast?
Answer: Mark Franz
Winner: Kenneth Montilla of Muntinlupa city
