Walter Landor

Walter Landor (9 July 1913 – 9 June 1995), born Walter Landauer in 1913 in Munich, Germany, was a brand design legend and the founder of Landor Associates.^[1] He was an acclaimed designer and a pioneer of branding and consumer research techniques widely used to this day. Landor Associates, the company he founded in 1941, has offices around the world.^[2]

"Products are made in the factory, but brands are created in the mind," Walter Landor memorably stated.^[3] He had a particular gift for creating designs with broad popular appeal,^[4] such as the Coca-Cola script.^[5] Brands as diverse as General Electric, Japan Airlines, Levi Strauss, and Shell Oil all benefited from his vision and commitment.^[6]

Early years

In early life Landor's aesthetic sense was influenced by the Bauhaus and Werkbund design movements, as well as by his architect father.^[7] Following his studies at Goldsmiths, University of London , the 23-year-old Landor became the youngest Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.^[8]

In 1939 Landor traveled to the United States as part of the design team for the British Pavilion at the New York World's Fair.^[9] He continued west to San Francisco and quickly decided to settle there. "For me it was a city that looked out on the whole world, a city built on the cultural traditions of east and west," he later said. "How could I live anywhere else?"^[10]

Landor became associate professor of industrial design and interior architecture at the California College of Arts and Crafts in 1940.

Landor Associates

Landor and his wife, Josephine, launched a design firm in their small flat, working from the living room table.^[11] Passionate about his work, he succeeded in attracting clients from a wide variety of fields, adding staff and relocating to larger offices as the need grew.^[12] In a move characteristic of his ebullient personality and original business style, Landor bought a retired ferryboat, the Klamath, in 1964 and turned it into his company's corporate headquarters.^[13]

His work included brands like Del Monte, Marlboro, Fujifilm, Tab and Bank of America. He also designed the corporate identities for many airlines, including Alitalia, British Airways, Garuda Indonesia, Japan Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Cathay Pacific Airways, and Singapore Airlines.^[14]

In 1985, Walter Landor gave the commencement address at Art Center College of Design (Pasadena, California), where he shared his five secrets for a successful design career; he was also presented with an honorary degree.^[15]

In 1994 the Smithsonian Institution honored Walter Landor by establishing a permanent collection of his designs and packaging.^[16] Landor died in 1995 at the age of 81.^[17]

External links

Videos

• The Decanter film by Walter Landor and Associates (video, 1960s)
• Interview with Walter Landor (video, 1977)

Public address

• Five secrets of a successful design career: Art Center College of Design commencement address (1985)

More about Walter Landor

• Walter Landor, an industrial designer and pioneer in branding, created some of the world’s most recognizable packages, brands, and trademarks (Immigrant Entrepreneurship)
• Walter Landor: Graphic designer and founder of an influential corporate image consultancy (Transatlantic Perspectives)
• Walter Landor: Portrait of a pioneer
• History: Multiple articles and videos about Walter Landor and the origins of Landor Associates
• Landor: Medalists: Inspiration: AIGA
• Walter Landor | In the spotlight | Area of Design
• Designers Signature: Walter Landor

Obituaries

• Walter Landor, 81, a Designer of Logos for Giant Corporations (New York Times)
• Walter Landor, 81, Designer (SFgate.com)

Related sites

• Landor Associates website

Endnotes

References

Bernard F. Gallagher, senior documentation specialist at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, wrote his masters thesis about Walter Landor: “A Brand Is Built in the Mind: Walter Landor and the Transformation of Industrial Design in the Twentieth Century,” The Cooperstown Graduate Program at the State University of New York, College at Oneonta (2007). Although his thesis is not yet available online, his research informs the following three articles:

Gallagher, Bernie. “Classics: The work and legacy of Walter Landor,” (July 2009), http://www.landor.com/index.cfm?do=aboutus.classiccases

Gallagher, Bernie. “Coca-Cola: Refreshing an iconic visual identity,” (July 2009), http://www.landor.com/index.cfm?do=aboutus.cocacolacase

Gallagher, Bernie. “Walter Landor: Portrait of a Pioneer,” (July 2009), http://www.landor.com/index.cfm?do=aboutus.walterlandor

Other references

AIGA, “Walter Landor Biography,” http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/medalist-walterlandor

AllAboutBranding.com, “Pithy Quotes,” http://www.allaboutbranding.com/index.lasso?article=22

Area of Design, “Walter Landor: Pioneer of the Branding Phenomena,” (August 2004), http://www.areaofdesign.com/inthespotlight/landor.htm

Designers Signature, “Walter Landor,” http://www.uiu.edu/~art/melindaportfolio/images/multimedia/melindagraphicdesiger/walter.htm

Fernandez, Elizabeth. “Walter Landor, 81, designer: Driving force behind S.F.’s reputation in the applied arts,” San Francisco Chronicle (11 June 1995), http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/e/a/1995/06/11/METRO11293.dtl

Gilpin, Kenneth N. “Walter Landor, 81, a Designer of Logos for Giant Corporations,” New York Times (13 June 2005), http://www.nytimes.com/1995/06/13/obituaries/walter-landor-81-a-designer-of-logos-for-giant-corporations.html

Kelley, Ken and Rick Clogher, “The Ultimate Image Maker,” San Francisco Focus (August 1992).

Landor Associates, http://www.landor.com/index.cfm?do=landor.home

Landor Compendium, published by Landor Associates (2003), ISBN 0-916759-97-0.

Meyerowitz, Daniel. “The Klamath: Landor’s Icon of Innovation” (November 2007), http://www.landor.com/index.cfm?do=aboutus.klamath

Smithsonian National Museum of American History, Archives Center http://americanhistory.si.edu/archives/d-7.htm

Vinne, Veronique. “The Brand Named Walter Landor,” Graphis, no. 321 (May/June 1999), and Lindsay Arthur, “Industrial Designer Turns His Talents To Own Use,” San Francisco Call-Bulletin (19 November 1956).

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