Raymond Loewy made a career of designing industrial products with a balance of style and
technically innovative design. He recognized that the more radically innovative a design appears, the greater the challenge
for the public to accept it. Loewy expressed this balance with his acyronym, MAYA, 'Most Advanced Yet
Acceptable'. In other words the 'successful' design seems to balance innovation with something reassuringly
familiar. Here's an example most people don't know much about... his styling design for Dorsett Boats, 1957-1959, including the Catalina style,
shown here.
Designed by Dorsett and styled by Loewy, these boats are now a collector's item.
Tom Schrammel bought this 1959 Dorsett Catalina Boat four years ago as a birthday present to himself.
Featuring the original coral finish with a new custom interior, Tom's getting lots of attention from other boaters on lakes in Wisconsin.
As he drove past this fabulous coral in someone's yard, the design caught his eye. "I have to own this!", he thought to himself.
Within hours, he was meeting with the owner. He was the son of the original owner, no longer with us.
Legal matters forced him to sell his fathers prized posession, in the family since the 60s. Named "the pink lady" by his father,
Tom chose to keep the original title that she had held for so long. After a few years of painstaking work, she is back to her former
beauty (with a few modifications). The Pink Lady shall be pampered until the day she gets adopted, "a very long time, I hope, from now."
Such purchases are nothing odd for Tom, owner of a comic books and collectibles store. He's had many antique cars also, and
currently also enjoys a customized 1953 Ford.
Chuck Roum, Tom's friend, also owns a Loewy-styled Dorsett, shown below, and together they've researched the history of their boats, still yearning to learn more! If you know anything about these
models of boats, please email us (click here)
A related story about the Dorsett Sea Hawk, also by Raymond Loewy & Associates, appeared in Boating World. You can see their article at:
http://www.boatingworldonline.com/Archives.htm?CD=39&ID=1007
A few photos of other Loewy designs are below:
Studebaker Avanti (1962-63)
(source: http://www.avantisource.com)
Formica, "Skylark" (reissued as "Boomerang") pattern
(source: http://)
Greyhound Bus, 1940
(source: http://www.io.tudelft.nl/public/vdm/fda/loewy/lwy01.htm)
Lucky Cigarette box
(source: http://www.io.tudelft.nl/public/vdm/fda/loewy/lwy01.htm)
Shell Logo, 1967
(source: http://www.io.tudelft.nl/public/vdm/fda/loewy/lwy01.htm)
Streamlined pencil sharpener, 1933
(source: http://www.io.tudelft.nl/public/vdm/fda/loewy/lwy01.htm)
Studebaker "Champion", 1947
(source: http://www.io.tudelft.nl/public/vdm/fda/loewy/lwy01.htm)
Continental China, "Greek Key" Pattern
(source: http://www.jetsetmodern.com)
Haviland dinnerware
(source: http://www.robbinsnest.com/johannhavilandwhitewithstripes.html)
![]()
S1 train for the Pennsylvania Railroad
For more info on Raymond Loewy, visit these links:
I_D_E Virtual Design Museum
Avanti Source
I_D_E Virtual Design Museum
Bob Johnstone's Avanti Site
Studebaker Avanti
Please sign my
guestbook!
Questions? Comments? E-Mail me at
dalchicago@aol.com
Special thanks to Tom Schrammel and Chuck Roum!
copyright 2000 Joe Kunkel and Jetset - Designs for Modern Living and Tom. All Rights Reserved.
All content may not be
reproduced online or in print without written permission.
