Monday 9 December 2013

Walter Dorwin Teague



Walter Dorwin Teague was beside Raymond Loewy and Norman bel Geddes during the streamlining movement. He was an artist and worked in an advertising industry and had his own typographic office. Dorwin was also involved in packaging and began working for the industrial design in 1927. His first and most long lasting client was Kodak. In 1928 Kodak hired Walter Dorwin Teague to create cameras with a classier, more elegant look. His first creation was Series 3 Vest Pocket Vanity Kodak.


It was a metal and embossed leather camera that came in five colours: Bluebird (deep blue), Cockatoo (green), Sea Gull (gray), Redbreast (red), and Jenny Wren (brown). He also designed a camera for women to still look their best while taking photos which he named the ‘Vanity’ Kodak Ensemble outfit.



This design included a colour-coordinated camera, lipstick holder, compact, mirror and change purse in a fitted case. His most popular Kodak cameras of the twenties and thirties were designed for the entire family. Another famous camera which he designed was the Beau Brownie. The Beau Brownie was made in two sizes and came in five colours with a modern Deco two-tone pattern on the face and box.


 Teague also designed for Ford he wasn't that much of an auto mobile fan, he didn't actually design any cars himself. He was also hired to design new Pullman coaches for the new haven rail-road.



Today’s Apple designs are inspired by Teague’s idea. They saw how he made several different colours of the same product like the camera’s he designed with Kodak that were very successful, he wanted to expand the markets appeal in particular to women. Apple produced the player which was very successful but still wanted to expand the market so they looked back in the past found Teague’s camera designs and came up with the same grand idea.




brownie camera. 2013. walter dorwin teague. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.browniecamera.nl/walter_dorwin_teague.htm. [Accessed 09 January 14].

kodak. 2013. gloriously colourful . [ONLINE] Available at: http://kodak.digitalfx.tv/#/cameras/beau-brownie. [Accessed 09 January 14].
bloomberg business week. 2008. what apple learned from kodak. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/next/archives/2008/12/what_apple_lear.html. [Accessed 09 January 14].
Fiell, C & P F, 1999. design of the 20th century. 2nd ed. china: ISBN.





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