ID [PNW]

"We never show them sketches and never present alternatives."   Walter D. Teague Walter Dorwin Teague -photo courtesy Teague archives Be the Authority        Teague used a bold strategy with his clients, one which most consultants do not dare to do today.  When it came time to present the design deliverables, he only presented one.  It was presented with panache and great authority, usually as a beautiful and perfect full scale model, with dramatic lighting and within a contextual environment.  Teague’s perspective was that he was the designer, and he had the experience and expertise to make the final design decision.  His office had explored all possible options and alternatives, and this was the best solution.  “We work very closely with our clients, their engineers and executives, so that we thoroughly understand the conditions of success in their business.  But we consider that design is our business, not theirs. ...

  The Successful Design Business Practices of Walter Dorwin Teague Part 4 of 5  Design Research and Designer Cultural Sensitivity versus Market Surveys  ( click here for part 1 ,  part 2 ,  part 3 ) Designers at the boards in the New York Teague office. About 1940. Photo by Stowe Myers.     Teague believed in the designer’s intuitive sensitivity of culture and understanding of the client and end-user, to lead them to the best design solution.  Teague expresses the limitations of marketing and surveys in this speech in Detroit 1960: “These people can’t tell you what they are going to like three years from now- that’s been completely proven; but they can’t even tell you what they will like today if you’ve never seen it.   So the designer will learn next to nothing from the quiz programs some companies conduct at great expense.  But the designer should be aware of and sensitive to the trends that are moving in this small,...

Part 3 of 5: Office Atmosphere and Building Alliances with Clients ( click here for part 1 and part 2 ) Figure 1: Teague drafting room, New York City, circa 1938. photo by Stowe Myers. Office Atmosphere     How did Teague run his office?  What was it like to work at WDTA during its heyday?   In 16mm film shot by partner, Stowe Myers, the 1940’s staff of Teague is shown at work and at play in their New York office studio.  Drafting desks are arranged in two long rows, all facing the front of the room, where the most senior designer or architect would be working.  The film also shows office parties, which included drinks and group singing.  It also documents a casual office art exhibition, where staff could display their personal artistic works, painting, drawing, and watercolors.  Although everyone worked rigorously, he allowed occasions for staff to celebrate their hard work and talents with parties and other creative events. Stowe Mye...

The Successful Design Business Practices of Walter Dorwin Teague Part 2 of 5 Walter Dorwin Teague in his office-photo WDTA archives Gaining New Clients: Role Playing with Raymond Loewy and Walter D. Teague How did the early industrial designers sell themselves to new clients?  Raymond Loewy and Walter D. Teague answered this question during a conference in 1946 entitled “Industrial Design: A New Profession” held at the Museum of Modern Art, New York.  They demonstrated this by having a mock discussion between designer and client, with Teague acting as the potential client. What is interesting about this discussion is that much of the conversation sounds the same as our discussions with clients today with some notable exceptions.  Here is an excerpt: Raymond Loewy:  …Mr. Teague, let us try to discuss it together.  Would you like to take the part of the client? Walter Dorwin Teague:  All right, fine. Well, Mr. Loewy, I know that you ...

I just finished editing this video showing the designers and architects of Walter Dorwin Teague's New York office in 1940.  Shot by C. Stowe Myers and provided by his son Charlie Myers. I think that it's interesting seeing the air brushed renderings, scale truck models, drafting tables, cigarettes, alcohol and wild parties.  Sorry about the video quality, it wasn't transferred well, I hope to get a better digitization of the film soon. If you'd like to follow the progress of the Walter Dorwin Teague documentary, check back at this blog or Like the  Facebook Page.

These are recently discovered and digitized photographs of the design and construction of the Kodak Pavilion at the 1939 New York World's Fair. All photos by Stowe Myers, who played a key role in the design of this exhibition.  Provided by Charlie Myers. Airbrushed presentation renderings. Scale model of pavilion, done in 1938. Detail of scale model. Construction begins in Flushing Meadows, Queens, NYC. If you'd like to follow the progress of the Walter Dorwin Teague documentary, check back at this blog or Like the Facebook Page.

To continue my progress of the Teague documentary production process... Thursday, June 30th was a visit to the Brooklyn Museum , which has an impressive collection of Teague designed objects.  Then Friday I was shooting locations around the city, such the former office locations on Madison Ave, the Art Students League where he went to school, and his old home in Forest Hills .  I also photographed some key influential art deco architecture that was built in the 1930’s, including an incredible tour of Donald Deskey's Radio City Music Hall. The Art Students League 2011.  The same building the Teague attended 1902-1906. photo by J. Morris The former Teague family home in Forest Hills, New York. photo by J. Morris The Sparks - Sparton Table Radio- 1936 - designed by Teague. photographed in the Brooklyn Museum. Later this month I will be visiting architect and grandson, Harry Teague in Aspen, CO.  We will also visit Charlie Myers , ...

Kodak Brownie Junior - Photo by J.A. Morris This summer has been busy with new progress on the Teague documentary and biography.  Here's a quick summary: New Alliances             Thanks to Vicki Matranga , I connected with Charlie Myers , son of C. Stowe Myers, partner at the Teague New York office.  Charlie has compiled films, audio interviews, and photographs and is offering them for us to use in the doc.  I just received a DVD of digitized 8mm film of the Teague office from 1939 to 1943.  It has great scenes of employee designers working, drawing, rendering, making models, smoking pipes and having parties.  Awesome stuff, thanks Charlie!             Gifford Jackson was a designer at the Teague office from 1954 to 64 and I was recently introduced to him through Budd Steinhilber.  He was personal friends with the Teague family.  He live...

1959 Cadillac Tailfin - photo by Christer Johansson I've been digging through the archives at the Teague Design office in Seattle, hoping to find the story of his life for a biography and documentary.  Once in  awhile I find some gems that are worth sharing.  This quote is from Teague's "The Responsibilities of the Industrial Designer," An Address by WDT to the Detroit Chapter, Industrial Designers Institute. Published in Road & Track, January 1960. In regards to american car styling of the late 1950's when the tail fins grew to extreme heights: "[I am] definitely and unreservedly hostile to recent trends in American automobile design... I agree heartily with millions of others that our characteristic car design has in recent years become lousy, ugly, vulgar, ostentatious, impractical, and excessively costly..."   "In my opinion, Detroit got into trouble because it got out of step with the rest of American industry and the taste of the ...

A Biographical Documentary about Walter Dorwin Teague begins Development. Walter Dorwin Teague (1883 - 1960) is considered one of the founding fathers of industrial design as well as one of the most prolific American industrial designers in history.  He established his design office in the late 1920’s, which continues today as one of the important design institutions in the world.  His most notable design work includes all of Kodak camera’s from 1927 to 1957, Texaco’s art deco gas stations in the1940’s, the Boeing Stratocruiser and the 707 aircraft.  His legacy led to the design all subsequent Boeing aircraft including today’s 787 Dreamliner.  He directed the design and architecture of the 1939 World Exposition.  He was also an architect whose work includes the Texaco exhibition hall at the 1935 Texas Centennial Exposition in Dallas, Texas, the Ford pavilion for the California Pacific International Exposition (1935) in Balboa Park in San Diego, and the 1961...