Henry Dreyfuss, the Forgotten Industrial Design Giant

In 1972, legendary industrial designer Henry Dreyfuss and his wife and sometime creative collaborator Doris were found dead in their car. Because Doris had been diagnosed with inoperable liver cancer, they had committed double-suicide. In fact, Dreyfuss had designed their suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning. This tragedy unfortunately wound up muting Henry Dreyfuss's legacy as one of the 20th century greatest designers.

"Form follows function" has been the industrial designer's golden rule for many decades, and Henry Dreyfuss most exemplified this rule. Ergonomics and safety took priority over styling. Many of Dreyfuss's design innovations seemed as if they came straight out of nature. As a result, these products have been the sort that most of us take for granted because they've remained an integral part of daily life, such as the round temperature thermostat found in most homes.

Notable Designs

Among Henry Dreyfuss's notable and classic designs are the "Princess" telephone, the John Deere tractor (from 1937 to his death), the square Mason jar, the first anatomically shaped toilet seat, and the shell of the first Polaroid camera. Other designs include Hoover's first upright vacuum cleaner and the Model 500 standard black desk telephone, the most common model of phone until 1994.

To some, his crowning achievement was 1938's 20th Century Limited train with its streamlined body, its club-like seating arrangements, and even the china and silverware in its dining cars.

Humble Beginnings

Born the son of immigrant parents in Brooklyn, Henry Dreyfuss came from humble beginnings. He began his career as an apprentice to legendary Broadway stage set designer Norman Bel Geddes. In 1929, his career as an industrial designer took off after he won a design competition sponsored by Bell Laboratories for the "phone of the future." And his telephone with the horizontal cradle wound up becoming the industry standard until 1950, when his Model 500 replaced it.

After World War II, Dreyfuss helped Lockheed convert military planes for civilian aviation. He also designed the interior of the 707 for Boeing.

Henry and Doris

Since founding his design firm, Henry and Doris Dreyfuss worked together as a team until their retirement in 1969. Doris was sometimes his collaborator, but served mostly as his creative muse. One of his last achievements, in fact, was collaborating with Doris on the "Henry Dreyfuss Symbol Sourcebook", an international dictionary of symbols. This became a standard for years.

The End

Until his death, Henry Dreyfuss was a faculty member in the engineering department at Caltech in Pasadena, California. His design firm Henry Dreyfuss Associates lives on.

A closing quote from Dreyfuss: If "people are made safer, more comfortable, more eager to purchase, more efficient, or just happier, the designer has succeeded."