Walter Joseph Landor (1913 – 1995) was a brand designer and the founder of Landor Associates. 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.
"Products are made in the factory, but brands are created in the mind," Walter Landor memorably stated. He had a particular gift for creating designs with broad popular appeal, such as the Coca-Cola script. Brands as diverse as General Electric, Japan Airlines, Levi Strauss, and Shell Oil all benefited from his vision and commitment.
In 1941, Landor and his wife, Josephine, launched a design firm in their small flat, working from the living room table. 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. 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, renting space to six other companies; Klamath had operated from 1924 to 1956, retiring after the opening of the Richmond–San Rafael Bridge. The firm moved from Klamath to their present headquarters at 1001 Front Street in the late 1980s, but retains the Klamath as their corporate symbol, although the boat itself was purchased by Duraflame and was moved to Stockton.
What the hell is good design? Is it something that gives satisfaction to your own ego? Or is it something that creates a positive response in the eyes, minds, and hearts of millions of people? Also, is it something that is appropriate to its category? Ideally it is all of these. — Walter Landor
His work included brands like Del Monte (1965), Levi Strauss & Co. (1968), Cotton Incorporated (1973), Marlboro (1977), Virginia Slims, Tab (1979), Dole Foods (1984), Coca-Cola (1985), Fujifilm (1987), 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. GM New Look bus and PCC streetcar (No. 1122) in San Francisco, wearing "Landor livery" in 1982.
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.
Landor retired in 1989. In 1994 the Smithsonian Institution honored Walter Landor by establishing a permanent collection of his designs and packaging. Landor died in 1995 at the age of 81.
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| Mr. Walter Landor |
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| Landor Historical Klamath 152 (original office) |
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| Royal Viking Lines |
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| Bank of America |
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| Nine Suns |
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