Eliot Noyes (1910–77) was a remarkable figure in twentieth-century design. An architect who began his career working in the office of Walter Gropius and Marcel Breuer, he went on to become the first Director of the Industrial Design department at MoMA in the 1940s. From the late 1950s until his death in 1977 he was Consulting Director of Design for IBM, Mobil Oil, Westinghouse and Cummins Engine Company, and was responsible for bringing about a change in the way that these corporations, and others that followed, were to think about design and its impact on business. He enlisted pioneering designers, notably Charles Eames, Paul Rand, Ivan Chermayeff and Tom Geismar, to help him bring about innovative architectural, graphic and industrial design. He was personally responsible for the design of some notable twentieth-century classics, such as IBM’s Selectric typewriter and Mobil Oil’s service stations and petrol pumps. His own work includes architectural projects, such as the award-winning Noyes' family residence in Connecticut.
This major monograph will trace the life of this unique architect, designer and businessman who devoted a great deal of his career to encouraging large American businesses to respect and develop policies that were rich in cultural expression.
The author has had extended access to the Noyes’ archive of personal as well as business projects, materials and letters, and he has carried out extended interviews with a great deal of Noyes’ acquaintances and relations. His comprehensive and lively text is accompanied by archival and new colour photography, drawings, plans and a diverse range of documentary material, much of which is previously unpublished.