Brooks Stevens
Stevens was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on June 7,1911. Stricken with polio as a child, Stevens father encouraged him to practice drawing while confined to his bed, perhaps motivating his career in design. He studied architecture at Cornell University from 1929 to 1933, and established his own home furnishings design firm in 1934 in Milwaukee..
Brooks Stevens Design Work
His designs in home and kitchen appliances were popular, and he is recognized as being the start of the robins-egg blue phase of 50's kitchen appliances. He also practiced architectural design and graphic design. Of note is his design of the Miller Brewing logo.
As an automobile designer, Stevens was responsible for the Studebaker products (the Avanti was an exception) from the 1962 model year until Studebaker ceased automobile production in 1966. While with Studebaker, Stevens created the Studebaker Hawk GT and Studebaker Wagonaire. Stevens also designed the Willys-Overland Jeepster and all Jeep station wagons manufactured after World War II, including the Wagoneer and Cherokee. He also was the original designer of the classic Harley-Davidson motorcycle. All Harley's since, including models in production now, are based off of Stevens body designs.
Stevens designed the Oscar-Mayer Wiener mobile, an American pop-culture icon. He designed engines for Briggs and Stratton and Outboard Marine Corporation. He also designed the university logo for the Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) in 1978 as a part of "The Diamond Jubilee" celebration. The logo continues to be in use today and serves as the symbol of the university.
Stevens designed the distinctive post-war Skytop Lounge observation cars for the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad's premier Hiawatha passenger trains.
Brooks Stevens died on January 4, 1995 in Milwaukee. His son, Kipp Stevens, runs the Brooks Stevens Design Associates.