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Photo and excerpt taken from an article on IDSA’s website;
He was self-described as the first “industrial designer” in the US, because he stamped the title on his letterhead in 1920. Born in Auckland, New Zealand, one of a family of ten, he attended the Elam School of Art there and apprenticed as an artist at the New Zealand Herald newspaper from 1904 to 1909.
…he was asked to also design products for clients in 1923, many of them in art deco style. Among them were scales for Peerless and the International Ticket Scale Corporation, the Acousticon and Sonotone hearing aids, Remington typewriters and calculators for Marchand. His package designs were featured in a 1934 Fortune magazine and he won a number of design awards.
He worked for fifty-five advertising agencies during his career, and for eleven years, was married to concert pianist Genevieve Blue. He returned to the California College of Arts and Crafts in the 1940s where later in life he was made an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts. He also taught at a number of other design schools including Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and Chouinard in LA.
Click here for full article on Joseph Claude Sinel.
Ever since I can remember, I’ve been drawing cars. I grew up loving to draw, paint, take pictures, take things apart, and put things back together. I suppose, becoming an Industrial Designer was one of the simplest decisions I’ve ever made. Read more...
Interesting article, Rob. Thanks.
If Joe came to the US in 1918 after a five year apprenticeship and died in 1975, what was his average tenure at the 55 advertising agencies he worked for in 57 years? And at what point in his life was his marriage of 11 years to Ms Blue and why was this tidbit significant?
Thanks for you comment! I thought the original article on Joseph was interesting. I’m sorry to say I don’t know much more about him. I have been curious to read more regarding his life and career. When I find out more I’ll be sure to share.
Thanks also for your interest in my new site. I hope it will turn into a great resource for designers everywhere. One of my purposes in spotlighting Jo is to inspire others to remember the past. The design community is always concerned about the future, but an occasional harken to the past can help broaden our perspective. I hope to do a couple every month, and appreciate the suggestion on adding a few of my own comments as to why the individual is important to me.