Arthur J. Pulos (1917- 1993) American Industrial Designer and Educator

In: Decorative & Applied Arts, Design Education, Designers, Industrial Designers, Silversmith
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American Design Adventure cover by Arthur Pulos
American Design Adventure cover by Arthur Pulos

Arthur Pulos (1917 – 1993) was a well-known design teacher, promoter, and industrial designer. Arthur Pulos was renowned for his writings, lectures in developed and developing nations, and involvement with important organizations like the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (ICSID).

Black and white portrait of Arthur Pulos, an influential industrial designer and historian.
Arthur Pulos – Pioneering Industrial Designer and Historian

Education

After graduating from the Carnegie Institute of Technology in 1939, he went to the University of Oregon to pursue a Master’s in Fine Art, which he completed in 1943. Arthur Pulos was a professor and dean of Syracuse University’s Design Department from 1955 to 1982 and president of Pulos Design Associates (1955–88).

Modernist silver compote designed by Arthur Pulos, featuring a sleek, curved bowl with a geometric pedestal base.
A silver compote designed by Arthur Pulos showcases a refined modernist aesthetic with a curved bowl and a structured pedestal base, embodying both form and function.

Works

The American Design Ethic: A History of Industrial Design to 1940 (1983) and The American Design Adventure: 1940–1975 are two of his most well-known works on design in the United States (1988). From assisting Colonial Williamsburg in 1953 to serving as a juror for the International Design Awards in Osaka in 1983, his consulting work has been diverse (see Japan Design Foundation). Instruments for Welch Allyn, power tools for Rockwell, and dictation machines for Dictaphone were among the creations of Arthur Pulos.

Modernist silver pitcher designed by Arthur Pulos, featuring an asymmetrical spout, a sleek curved body, and a black wooden handle.
A stunning silver pitcher designed by Arthur Pulos, showcasing a sleek, modernist form with an asymmetrical spout and elegant wooden handles.

Recognition

Arthur Pulos was named a Distinguished Designer Fellow of the National Endowment (1984), received the 1st World Design Award at the World Design Conference in New York (1988), and the 7th International Design Award from the International Design Festival in Osaka in 1993. He also presided over ICSID from 1981 to 1983.

Sources

Art Institute of Chicago. (n.d.). Arthur Jon Pulos. Retrieved February 15, 2025, from https://www.artic.edu/artists/32523/arthur-jon-pulos

Byars, M., & Riley, T. (2004). The design encyclopedia. Laurence King Publishing.

Woodham, J. M. (2006). A dictionary of modern design. Oxford University Press. Arthur Pulos and his contributions are extensively acknowledged in these sources.

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