In a slide show posted on the Life Web site—yes, Life; it lives on despite ceasing regular publication in 2007—BoingBoing co-founder Mark Frauenfelder writes about Raymond Loewy’s inimitable body of work, which includes iconic designs for Coke, Lucky Strike, Greyhound, and Studebaker. “His signature, streamlined sensibility combined a feeling of luxury with practicality, novelty with familiarity, and boldness with elegance,” Frauenfelder writes. He also takes a look at a couple of classic Loewy designs that have since been tinkered with—not surprisingly, to disastrous effect. Check out the complete slide show here.

Related: Last March, in “The Children of Raymond Loewy,” Deyan Sudjic wrote about the “curious lineage” that exists between the dapper Frenchman and today’s design stars.