This legendary car designer is responsible for the most iconic design of Air Force One
Published on Sep 04, 2025 at 8:00 AM (UTC+4)
by Henry Kelsall
Last updated on Sep 03, 2025 at 4:25 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Alessandro Renesis
This legendary car designer from Studebaker is responsible for Air Force One’s iconic design, which is still used on the latest Air Force One in 2025.
French-born designer Raymond Loewy was famed for designing cars for Studebaker, an American car company, and then, in the early 1960s, he was called upon by U.S. President John F. Kennedy.
Having seen planes land at a nearby airport near his Palm Springs, California home, Loewy knew he could do better than some of the drab designs flying overhead.
The car designer was thus able to come up with a design for Air Force One that is still used on the Presidential transport to this very day.
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How Loewy came up with Air Force One’s iconic design
Loewy felt unimpressed by the aircraft he saw flying overhead from his Palm Beach home.
In particular, he was unimpressed with the colors that at the time adorned the Boeing 707 being used as Air Force One.
In Andrew Cohen’s 2016 book, Two Days in June: John F. Kennedy and the 48 Hours that Made History, Loewy expressed his displeasure.
“I was unimpressed by the gaudy red exterior markings and … the amateurish graphics of Air Force One,” he said.
Loewy communicated his displeasure to the livery to a very well-connected friend.
This was Air Force General Godfrey McHugh, an aide to President Kennedy.
With a new Air Force One on the horizon, the timing was perfect.
The Air Force One design is still used in 2025
Kennedy, whose Air Force One is preserved, wanted the color scheme to be blue.
This was his favorite color and that of the Democratic Party.
Loewy provided designs for the new aircraft, utilizing the blue and using the font Caslon.
Barring only minor revisions, the iconic design has been used on the aircraft ever since.
It perhaps comes as no surprise that Loewy’s design was so good, thanks to his involvement with Studebaker.
Loewy had designed cars like the Studebaker Avanti, a beautiful and sleek luxury car built from 1962 to 1963.
Powered by a 4.7-liter V8 engine, Studebaker sold only a few thousand of them before the company went bust in 1968.
But its design and that of the Presidential aircraft have allowed the car designer and his work’s legacy to live on.
It should never be forgotten how significant his design work has been for the United States.
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Henry is a content writer with nearly ten years experience, having written for various publications since 2017. Qualifying with a Sports Journalism degree from Staffordshire University, Henry loves all things automotive but has a particular soft spot for classic Japanese cars and anything Lancia. He also has a curious passion for steam locomotives.
