Louis C. Kalff (1897-1976) was a designer and art director at Philips for advertising, products, exhibitions, and stands, as well as being an architect. Growing up in a prosperous environment in Amsterdam, his father was a lawyer who later became a journalist and the art and editor-in-chief for the Algemeen Handelsblad. Kalff attended HBS and the Quellinusschool for a year before studying architecture in Delft in 1916. During his studies, he designed posters, banners, and costumes for student celebrations. In 1923, he completed an internship with architect D.F. Slothouwer.
Kalff applied to work at Philips through a letter, stating that the company’s advertising was not modern enough and lacked “standing.” In 1925, he was put in charge of the commercial and artistic propaganda departments. In articles and memoirs, Kalff claimed that he wanted to standardize the Philips brand and emphasized the unity and international aspect of the company’s image. He also designed products, stands, exhibitions, and light shows for Philips. In 1929, he became the head of the so-called Light Advisory Bureau, and in 1946, he was appointed as the art director. In that same year, he advocated for a central design department that would also conduct research. However, it was not until 1954 that such a department was established under his successor R. Veersema.
In 1958, Kalff worked with Le Corbusier and composer Edgar Varèse on the Philipspaviljoen for the World Fair in Brussels, where their Poème Électronique was performed. In 1966, he designed the Evoluon, a technology center in Eindhoven. Kalff also built several villas, gave lectures, and was involved with the KIO and the Eindhoven Academy for Industrial Design. In 1941, he wrote the book Kunstlicht en architectuur (Artificial Light and Architecture).
www.ftn-books.com has the book on Kalff by van Dam now available.
