If only Raymond Loewy had designed a typewriter.

Today marks the 120th anniversary of the birth of one of the most prolific, imaginative, and successful industrial designers in history. Google marked the day by using a Google-doodle on their search page that riffs one of Loewy's most striking designs, the S1 locomotive that he created for the Pennsylvania Railroad. 

However, when you peruse through seven decades of Loewy's designs, which range from the Coca-Cola bottle to the interior of Nasa's Skylab, you'll notice one glaring omission: Loewy apparently  never designed a typewriter.

He came close - sort of - when he created the Elna Lotus sewing machine, but his genius unfortunately never dipped into the realm of our favorite machines.

I can imagine what a Loewy typewriter might have looked like, a bold and exciting fusion of streamlined curves, seductive lines, and an overt presence that screams industrial might.

Considering some of his best designs date to the height of the typewriter boom, it seems odd that not one of the large typewriter manufacturers made use of his brilliance. Or maybe they did - and he refused - or perhaps he was too busy designing parts for Harley-Davidson at the time or was too caught up in the final details of the Studebaker Commander.

If only Raymond Lowey had designed a typewriter; I know that I would have bought one.