Louis Dorfsman

In his three-hour interview, Louis Dorfsman (1918-2008) talks about his earliest experiences in his field, including being an assistant for Display Guild, which produced numerous exhibits for the 1939 World's Fair. He describes his long association with CBS, where he began as a staff director in the art department in 1946. He talks about his legendary work in the 1950s for CBS radio, during that medium's waning days. He recalls his eventual move to television and becoming the director of design for CBS, Inc. He recounts his influential work at CBS in print and television advertising, and his pioneering use of typography. Dorfsman details the erection of Black Rock, CBS's headquarters on 52nd Street, and his work on the interior of the building, including his cafeteria wall collage. He outlines the fall television season campaigns at CBS and his well-known campaigns for shows including The Waltons, which helped boost its ratings. He speaks of his design of two books for CBS, Field of Vision (1962) on football, and a commemorative book on the 1969 moon landing. Ron Simon conducted the interview on May 15, 2000 in New York, NY.