You Press the Button, We Do the Rest

In the time of Kodak founder George Eastman, photography was a complicated process. It required a "pack-horse load" of equipment, plus significant training and skill. Eastman introduced the No. 1 Kodak camera with the catchy slogan "You Press the Button, We Do the Rest", and revolutionized photography by providing the public a camera that was easy and fun to use.

Recognizing the Value of Identity

Terms like brand management and corporate identity were coined decades later, but George Eastman knew the value of having a recognizable "brand". Thus, in 1905 the unassuming cardboard package of Eastman film donned the distinctive yellow color that has been a valuable asset to the company and a tool for the graphic designer ever since.

Excellence in Form and Function

Eastman was concerned with the appearance of products as well as that of packaging. In the mid-1920s, Kodak established a relationship with Walter Dorwin Teague, a respected graphic designer whose influence over the next several decades resulted in some of the most distinctive cameras ever produced. Teague came to be regarded as a giant among the artists and designers from various disciplines who, by applying their talents to the design of mass-produced goods, created the field of industrial design.

A Tradition of User-Centered Design

In the mid-1940s, Kodak created one of the very first in-house corporate design staffs. In 1960, Kodak established what is now one of the oldest Human Factors Labs in the United States. Originally focused on the design of workplace facilities and environments, the Lab expanded its charter to include its current focus on product design in the mid-1960s.

Today

Current design and usability activities at Kodak follow the same goal Eastman had in mind when he designed the No. 1 Kodak camera: create products that people want, and that are easy, fun, efficient, and effective for them to use. Designers and usability experts at Kodak draw from their diverse areas of expertise to contribute to this effort; find out how.