range of projects including the design of products in the major appliance, commercial
equipment, health care, housewares and electronics industries, and also in
environmental, exhibit and graphic areas. Some of the companies he has worked
with as co-founder of HLB (Herbst, LaZar, Bell), the international
design and development firm, are Sunbeam, GE, Raytheon, Brunswick, Whirlpool,
Nutone-Broan, and Sears. He has provided many of these companies with
innovative design solutions. For Brunswick, where HLB was responsible for the
product and graphic design of their total bowling equipment line, he designed new
structural and usability approaches to seating, storage, scoring and pin setting
masking units. Concerned with cleaning issues for Hotpoint kitchen appliances
he introduced glass control panels to the industry which also resulted in integrating
the appearance of these products. In exhibit, graphic and environmental areas he
has directed and produced designs for the Smithsonian Institute Air and Space
Museum, the Grand Coulee Dam, US government agencies and major hotels including The Waldorf-Astoria.
In addition to holding over 100 patents in various product areas he has received a number of design awards including Industrial Design Excellence (IDEA)/Business Week awards, Design Magazine Annual Review awards, Package Design Annual Review Award, Appliance Manufacturers Excellence in Design awards,
The HSMAN Graphics 2000 Gold Award, the Italian Triennially Award and Good Design awards from the Chicago Atheneum Museum of Architecture and Design.
In 2003 he was nominated as a candidate for a lifetime achievement award in the National Design Awards Program sponsored by the Cooper-Hewitt
National Design Museum.
Throughout his career Ralph LaZar as a member of IDSA, The Industrial Designers Society of America, has served in a number of capacities, including Chairman of the Chicago chapter, Chairman of a National Conference and Nominations and Elections Chairman. He co-founded and created the structure of the initial IDEA - Industrial Design Excellence Award program and was its first chairman. He also lectured, served as a juror in design competitions,and in student mentoring programs.
transfer and monotype techniques. His work has been exhibited at the University of Illinois,The North Shore
Art League in Winnetka, Illinois, the Atheneum in La Jolla California and the On Assignment art gallery in
San Diego, California. He received his design training at the University of Illinois where he earned a Bachelor of Fine and Applied Arts degree and The Institute of Design, Illinois Institute of Technology where he earned a Master of Science degree. He also attended the Chicago Art Institute, the North Shore Art League and the Atheneum in California for training as a fine artist. His residence and studio is in San Diego, California where he lives with his wife Rosita.
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