Firms | Sundberg & Ferar

Carl W. Sundberg (1910-1982): US industrial designer born in Calumet, Michigan. He graduated from Northern High School and attended Wicker Art School in Detroit. He began his career in 1927 designing custom car bodies under Ray Dietrich at Dietrich Body Company, then worked in plastics design at Kurz-Kasch, Inc. He then joined General Motors Art and Color Section where he met Montgomery Ferar. In 1934, he and Ferar left GM and formed the lifelong partnership of Sundberg-Ferar, Inc. Carl retired in 1975.

Montgomery Ferar (1910-1982): US industrial designer born in Boston. He received a bachelor’s and master’s degrees in architecture at MIT in 1932, and took a year of study in Europe on a fellowship in 1933. He then worked for several architectural firms in Boston before moving to Detroit. There he worked for the Detroit Planning Commission before joining General Motor's Art and Color Section where he met Carl Sundberg. In 1934 they both left GM to form the industrial design firm of Sundberg-Ferar, Inc. From 1970 to 1980, Ferar taught industrial design at the Center for Creative Studies in Detroit. He retired, as did Sundberg, in 1975.

Sundberg-Ferar, Inc. Sundberg-Ferar designed many products for IBM, including their new 702 computer (1954); the RAMAC 305 business computer with the first disc drive, and with an architectural character to fit office decor (1957); and IBM's Model C electric typewriter (1959). They also designed the Tower Capri typewriter for Sears, Roebuck & Company in 1961.

In 1957 Sundberg-Ferar designed RCA/Whirlpool's "Miracle Kitchen" featuring a central command post and a roving robot vacuum cleaner.

In transportation, Sundberg-Ferar designed subway transit vehicles built by the Budd Company for the New York Metro Transportation Authority, which won a Design in Steel Award.(1969); the Bay Area Rapid Transit System (BART), the first new US regional transit system since 1907 (designed in 1965, introduced 1972); and the Washington, DC Metro subway cars (1976).

Sundberg-Ferar acquired the Chicago office of Goldsmith Yamasaki Specht in 1997 and in 2000, Sundberg-Ferar maintained four US offices and a location in the Far East.