During the 1960s, Weiss worked for the Czech interior design company Svépomoc, where he designed furniture, decorative objects and lighting. In 1968, he emigrated to the United States and settled in New York. He worked for several design companies, including the American division of Philips, where he designed consumer electronics.
In the 1980s, Weiss turned to graphic design and founded his own design company in New York. He has designed logos, visual identities and packaging for many companies, including IBM, AT&T, Mobil Oil, Pfizer, Xerox and United Airlines.
Weiss has received numerous awards for his work, including the New York City Industrial Design Award and the American Institute of Graphic Arts Graphic Design Award. He also taught industrial and graphic design at New York University.
Ivan Weiss died in 2015 at the age of 79. His work is recognized for its elegance, simplicity and efficiency, as well as for its influence on contemporary industrial and graphic design.