Streamlining; the design movement that influenced later design.
America’s obsession with fast and efficient products began in the late 20’s with the ‘Streamline movement.’ Rising in popularity in the 1930’s, ‘Streamline Moderne’ went furthest in delivering dominant design continuity across a variety of products ranging from fridges to skyscrapers. Streamlining was a style which could be applied to everything and was successfully integrated in to the modern American lifestyle.
Streamlining was the naturally emerging movement after art deco. The designs first appeared amongst transport where the ‘teardrop aesthetic’ encouraged the least air resistance possible. Raymond Loewy is an iconic designer to this period, as he was highly noted upon his great locomotive trains where streamlining was applied. The heavy emphasis on speed and ‘the future’ provided much excitement among the public who endured the depression of unemployment. The attraction of ‘the future’ was a liberation from the economic crisis and therefore quickly spread to small and stationary objects in addition to grand architecture in hope to resemble the futuristic streamlined transport. The products made in this style conveyed speed and efficiency due to the long horizontal lines and aerodynamic curves. Not only did this make the transport look fast, but every other object made in this style did too.
(Source Google Images)
characteristics emphasised: curving forms, rounded corners, cement, glass blocks and lots of chrome.
Surprisingly, streamlining contrasted with ‘functional modernism’- such as the Bauhaus which was the functional leading design style in Europe at the time. Although both movements aimed for high consumer satisfaction, functionalism restricted the personalisation aspect of products by forcefully embedding rules and overthinking the most efficient method of using the ultimate ‘functional product’. An example of this was Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky’s Frankfurt kitchen, which tried to change the efficiency people too much that it was never as successful- as intended.
Despite these differences, they are both similar in the way that Industrial designers from both movements removed the fussy ornament which appears in Art Deco, in favour of sleek, bullet-shaped aerodynamic designs. Streamline was simplified, yet still retained the same grandeur of art deco unlike modernism which was stripped to cold, angular and serious designs. “Streamlining and functionalism represent two very different schools in modernistic industrial design, but both reflecting the intended consumer.”
From my point of view, it seemed as if America in the 30’s was a pastiche of streamlining and art deco which fashioned an uplifting and hopeful atmosphere for future trends and design movements. I feel due to the successful embrace of the modern movement; the American people have adjusted to a successfully modern lifestyle and which has given them a head start in technological trends of today. Leading design and American based cooperation’s such as Apple boast a huge influential standing in the current consumer market. Their hold of design has competitors following suit of their sleek chrome and curved products which resonate heavily with streamlining.
I feel streamlining has not just inspired an aesthetic influence of technology, but also on transport, furniture and architecture is still being created in reflection to this design movement.
Due to the war, it hindered the progress of new design and innovation where streamlining was still present in consumerism until the 1960’s. Today there are still remnants of streamlining in modern products today such as:
(Source: Google Images)
The Armarni casa balloon chair, is curvaceous and consists of similar lines which resonate to the ‘speed lines’ seen on transport.
(Source: Google Images)
Although this is not obviously streamlining, there are various suggestions of the design- such as the port hole window, flat roof, and block of windows which is interpreted and amalgamated to the contemporary architecture.
(Source: Google Images)
The shark car by Larry Shinoda and Bill Mitchell is an adaptation of streamlining by interpreting it from the perspective of a ‘streamlined’ animal. The speed rails have even been made to look like gills.
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