# Streamline Moderne

> The late, chiefly American phase of Art Deco, in which aerodynamic science became a visual language for a Depression-era culture hungry for progress. Industrial designers and illustrators wrapped trains, radios, diners and posters in teardrop curves, horizontal speed lines, rounded corners and airbrushed chrome, selling the 'World of Tomorrow' at the 1939 New York World's Fair.

- Period: 1930–1945
- Where: North America
- Origin: United States (New York, Detroit, Los Angeles), showcased at the 1933 Chicago and 1939 New York World's Fairs
- Branch: Pictorial & machine age
- Also known as: Streamline, Streamlining, American Art Deco
- Page: https://stylogeny.com/styles/streamline-moderne/

## How it works

- Express speed with parallel horizontal speed lines trailing behind forms and lettering.
- Round every corner: teardrops, bullets and wraparound curves replace Deco's stepped angles.
- Airbrush smooth gradients and metallic highlights so surfaces look polished and aerodynamic.
- Run compositions on low, sweeping horizontals or dramatic perspective toward the horizon.
- Present machines and transport (locomotives, airliners, ocean liners) as heroic, monumental icons.
- Set display type in condensed or extended sans capitals, often striped with inline speed bars.

## Its design choices

Defining choices make the style, characteristic ones are usual, occasional ones turn up now and then.

### Layout & composition
- [Isolated object](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/isolated-object/) (characteristic)
- [Diagonal axis](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/diagonal-axis/) (characteristic)
- [Central symmetry](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/central-symmetry/) (occasional)

### Space & hierarchy
- [Illusion of depth](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/illusion-of-depth/) (characteristic)
- [Repetition & rhythm](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/repetition-and-rhythm/) (characteristic)
- [Single focal point](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/single-focal-point/) (characteristic)

### Typography
- [Geometric sans](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/geometric-sans/) (characteristic)
- [Condensed display](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/condensed-display/) (characteristic)
- [All caps](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/all-caps/) (characteristic)
- [Ornamented display](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/ornamented-display/) (occasional)

### Colour
- [Gradients](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/gradients/) (defining)
- [Analogous harmony](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/analogous-harmony/) (characteristic)
- [Jewel & metallic](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/jewel-and-metallic/) (occasional)
- [Pastel](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/pastel/) (occasional)

### Form & shape
- [Rounded & pill](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/rounded-and-pill/) (defining)
- [Stylised figuration](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/stylised-figuration/) (characteristic)
- [Geometric primitives](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/geometric-primitives/) (occasional)

### Surface & texture
- [Gloss & highlights](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/gloss-and-highlights/) (defining)
- [Chrome & 3D render](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/chrome-and-3d-render/) (characteristic)
- [Painterly brushwork](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/painterly-brushwork/) (occasional)

### Ornament
- [Rules & bars](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/rules-and-bars/) (defining)
- [Restrained accents](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/restrained-accents/) (characteristic)

### Imagery
- [Painterly illustration](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/painterly-illustration/) (characteristic)
- [Flat vector illustration](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/flat-vector-illustration/) (occasional)
- [Straight photography](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/straight-photography/) (occasional)

### Medium & production
- [Lithography](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/lithography/) (characteristic)
- [Offset printing](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/offset-printing/) (characteristic)
- [Architecture & signage](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/architecture-and-signage/) (characteristic)

### Tone & intent
- [Technological & futurist](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/technological-and-futurist/) (defining)
- [Utopian & idealistic](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/utopian-and-idealistic/) (characteristic)
- [Luxurious & glamorous](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/luxurious-and-glamorous/) (occasional)

Avoids: Angular & zigzag, Floral & vegetal, Abundant decoration, Carved line, Collage & layering, Rebellious & subversive

Palette: #1f3a5f, #c0c6cc, #e8dcc2, #d9822b, #2b2b2b, #7fa7b8

Typefaces: Huxley Vertical (Walter Huxley, ATF, 1935), Agency Gothic (Morris Fuller Benton, ATF, 1932), Futura, Airbrushed custom lettering with speed stripes

Known for: Raymond Loewy (Pennsylvania Railroad locomotives); Henry Dreyfuss (20th Century Limited, 1938); Norman Bel Geddes (Horizons, 1932; General Motors Futurama, 1939); Leslie Ragan (New York Central System posters); Joseph Binder (official New York World's Fair poster, 1939); Walter Dorwin Teague

## Where it comes from, and what it’s close to

- Grew out of: [Art Deco](https://stylogeny.com/styles/art-deco.md) (1910–1939)
- Influenced by: [Italian Futurism](https://stylogeny.com/styles/futurism.md) (1909–1944)
- Led to: [Googie & Atomic Age](https://stylogeny.com/styles/googie.md) (1945–1965)
- Alike in its design choices: [Y2K Futurism](https://stylogeny.com/styles/y2k-futurism.md) (1997–2005), 50% alike
- Alike in its design choices: [Socialist Realist Propaganda Poster](https://stylogeny.com/styles/socialist-realism.md) (1932–1989), 50% alike
- Alike in its design choices: [Synthwave / Outrun](https://stylogeny.com/styles/synthwave-outrun.md) (2006–present), 50% alike
- Alike in its design choices: [Mexican Calendar Chromo (Cromos calendáricos)](https://stylogeny.com/styles/mexican-calendar-chromo.md) (1930–1970), 50% alike
- Alike in its design choices: [Claymorphism & Soft 3D](https://stylogeny.com/styles/claymorphism.md) (2020–present), 47% alike
- Alike in its design choices: [Basel Object Poster (Swiss Sachplakat)](https://stylogeny.com/styles/basel-object-poster.md) (1919–1955), 46% alike

## Real works

- [New York World's Fair 1939 / The World of Tomorrow](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Joseph_Binder_New_York_World%27s_Fair_1939_The_World_of_Tomorrow.jpg): Joseph Binder, 1938 (for the 1939 fair; Commons gives 20 July 1938), Wikimedia Commons (scan of a copy sold at Christie's)
- [The Zephyr: Burlington's Streamline Motor Train (brochure front)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pioneer_Zephyr_brochure_front.jpg): Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad; printed by Gusdorf-Warren Printing Co., Chicago, 1934, Wikimedia Commons (copy sold on eBay; no holding institution)
- [Union Pacific M-10000 brochure, 'Tomorrow's Train… Today!' (both sides)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Union_Pacific_M-10000_brochure_1934.JPG): Union Pacific Railroad, 1934 (undated; train delivered February 1934), Wikimedia Commons (copy sold on eBay; no holding institution)

## Sources

- Jeffrey L. Meikle, Twentieth Century Limited: Industrial Design in America, 1925–1939 (1979)
- Steven Heller & Louise Fili, Streamline: American Art Deco Graphic Design (Chronicle Books, 1995)

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From Stylogeny (https://stylogeny.com/), an atlas of graphic-design styles by Van Riel Online Services. How it is made: https://stylogeny.com/about/. Cite as: Stylogeny, “Streamline Moderne”, https://stylogeny.com/styles/streamline-moderne/