From Art Deco To Streamlining And Sparke Penny

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The “machine age” is a phrase associated with American industrial design in the 1930's. The artists, architects and designers of that time believed they would end the great depression in the states through their industrial design creations. Similar to the European designers who believed they could achieve a higher standard of living through a lifestyle dedicated to the modernism movement.
The aim of this essay is to establish the similarities and the differences between American streamlining and European modernist design. Primarily focusing on two texts that examine both design views of the early twentieth century; Maffei, Nicholas “The Search for an American Design Aesthetic: from Art Deco to
Streamlining” and Sparke Penny. “Silent Salesmen: the rise and fall of the American Industrial Design Consultant.” In
Consultant Design: the history and practice of the design in industry. London: Pembridge, 1983. With reference to …show more content…

It was a major part of mass production. Sparke refers to Charles R. Richards with regard to “America's debt to European taste”. They needed designers with the same education and their schools couldn't provide the same level.
The influence of Europe referred to the art rather than advertising. It seems that their advertising was solely Americanised. “Europe exercises very little influence upon the character of lithographic or other advertising design in this country largely because of what is foreign designs to American advertising needs”. This gave them artistic freedom. Loewy, Dorwin Teague and Bel Geddes all explored futuristic designs and promoted themselves within their brands.

1939 gave room for two levels of industrial design. One being “visionary projects” by Geddes and Teague. The other was more realistic and practical which created mass production. An exception was Raymond Loewy, who incorporated visionary and realistic

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