Abstract
During the early twentieth century, the Pacific Northwest entered the imagination of Americans living in the Eastern and Midwestern urban centers of the United States through the branding of its natural resources. Among the most pervasive images were those related to the marketing of apples. Colorful labels, identifying growers and/or packers, were pasted on fruit crates that were shipped East through the new transcontinental railroads, and later put on display in the grocery shops. The graphics on these labels provide a window to begin to understand how design was used not only as a tool to support product commodification, but also as a means to negotiate the fears and contradictions brought upon by industrialized agriculture. This study explores the phenomenon of the branding of Northwest apples in the first half of the twentieth century, with a focus on design practices. While establishing differentiation between similar products–apples to apples–visual branding contributed to forge a unified identity for a region that was still culturally peripheral to Western society. This relative isolation can provide a microcosm from which to assess the potential and limitations of design as a mediator between systems of production and consumption.
Presenters
Cristina de AlmeidaProfessor of Graphic Design, Design, Western Washington University, Washington, United States
