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Orange
crate label designs fall into three periods:
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Naturalism |
1885—1920 |
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Advertising |
1920—1935 |
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Commercial
Art |
1935—1955
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Many of
the earlier naturalistic designs remained in use throughout the 70
year history of citrus label art, especially if they were successful
in creating a strong identity for the grower. Therefore, specifically
dating the labels is difficult. The images shown are examples of the
styles mentioned and do not necessarily correspond with the dates
for each stylistic period.
The Naturalism style imitates American popular art of the time
depicting everyday subjects such as scenery, portraits, flowers, birds
and animals. These labels were not designed so much to promote and
advertise oranges as to display an attractive and memorable image
to the wholesale buyer. There are many naturalistic labels focusing
on California scenery. Coast sites, mountain ranges, orange groves
and towns were illustrated with such accuracy that we can now identify
specific landscapes, groves and towns from the crate label images.
Examples
of the Naturalism Style:
The
Advertising style reflects the competitive market and the
use of advertising principles. The labels of this period have clear,
simple images, strong titles, and direct messages. The overall effect
of a label was considered more important than its details. The color
scheme, lettering, image and brand name were designed to be viewed
from a distance and to communicate clearly the contents of the orange
crate.
Examples
of the Advertising Style:
Commercial
art labels emphasized the brand name as the central subject.
For dramatic effect, three-dimensional block letters with airbrushed
drop shadows were sloped or curved across a label. For greater product
identification, an image of an orange might be incorporated into
the label design.
Examples
of the Commercial Style:
Sources:
McClelland, Gordon T. and Jay T. Last. California Orange Box Labels:
An Illustrated History, Hillcrest Press, Inc., Santa Ana, Calif.
1995
Yee, Karen Meeker. A Package Deal: The Art of Agriculture, The National
Steinbeck Center, Salinas, Calif., 2000.
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