Product design in the 1920's-1930's

In design, if the second decade of the 20th century was noted for significant changes in typography, the 1920s were a time of significant changes in the use of illustration.The influences of popular illustrators as diverse as Maxfield Parrish, Beatrix Potter, James Montgomery Flagg, 

and C. Coles Phillips (In a position to know), were beginning to alter the look of advertising and package design.

'In a position to

 know',

C. Coles Phillips.

This decade was also a time when new package design

 themes were originated. In many cases these themes

still have a profound influence on the conventions of contemporary design. This also seemed to be a time when interesting design precedents were being established. Some categories would become design leaders and others would become design followers.

Perfume bottle design and fruit crate label art, appeared to be a clear intention to break new ground and create a very

new, more contemporary

look. These companies

certainly wanted to signal a change from the past. Cigar labels, show a clear intention to use historical references, and graphic conventions from previous 

decades, to bolster the traditions of the manufacturers.

The fragrance indus

try,until this decade, had been heavily influenced by designs that relied on historical references, were

complex,organically modeled feminine 

forms, and still heavily influenced by the complex motifs 

of the late 19th century gilded age. The most modern influences until the 1920s 

were art nouveau inspired bottle and label shapes.

These new brands offered a radical mix of simplified bottle shapes, and label typography. The notion of using simple black sans-serif typography on an unadorned white or gold label would not have occurred to a perfumer previously.

The most significant influence in fruit crate art was the use of new printing techniques that could inexpensively reproduce

bold, full color illustration. There was an explosion of graphic icons, bold colour, 

and dramatically simplified layouts and typography.

These layouts often depended solely on the strength of the illustration for their communication.

Cigar label art benefitted from the same opportunities afforded by the new printing techniques, the marketers were far more conservative with their brand equity, preferring to continue with design themes from the previous two decades. Typography was still heavily influenced by the 19^thcentury hand-drawn letterforms, with the use of art nouveau inspired textures and patterns. But the use of bright colorful illustration was truly a break from the past. Previously cigar labels, and many other types of label graphics, had used a limited palette of 2-3 line colours and the illustrations were often rendered, like old-master etchings, in a black line drawing style. While the graphic style might be intentionally traditional, these new cigar labels do explode with full colour, tonal drawings.  

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