Auston Design Group of Emeryville CA developed this label for Wrangletown, a hard cider produced in what is now the Northern California town of Freshwater in Humboldt County but which, at the turn of the century, was better known as Wrangletown, a tumultuous community of miners, loggers, and seven saloons that bred public disagreements.
Design firm founder and creative director Tony Auston explains that “two of Wrangletown’s most notoriously disagreeable women provide the focal point for this package. The unique town history not only provided the inspiration for the old-west look, it became a prominent element of the packaging. The proprietary, hand-lettered brandmark and the custom woodcut style illustrations were created to roughly reflect the old west look and feel of print design in the late 1800’s. The use of multiple typefaces also evokes the era, and gives the sense that the printer used every piece of wood-type in his drawer — not an uncommon practice back when printers doubled as designers. We think it all adds up to a ‘sorta refined, kinda classy’ package.”
