Dole Pineapple Gems | 1938

Dole Pineapple Gems, 1938, by A.M. Cassandre

This striking advertisement poster showcases Dole Pineapple Gems with a modernist, Art Deco design. The composition features a stylized white pineapple silhouette against a rich, gradient blue background with dark green pineapple leaves radiating outward. Inside the pineapple's white outline, several bright yellow cubes of pineapple appear to float within a blue-green interior, representing the "gems" referenced in the title. The bold text at the bottom reads "DOLE PINEAPPLE GEMS" with "TRULY HAWAIIAN" beneath it, while smaller text at the top announces "NEW TREAT FROM HAWAII... SPOON-SIZE CUTS FROM THE TENDEREST, JUICIEST PART OF THE PINEAPPLE." The poster is signed by the artist in the bottom right corner. The design brilliantly combines geometric shapes with tropical imagery, using a sophisticated colour palette of blues, greens, whites, and vibrant yellows to create a visually striking advertisement.

This advertisement was created in 1938 for the Hawaiian Pineapple Company (later known as Dole Food Company) to promote their new product, Pineapple Gems, which were bite-sized pineapple chunks. The Hawaiian Pineapple Company, based in Honolulu, Hawaii with sales offices in San Francisco, was actively commissioning artwork during this period to market their products to mainland Americans. The poster was originally featured in publications like the Saturday Evening Post, which had a wide circulation in America during the late 1930s. The campaign emphasized the product's Hawaiian origins and premium quality, positioning pineapple as an exotic tropical luxury during the late Depression era when consumers were beginning to regain purchasing power.

Adolphe Jean-Marie Mouron (1901-1968), who worked under the pseudonym "Cassandre," was one of the most influential graphic designers of the 20th century. Born in Kharkiv, Ukraine to French parents, he moved to Paris where he studied at the École des Beaux-Arts and the Académie Julian. Cassandre gained widespread recognition in the 1920s and 1930s for his innovative poster designs, which were greatly influenced by Cubism and other avant-garde art movements of the time. He viewed commercial posters as "a means, a shortcut between trade and prospective buyer... a kind of telegraph," and his work was characterised by bold geometric forms, dramatic perspective, and integrated typography. In 1926, he co-founded the advertising agency Alliance Graphique, and throughout his career created iconic designs for clients ranging from railways and ocean liners to aperitifs and newspapers. Cassandre also designed several influential typefaces including Bifur (1929), Acier Noir (1935), and Peignot (1937).