Chocolatey Clare Bonbons
Brand Evolution & Packaging
Creative Direction / Copywriting / Art Direction / Packaging Design / Artwork / Photography
The brief
We’re having trouble getting our new chocolates into luxury retailers, they love our product but they told us our packaging is letting us down. Can you help?
The opportunity
Chocolatey Clare is an established supplier of vegan chocolate in Ireland, with a strong base of local retailers stocking their chocolate bars. They developed a box of artisanal bon-bons at a higher price point, but their design wasn’t strong enough to suit the luxury market. With a limited production budget and a sustainability charter ruling out a full rebrand – the bonbons needed to be designed as a luxury evolution which could sit alongside the current range.
With such beautiful chocolates I wanted the product photography to be prominent within the design, but rejected the cliches of saucy swizzles and pattern wrapped boxes. I took inspiration from the cleverly efficient circular fitment designed for the box interior and used the gem like bonbons to create a jewelled circlet to frame the branding. As the box is opened, the strapline is revealed, and the circular motif of the chocolates is mirrored on to the menu guide on the inside of the lid.
The packaging itself was designed to be totally plastic free, cost efficient to produce and quick to pack, while offering a sturdy, luxurious feel. The tendency for the chocolates to melt a little ruled out light or contrasting colours for the interior, so it was a natural choice to use black throughout for a consistent opening experience. The luxurious textured matt black card offered natural textures and a neutral backdrop that let the colours pop and shine with a contrasting spot gloss finish.
