Overview
For this project, I was tasked with creating a brand system for chocolate bars. The target audience were households with dual income and no kids (DINK), as they would be more willing to spend money on new and interesting products. The branding needed to reflect the culture where the cacao was sourced from. It also needed to convey that the brand uses organic, sustainable, and fair trade practices. Lastly, the packaging needed to catch the eye of the viewer to make them want to pick it up.
My Approach
The location I chose to base my chocolate bars on was the Dominican Republic, which is located in the Caribbean. It produces 70% of the worlds organic cocoa despite only producing 2% of the worlds cocoa overall. The Dominican's strong appreciation for their land and their people has aided them in advocating for more sustainable cocoa practices.
As I researched I came across a symbol originating from the Taino culture. The Taino are the indigenous people from the Caribbean. The symbol is known as Eternal Lovers, it is of two birds facing each other and dancing. I felt this was fitting as Dominicans are known for their love of dance and music, as well as for their friendly and familial nature.
Logo Sketches & Inspiration
As I was exploring names, I came up with CoCorazón. the "CoCo" represents chocolate. The "Corazón" translates to "heart" in Spanish. I felt this was fitting because of the Dominican's love for dance, family, friends, and sustainable cocoa practices.
I later decided to use the Eternal Lovers symbol in my pattern rather than in my logo to simplify it.
Final Logo Concept
I ended up combining two of my logo ideas. In the counters of the 'O's, I changed them to be shaped like a cacao bean, and was also used to create movement. Additionally, I turned the accent into a heart.
Color & Type
I decided to go with colors that emphasized the organic nature of the product, using a dark, chocolate-like brown and an off white as the primary colors. As for the secondary colors, I used bright colors that would grab the attention of the consumer, yet still achieve a natural feel.
As for the type, I used Freude for its roundness and imperfect lines which also reflects a natural feeling.
Pattern & Packaging
For the packaging I wanted to create movement to mimic dancing while also incorporating the Eternal Lovers Symbol. I decided to go with a pattern to achieve this. The pattern includes the symbol, hearts, cacao beans, and the flavor of the chocolate bar (coconut, guava, and almond). To achieve movement, I flipped the direction of each column in the pattern.
In order to keep the logo and other important information easy to read, I placed them in front of an off-white color.
