Chariot Chocolatiers
In one of my college classes, we were assigned to groups and told to design a make-believe company and each group member was responsible for designing the package for a product line this company might sell. We created a chocolate company, and I was responsible for creating the design for chocolate bars.
Software Used:
Adobe Illustrator
Process
Chariot Chocolatiers was the name we had chosen for ourselves with reference to the adage “bread and circuses for all” from ancient Rome. Our color scheme was selected based on the colors commonly associated with hunger to increase marketability. The fonts and artwork were selected based on classic Roman aesthetics to further carry the brand.
In this project, that was largely the extent of our group work as we divided the product lines amongst ourselves. This provided me with a great first experience in Adobe Illustrator as I learned the basics of shape and vector manipulation to create an attractive design. My success was marked by the dismay of my college roommates who felt betrayed by the assumption that my final presentation of the product was simply a mockup.
Concept Design process including initial planning and ideation.
Final concept before prints on the dark chocolate bar.
Final concept before prints on the dark chocolate bar.
Final concept before prints on the "chariot" packaging.
Physical model (pt.1).
Physical Model (pt.2).
Takeaways
This project is no doubt one of my favorites of all time and easily was one of the first inspirations to pursue graphic design. Being my first exposure to Adobe Illustrator, I quickly grew to love the program to create beautiful and effective designs. It also gave me good experience working with a team of designers, progressing my communication, collaboration, and leadership skills. This project additionally reiterated the importance of field research when developing a design. Through this, my team and I were able to fuse a familiar historical culture and an effective color scheme overwritten on existing forms to create a product that could seamlessly integrate into grocery stores virtually anywhere.