Alter Eco Chocolate
Packaging Design Case Study
Objective
Alter Eco’s Chocolate is clean and honest high-quality chocolate that focuses on producing non-GMO, and fair trade products. The objective was to redesign the packaging for 3 Alter Eco chocolate bar flavors as well as a shipper display box. The new design was made to better reflect the brand’s natural and organic values. The final design would be printed on 80lb recycled paper dielines for prototype construction.
Background
Founded in 2005, Alter Eco’s mission is to produce high-quality products, while responsibly practicing sustainable Eco-friendly practices. Alter Eco works with farms that practice Agroforestry (a type of regenerative agriculture), helping to improve farmer livelihood as well as mitigating climate change. In 2009 the company successfully became a Certified B Corp.
Alter Eco’s Chocolate packaging designed in 2018
Research and Analysis
I started my research by defining Alter Eco’s target audience and selling point. The current packaging design did not communicate the brand’s values and lacked the natural and organic feel that the audience desired. The highly saturated colors found in the packaging combined with the photography of foliage did not represent the sustainable aesthetic associated with organic food. This was limiting the visibility of the product on the shelves of health stores.
Target Audience
Eco-conscious consumers
Health-conscious consumers
Gluten/ soy allergic consumers
Ideation
Moodboard
The natural tones reflected in the patterns and elements in this mood board were coveys the eco-friendly aesthetic I associated with the word “Organic”.
Brainstorming
To better communicate the brand’s values, I decided to keep the word “organic” in mind when putting together a mood board and sketching ideas. I explored illustrating the ingredients, drawing inspiration from the botanical art found in seed packets.
These botanical illustrations would reflect the company’s devotion to nature. This illustration style is commonly associated with organic and natural products, which would appeal to Alter Eco’s target audience.
Conceptualization
Concept 1:
Symmetrical leaves are a take on the “yin and yang” balanced approach of agroforestry.
Concept 2:
The logo is tucked beneath the leaves representing the brand’s involvement with nature.
Concept 3:
Ingredients are illustrated in their raw state before being picked.
Exploration
Digital Illustration
Visualizing the designs in a black-and-white digital format allowed me to see which layout stood out without being influenced by color. Once I created vector illustrations of the concepts I could immediately see that a choice between a simplistic illustration or a highly detailed illustration would need to be made.
I illustrated two proposed boxes for the shipper display box to accommodate specific concepts. The Monstera plant leaf design would include a custom box displaying a yin-yang shaped opening. While the other two designs would have a flip-lid box.
Shipper Display box
Implementing Feedback
After implementing the feedback from peers it was clear the third design best represented the organic aesthetic. The illustrations featured the ingredients in their raw environments before being harvested. This illustration style was a nod to Alter Eco’s connection to nature. The next step would be to choose a color scheme that would fit the theme without overpowering the layout.
Color & Type
An analogous color scheme was explored to provide a wide range of colors for the illustrations while providing harmony between the illustration and typography. The consensus after feedback was that the rough stamp-like text in the black and white version was competing with the texture in the illustrations. Therefore I chose to go with a thinner weight, serif font named Euphorigenic that would offer contrast and fit the classic theme of the illustrations.
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Font: Euphorogenic
Development
Dieline Layout and Construction
The next step was to prepare the dieline layouts in order to create rough prototypes. After meeting with a paper manufacturer and discussing paper options. I decided on using recycled high-quality 80lb paper for both the chocolate boxes and the shipper display box. Before the printing phase, I simulated the look of the paper texture with a tan color that matched the paper to see if the colors needed to be adjusted. The natural tones of the simulated paper created some good contrast to the illustrations while maintaining that natural aesthetic. The next step would be to print out the dielines of the boxes and create a prototype.
Shipper Display Box Prototype
The construction of the box required a few prototype attempts. After a few refinements, I created a perfectly sized box that now fits the three boxes snugly. The thickness of the paper and the spaces between the boxes required precise measurements in points. This repetition of construction gave me a broader understanding of the complexities of comping a custom dieline.
Solution
“ visually communicates an upscale, inviting brand that aligns with the target audience. ”
Final Prototype
The Final packaging design was met with positive feedback. The new design showcased high-quality ingredients in a color scheme that better represented the market of its consumers. The recycled paper offered texture that was visible yet not overpowering in contrast to the illustration and information. The use of recycled paper also followed the brand’s values of sustainability. The color scheme in each flavor connected to its ingredients as well as the logo creating unity across the layout. The shipper display box displayed the 3 flavors of the chocolate bars as illustrations of the ingredients. The cover of the box incorporated a similar layout of the boxes using a green stripe that reads “Organic Chocolate” to represent the “green: associated with the eco-friendliness of the brand.
Challenges
Custom Dieline
Creating an accurate dieline layout required precise measurements and several prototype attempts, which increased the complexity of the design process. However, the need for precision presented an opportunity for me to gain a deeper understanding of comping a custom dieline.
Standing out on the shelves
Creating a new design that aligns with the brand’s values of sustainability while ensuring that it stands out on the shelves of health stores proved to be challenging. Fortunately, I was able to strike a balance between visually appealing packaging that catches the consumer’s eye and a design that accurately represents the brand’s commitment to sustainable ethical practices.
Conclusion
Alter Eco’s Chocolate Packaging Redesign was successful in communicating the brand's values of being natural, organic, and environmentally conscious. The custom illustrations that depicted the natural ingredients in their raw state helped to differentiate the brand from its competition and resonated with Alter Eco's target audience. The end result was visually appealing packaging that conveyed the quality and naturalness of the chocolate within.