CASE STUDY
The Holiday Collection at Divine Treasures Chocolates
In past years, artisan chocolatier Divine Treasures Chocolates simply wrapped their everyday gift assortments in an eclectic array of holiday gift wrap, to sell on their shelves. In the spring of 2020, however, they saw a sudden increase in online business, and knew they needed to push these internet sales even further in order to survive the pandemic shutdown.
THE STRATEGY: We decided to create a gift collection from scratch that would include a new arrangement of chocolates and all-new uniform packaging to match. Consistency with a sense of artistry. I was tasked to conceptualize and create a holiday collection with a unique and cohesive theme that would appeal to our growing online customer base and drive internet sales.
Overview
MAKE IT BLUE: The founder/owner’s one request was to steer away from traditional Christmas colors in favor of blue. This instantly brought up visions of a whimsical, icy winter wonderland. Well aware of our strong vegan customer base and our partnership with PETA, I decided to feature arctic wildlife. But it was also important to convey a sense of warmth, since we’d be marketing them as holiday gifts, so I created serene hand-drawn digital illustrations to give the designs a cozy, traditional feeling of “family and peace.”
WINTRY, WHIMSICAL, HEARTWARMING.
I developed a color palette, curated typography, and planned out each design keeping the theme and intention in mind. To figure out which animal I would feature on each box, but used my knowledge of Divine Treasures’ customers as a guide. For example, the 8-piece box is usually gifted to friends, kids, or coworkers, with customers often buying multiple at a time. So a fun, communal animal like the penguin fit well. I named each box based on the animal they feature, and included the word “Treasures” in each title to remain in line with Divine Treasures’ branding.
To make each gift assortment its own chocolate “experience,” I added additional illustrations to build a simple visual narrative for each product. We also found chocolate molds for each featured animal to include in their respective boxes. Finally, the designs were ready to set up for third party printing. Each box is comprised of a sleeve with a distinct front cover and back cover, and a rigid postcard inserted within that includes the chocolate map on one side (also created by me), and thematic illustrative design on the other.
Polar Treasures Front Cover
Polar Treasures Back Cover
Polar Treasures Insert Card
Snowy Treasures Front Cover
Snowy Treasures Back Cover
Snowy Treasures Insert Card
Icy Treasures Front Cover
Icy Treasures Back Cover
Icy Treasures Insert Card
Outcome
Divine Treasures saw record sales online over the holiday season in 2020, and this collection became a classic among customers in their online store and storefront, returning each year since its debut. The Polar Treasures box in particular continues to be a bestseller each year, even when compared again they everyday assortments. This collection also marked the first time PETA wholesaled Divine Treasures’ chocolates to sell through their own online shop, which they proceeded to do for other major holidays, and continue to do each year.
Let’s work together.
samantha.hmarie@gmail.com
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