Design Brief
For this assignment, the goal was to create a chocolate bar inspired by a specific country of origin. I chose to honor Indonesia, particularly Sumatra, with my chocolate bar. My aim was to raise awareness about the growing issue of deforestation, which has decimated much of Sumatra’s forest and put many of its animals at risk of extinction. I named the brand "Rumah," which means "home" in Indonesian, symbolizing the importance of protecting the animals' natural habitats in Sumatra. I envisioned Rumah as an organic, fair-trade company focused on creating sustainable chocolate. Rumah's mission is to preserve and protect wildlife in Sumatra, while also highlighting the critical issue of deforestation and its impact on animal populations. With each chocolate bar purchased, 15% of the proceeds would go toward relocating animals whose habitats have been destroyed and conserving the remaining parts of the forest still untouched by deforestation.
Research
During my research, I decided to focus on packaging design in Indonesia, as well as exploring various design styles found on chocolate bar packaging.
Sketches
For my sketches, I explored several potential directions for the layout of my chocolate bar packaging. Along with layout ideas, I also sketched possible logo concepts and names. At one point, I was set on incorporating a footprint into the logo to symbolize the human carbon footprint and how we are encroaching on these animals' habitats. While I felt this was a strong concept, I ultimately decided against it, as it wouldn’t be suitable for the food market. Instead, I drew an image of a rhino with a mango, which became the foundation for the pattern idea that I later incorporated into the packaging design and paired it with an elegant typeface.
Digital Iterations
My digital iterations were primarily focused on developing a suitable layout for the chocolate bar packaging. Initially, I struggled with how to frame the information on the container, but I eventually found inspiration in the design of Indonesian doorways and architecture, which helped shape the final layout.
Typography
I chose to use a font for the brand name Rumah that was similar to Indonesian writing and the language structure. Through my research I found many examples of Indonesian typography that used various accents to the letter forms which I felt balanced the packaging. I also paired this with a serif font to compliment the accents of the letter forms on the main logo type as well as a san-serif which helps to balance the packaging as a whole.
Color Palette
I chose colors that were earthy tones as I felt they represented the cause of the company while also taking inspiration from colors seen in traditional Indonesian textile patterns.
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Iconography
I wanted to use icons that represented some of the various animals being affected by deforestation in Sumatra as well as the fruits found there that they eat. I also wanted the animals to have repeating line patterns to represent a topographical map.
Final Dielines
