The Hidden Power Of Chocolate Packaging Designs

Whether you’re looking to refresh your packaging, or curious about the latest trends, we’ll take you through the most unique chocolate packaging designs.

Chocolate packaging is not only a functional tool (keeping the product fresh and protected) it’s also a vital marketing tool that can elevate your brand. Also, the more unique the design, the more unique of an experience you can offer customers!

Packaging is often the first interaction a consumer has with a chocolate brand, so well-designed packaging can make a lasting impression. Not only should the packaging communicate what the product is, but it should also:

• Be visually appealing, enticing and stand out amongst competitors on the shelf
• Communicate key brand values and USP’s
• Have a unique design, that doesn’t sacrifice functionality

In this blog post, we’ll take you through unique, luxury packaging designs, the art of chocolate box packaging and key emerging trends for chocolate packing in the future.

Unique Luxury Chocolate Packaging

The luxury market is a key place to explore if you’re looking for unique packaging ideas. Beyond the chocolate industry, luxury brands are continuously surprising consumers with artistic, trend-setting and captivating designs for their packaging.

This is because luxury brands are not only selling high value items, but also an experience. For their target consumers, the experience starts before they even get to the product, with an expectation that the packaging should feel as luxurious as what’s inside.

For high-end chocolate brands, there is an expectation that customers feel luxurious before they taste a piece of chocolate. This means designing unique packaging that delivers a memorable experience that’s true to the brand.

We’ll go through some of the most unique chocolate packaging ideas from luxury brands and what we can learn from their innovative ideas.

Fortnum and Mason’s Chocolate Fish and Chips

Hailed as “The World’s Most Famous Corner Shop”, Fortnum and Mason has been a premium destination for luxury goods since its inception in 1707. So, it’s no surprise that a store which is a personal favourite for the Royal Family for their groceries, has some unique chocolate packaging designs!

Their Novelty Chocolate department draws on British food culture for the chocolate packaging designs, such as their Chocolate Fish and Chips. The quirky product features unique chocolate-moulded fish and thin, white chocolate “chips” in a cone-shaped box printed in Fortnum and Mason-style newspapers.

We agree, savoury fast-food within a sweet treat seems like a clash of the taste buds. But fish and chips is a staple in British food culture, Fortnum and Mason have their finger on the pulse with their novelty chocolate gifts.

Who said Brits were luxurious anyway? Having their stores in main areas of Central London, their unique chocolate packaging appeals to locals, as well as charming tourists who are immersing themselves in all things British.

From British Fast Food, To British Luxury

If you’re not a fan of marrying a greasy, savoury product with luxury chocolate, then maybe you’d enjoy their elegant Chocolate Truffles. Another significant part of the Fortnum and Mason brand is their highly recognisable teal blue shopper bags. Over the decades it has become a status symbol to not only shop at their decadent stores, but to show the rest of the world that you’ve been shopping there by donning their iconic bags.

Therefore, instead of putting their chocolate truffles in a standard chocolate box, they created a mini version of their shopper bag. Imprinted with their elegant typeface and tied with a silk red ribbon, they continue the luxury of the product through their packaging, whilst showcasing their iconic brand.

This iconic grocery store is teaching other brands that you can be luxury, novelty and creative, whilst still staying true to your brand.

Lindtt Chocolate

Ever heard of the phrase “Go Big or Go Home?” Master chocolateries Lindtt took this seriously when designing their unique gift packaging. Similar to Fortnum and Mason, they focused on what resonated with consumers the most when they thought of the Lindtt brand – their luxurious chocolate truffles individually wrapped and twisted in a bold red – their main brand colour.

So, for their gifting range, they super-sized their wrapped truffles into a single, giant ball wrapped in their iconic red, branded packaging filled with milk chocolate truffles. Lindtt found a balance between designing unique packaging that will stand out on the shelves, whilst also remaining true to why consumers love their brand.

The experience of unwrapping each truffle has become a part of the Lindtt experience, and by super-sizing their flagship product, they continue this experience, without cheapening their luxurious brand.

The Art of Chocolate Box Packaging

In 1868, Richard Cadbury, eldest son of John Cadbury created the first Valentine’s Chocolate Box . He designed a heart-shaped box, decorated with intricate designs in a bold red and filled with small, solid chocolates. This invention would go on to become a symbol of love for the romantic holiday, with chocolate companies around the world designing custom products just for February 14th.

Beyond Valentine’s Day, a neatly wrapped box of chocolates has become a staple gift. It’s a symbol of indulgence, thoughtfulness and romance, solidifying itself as the go-to gift that no one can get wrong.

But, did you notice how we talked about the packaging of the chocolate boxes, but didn’t mention the chocolates inside the boxes? This is the art of chocolate box packaging, as they captivate the consumer before they’ve thought about the product inside. They create the emotional connection, status symbol and experience all on their own!

Let’s dive into some chocolate box designs and how they attract shoppers when they’re looking for the perfect gift.

Hotel Chocolat’s Signature Cabinet

If you’re looking for a chocolate box that includes everything but the kitchen sink, then look no further than Hotel Chocolat’s Signature Cabinet. This three-tiered chocolate box contains 163 elegant chocolates, delicately stored in two drawers and a folded top lid.

Hotel Chocolat shows that less doesn’t always mean more when it comes to showcasing their signature chocolates, delivering an over-the-top experience and a truly unique gift for the recipient. They keep the design of the box minimal, mirroring their brand, allowing the chocolates to be the centre of attention.

However, it shows how your chocolate box packaging can be minimal, functional and still deliver a unique and luxurious experience before you even open the box (or drawer!).

Fortnum and Mason’s Mini Champagne Truffles

One of the world’s most luxurious grocery stores shows how you can design mini-chocolate boxes, but still be maximalist. Their Marc De Champagne Truffle Ballotin, contains two boozy champagne truffles, packages in an elegant box containing their signature brand colours, embossed name, gold accents and matching gold ribbon.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of smaller packaging designs having to be more minimalistic, or that you won’t have space for everything you want to show. This little truffle box shows how you can be luxurious and true to your brand, even when you have to design small.

There are no set rules when it comes to designing your chocolate box packaging, showing that it can be treated as a true art form. Now, let’s look ahead into the future of chocolate packaging.

The Future of Unique Chocolate Packaging Designs

Chocolate packaging has evolved a lot since Richard Cadbury’s first Valentines heart-shaped box in 1868. Brands are faced with growing emphasis on eco-friendly and sustainable packaging, and the growing demand for unique, personalised experiences.

We’ll highlight some key areas and trends that will impact the future of chocolate packaging designs.

Sustainable Packaging and Materials

As we look to the future, the environment and climate are high priority issues for consumers as they look to reduce their carbon footprint.

Consumers are already switching to more sustainable products and adopting more eco-friendly practices in their everyday life. They’re also making more conscious decisions when they’re shopping, and aren’t afraid to switch to new products if it’s a more eco-friendly alternative that fits with their principles.

These issues inevitably influence their decision-making when they’re shopping for chocolates and therefore, something that brands need to adapt to in order to maintain their customer base.

Over recent years, we’ve seen chocolate packing evolve to allow companies to source more sustainable materials that can be reused or recycled. For instance, brands can choose to design packaging that can be dismantled easily to be easily recyclable, or they can design packaging that can be repurposed after the chocolates have been emptied.

Brands also don’t want to lose out on key sales because their packaging isn’t sustainable or easily recyclable, especially as more consumers start to make more environmentally-conscious decisions when they’re shopping.

Personalised Chocolate Packaging

When it comes to shopping for unique gifts, more consumers are looking to add that personal touch. Whether it’s adding the recipient’s name, or writing a heartfelt message, personalised gifts are growing in popularity. This trend is also fuelled by online shopping, with ecommerce brands enabling consumers to personalise their products online and have it shipped to the recipient – convenient and thoughtful!

Although companies don’t have the time to hand paint their chocolate boxes like Richard Cadbury, technological developments mean they can provide shoppers with a range of options to personalise their chocolates.

Personalised chocolate packaging not only provides the consumer with a more personalised gifting option, it allows brands to provide products for every special occasion. Instead of designing packaging for each special event, brands can craft a single style that can be easily editable with the shopper’s choice of messaging.

This also provides an uplifted revenue source for chocolate companies, who can charge a premium for personalised products.

Your Guide To Unique Chocolate Packaging Designs

When you’re looking for unique chocolate packaging designs, there is a wealth of inspiration out there to help you.

The luxury chocolate packaging shows how you can push the boundaries to provide a unique experience before you have eaten a single chocolate! Whether you’re looking for true decadence, or understated elegance, the luxury market shows how you can stay true to your brand with a truly unique packaging design.

Alternatively, we’ve shown how small designs can also be packed with eye-catching designs and stay true to your brand.

Looking to the future of chocolate packaging, consumers are showing a growing demand for sustainable packaging that can be easily recycled, or re-purposed after the box is emptied. Also, chocolate brands are catering to the evolving trends of personalised chocolate boxes, wanting a more unique gifting experience.

If you’re looking to elevate your chocolate packaging design, take a look at our latest branding work or book a call with our team.