Strauss
2021
Developed for personal chocolatiering business.
A uniquely designed chocolate box filled with an assortment of handcrafted chocolates, each offering a distinct flavor.
Brief
After university, I combined my love for culinary arts and industrial design skills to start a business in handmade chocolates, aiming to improve modern chocolate box designs.
Research
I enhanced my understanding of chocolate and chocolate box design through extensive research, including exploring designs online and directly analyzing boxes from various chocolatiers.
Issues with Chocolate Boxes
Unsustainable Material
Chocolate boxes often contain environmentally harmful plastic inserts, emphasizing the need for sustainable packaging.
Inconvenient Layered Design
Accessing the next layer in multi-layered boxes is not convenient.
Insufficient for Sharing
Chocolate boxes often contain only one of each flavor, hindering sharing.
Missing Flavor Guides
The absence of flavor guides in chocolate boxes complicates flavor selection.
Issues with Chocolates
Mismatched Visual and Flavor
Chocolate color and flavor mismatches miss enhancing taste with visuals.
Flavor Imbalance
Fillings in some chocolates overpowered the desired chocolate taste.
Inconsistent Quality and Texture
Varied quality in chocolates, especially shell thickness, impacted texture.
Development
Mood Board
Idea Generation
3D Modeling Iteration
Box Design Development
3D Modeling
After initial ideation sketches and modeling, the final design was modeled and rendered in 3D to visualize the concept accurately.
Prototype Construction
A foam and paperboard prototype was created to assess its functionality and aesthetics, including testing different chocolate flavors and shapes.
Material Selection
Initially using paperboard and foam, the design evolved to primarily paperboard, except for the magnet closure, to reduce environmental impact.
Design Modifications
Adjustments included changing colors and switching from foam to cardboard, with manufacturing drafts updated accordingly.
Manufacturing
Design plans and materials were dispatched to the manufacturer for laser cutting and printing.
Assembling
The final step involved assembling the boxes manually, ensuring each piece met the design and quality standards.
Chocolate Development
I self-taught chocolatiering basics, focusing on tempering and uniform thickness. High-quality ingredients were used for unique flavors, and chocolates were designed to visually reflect their tastes, improving the tasting experience.
Creating Diverse Filling Flavors
Sourcing Quality Ingredients
Coloring Bonbons Appropriately
Molding Chocolate
Tempering Chocolate
Finished Product
Miscellaneous
After choosing a brand name, I designed the logo and conducted a photoshoot with limited equipment, like paper for light diffusion. The photos were used to create an attractive Instagram page for marketing.
Photography
Logo Design
Instagram Marketing
Strauss, Strauß, or Straus, a widespread Germanic surname meaning “ostrich” in German, inspired the brand logo. The name was chosen in homage to Austrian composer Johann Strauss II, known for his waltz “Wiener Bonbons” or “Vienna Sweets,” mirroring the bonbons, or molded chocolates, in my creation.
Branding
Final.Design
Unboxing
Open the magnetically sealed clamshell box to uncover the first chocolate layer and a “enjoy” marked divider with a flavor guide pull tab. Remove the easily detachable divider, held by weak adhesive foam, to access the second layer.
Unboxing
First Chocolate Layer
Flavor Guide Inside Divider
Second Chocolate Layer
Vanilla Cheesecake
Classic Truffle
Salted Caramel
Peppermint Cream
Berries Cheesecake
Coconut Honey
Chocolate Flavors
Yellow Raspberry
Hazelnut Espresso
Strawberry Orange
