Kiki's Cocoa
illustration for packaging design
The Boxes
It all started when…
In 2018, after I had done the four seasonal packaging designs for Kiki’s Cocoa, Kirsten asked me to also create another design to suit the box for the rest of the months of the year. We wanted to stay away from other themes, as the packaging would have to suit multiple flavors and chocolate editions, and therefore decided to seek inspiration from the source of chocolate itself - the cocoa plant.
I have to say I was amazed to learn more about the plant. It grows tiny flower buds, which later grow into the giant cacao pods, where the cacao seeds are born. The flowers are so small and delicate that I decided to give them focus and prominence by drawing them much larger, and of course, giving them my spin.
Even though the packaging featured the flower twice, second time upside down,
I decided to draw both flowers twice, almost the same, but slightly different, to add extra value to the illustration and packaging itself.
The Bags
The idea behind the illustration on the canvas bags is first to complement the already existing box I designed for Kiki’s Cocoa.
The illustration features my own interpretation of the cocoa flower, the main ingredient behind chocolate. Flora is a big inspiration behind my work, so I loved exploring the organic branches and vines the plant creates.
Curious about the process of creating the illustration? Check out this process video ↓
The illustrations for the bags were drawn on an iPad, using the Procreate app and Apple pencil.
The designs were later screenprinted at a local print studio in Berkeley, CA and included with the purchase of a chocolate box during December 2019.
To learn more about Kiki’s Cocoa go here.