DOVE - Which is galaxy..just in america

In the brief Green and Blacks mentioned 'Dove' which i had never heard of before apart from the dove cleaning stuff. So i investigated and it turns out its the american version of Galaxy. Except dove seems to be a bit more of a luxury product, compared to galaxy. So i investigated their website to see the comparisons, and although they used the same branding logo the website is different. its all about the quality of their product and how you can use it to cook and create some very unique and inspiring dishes. From sweet to savory. this is defiantly an avenue i think we should push more.  

Below are a list of simple things you can buy or create using the Dove ingredients.

They are all so elegantly shot, the photography is really nice. 

I particularly love the New sweet n smokey chocolate bbq sauce.

You look at it and immeditaly you want to try it.. or at least i do. 

They do an array of choices for adults and children to get involved in.

I think this is brilliant because it opens up to a wider market, and seeing

as we are aiming at 25-35 year olds who are starting families getting 

you kids involved in cooking activities is especially valuable. 

All the above websites show how you could actually start

a career out of loving chocolate. So becoming a chocoalteer

and how easy it is, with a step by step guide. I think this is a

brilliant idea and really shows you can turn a passion into a 

living. Again this appeals to a big audience which is great. This

is defiantly an idea i think Nick and I should investigate. 

Below are some examples of the products that Dove sell.

As you can see the packaging is very similar to that of Galaxy, the

whole velvety approach and chocolate being poured. 

I really want to try these cubes...

Magnum - Advertising and products

After looking through green and blacks, i thought some of their add campaigns looked quite similar to that of the magnum campaigns. Its interesting to see what they have done. And how similar it is to the campaign that has been run by green and blacks, I have also looked at some of their packaging because its very elegant and it looks like it tastes if that makes sense....

I've chosen this packaging from their range because

its is so elegant, i really like the colours used and

the lined pattern that runs across the box. It just adds

another texture to the box. Its interesting and gives the

appeal of velvety smooth. 

With this image i am interested in the framing.

Placing the poster style work inside a huge 

golden filigree frame immediately gives rise to

the thoughts of class, wealth and sophistication. 

Immediately adding to that status symbol.

This is a magnum add campaign, again very simple

but very effective. Its sexy and sleek, with an element

of class that illustrates the magnum brand. The image

is so effective because of the simplicity of the skin breaking

to reveal the ice cream. It leaves you wanting. 

This collection of mini magnums is very cleverly

packaged. I really love the colours, mixing the dark

browns with the light golden colours really adds

to the allure of sophistication and luxury. This is 

defiantly something me and Nick need to keep in

mind when designing. 

I think the magnum memory stick is a really clever

piece of advertising. Its interactive, and its packaged

really well. I think the concept works because when

people see it all they are going to want to do is to go

and buy a magnum ice cream. Its simple but very

effective. 

This is just an example of the luxury packaging for 

the luxury magnums that they sell. By putting it into

a box apposed to a plastic wrapper really adds another

level of quality to the product. Again it gives people

something else to interact with, and it makes the whole

experience feel special. 

Thorntons - Packaging and Range

After looking at the Green and Blacks packaging i decided to investigate the Thorntons packaging because elements are very similar.. or so i thought. Thorntons packaging has similar attributes across the range they have, but there is a distinct difference in quality. For example if you look at the classic range compared to the premium range they have used dull colours and there is no special effort that has gone into it. Whereas if you look at the premium packaging, they have used spot varnish and there is a lot more effort in the layout and the images of on the box, as well as how they have been photographed. All of this produces a luxury product, which is what they are trying to promote with the premium chocolate box. 

The packaging above is for a similar hamper that Green and Blacks do

although Thorntons has a bigger range. I don't really like this packaging

I think it looks ugly, and the stickers are just stuck on the front. Although

Unlike Green and Blacks it is clearly set out and not complicated, so in that 

respect it is much better. 

Above: CLASSIC

Above: PREMIUM

The above packaging is nice, i am more interested in

the colours used apposed to how successfully the product is

packaged. Im not sure about the type, but that mint green and 

blue offset by the brown really works and it makes the product

stand out. 

I like how they have taken the time and effort to have their names printed onto the gold foil that wraps the eggs. It's this attention to detail which means they outsell Green and Blacks. 

I really like the packaging above, it has the right amount of detail and it

illustrates a fine luxurious product, in a very effective way using both the

type and the image. Im not too sure about the pink bow, i think thats a little unnecessary. 

Green and Blacks - Taste testing

Green & Black’s luxury chocolate tasting comes to The London Eye

London Eye and organic chocolate makers, Green & Black's, are offering the opportunity to indulge in chocolate tasting whilst enjoying views of the capital.

From 6 October 2008 London's iconic London Eye is partnering with one of the UK's most popular luxury organic chocolate makers, Green & Black's, to offer visitors a unique opportunity to indulge in a premium chocolate tasting experience whilst overlooking panoramic views of the capital.

Visitors can enjoy a breathtaking hour on The London Eye where they will learn about one of the world's most desired delicacies, from cocoa bean to chocolate bar. Led by a Green & Black's trained taste expert, visitors will get to enjoy a variety of eight luxury chocolates including intense 70% and 85% dark chocolate, White Chocolate made with fragrant Magagascan vanilla, Milk Chocolate made with Trinitario cocoa beans for a rich taste, dark chocolate with whole cherries and milk chocolate with whole roasted almonds. In addition to these, Green & Black's are showcasing a selection of limited edition and seasonal variations.

Along with indulging in some of the finest organic chocolates and enjoying an incredible taste experience, visitors can receive tips in the art of chocolate tasting along with an insight into the different chocolates' origins and intensities. This new package from the London Eye makes the perfect partner to existing tasting experiences such as the Vinopolis Laurent-Perrier champagne tasting capsule.

Green & Black's Chocolate Tasting
Available Capsules are available from 10am Monday-Sunday.
Price: £750 per capsule. This is for a maximum of 20 people per capsule.

Green and Blacks - Past Adverstising

I trawled the internet trying to find out any of their past advertising campaigns. And it was hard work. There is barely anything about them, with regards to billboards etc. No wonder they can't sell their chocolate, no one knows about them. Soo, this is something me and Nick are going to have to capitalise on. We are going to have to try and get them to be known. I like the style of these posters because there are quite simple, but again there is a little too much going on and its not completely obvious what they are trying to do. I feel we need to be trying to push the brand and the identity of the brand, because its just not well enough known. 

............I also think these are very similar to the magnum adverts that are around.........

Green and Blacks = colourful mess

So far from what i have seen of the products Green and Blacks produce their type and font is exactly right, it gives of the lure of sophistication and a luxury good. There is maybe a little too much going on but that can easily be rectified. 
Their big BIG problem is the fact that their packaging IS ALL OVER THE PLACE!! and its very frustrating because their is no continuity. Its confusing to look at, so no wonder people don't want to buy their product. They need to simplify it. And if they want to use as much colour as they are using then they need to do it in a more effective way, a way that is obvious to people what it represents because at the moment its just a bunch of colours thrown in here and there with absolutely no thought behind what its meant to be reprsenting. 
So this is going to create a challenge for me and nick because we have to use their packaging in our designs, i think we are going to have to be very selective with what we use. We cant rebrand but we can edit and simplify, and thats exactly what i think we should be doing. Especially with some of their products, because quite frankly they are all over the place. 

Green and Blacks - Hampers and chocolate range

I have selected some images from the range Green and Blacks do for the hampers and their chocolate bars. In total green and Blacks have a range of 15 bars, all different flavors and different %s of coco. So it gives them quite the opportunity to package their products in different ways. They do have a level of continuity with regards to their packaging, using the chocolate coloured box to hold the products and then a fancy ribbon wrapped around with their brand identity printed onto it. I quite like the smaller bars wrapped in the bows, its a very simple way to package the products and having the ribbon contrast with the packaging makes it stand out. I especially like the golden ribbon, it adds to the level of quality that they are trying to achieve. 

I do have a problem with the packaging above. There is waaaay too much going on! They have just lumped together the varying amounts of packaging and shoved them in one box. This is very unclear and it just makes it all look rather messy. I really feel they need to have one style and stick with it. One continuing theme is the actual logo itself, so maybe they should capitalise on that itself? This is defiantly something me and nick are going to have to keep in mind when designing and try and sort out some semblance of order from this chaotic mess. 

Above is the range of chocolate bars that they produce, there is one big problem i have with this. And that is - Why does the white chocolate bar have a white base and the rest dont? Even the other lighter colours? this is a prime example of what i am talking about. They have no structure to their designs so they just put loads of random things together and they think it makes them look sophisticated and quirky? It doesnt. It just looks messy. Its such a shame because their type works do well, and it gives of that exquist appeal of a thought out luxury product. whereas the rest of their packaging is a massive let down. 

Also one thing i am coming to realise is they actually have a very small range of products, apart from doing the token holiday season stuff they have nothing else going for them. Just bars of chocolate. They need more products to sell more successfully, and thats something me and nick can't do seeing as they don't want that. 

Green and Blacks - easter

This easter egg collection is only a small part of what they do for the holiday seasons, but its just a small example of the range. Again they are following the similar techniques with their other products, the big brown box with the large caramel looking ribbon. The gold wrapping with the products gives it an element of sophistication, the whole association with gold giving it a luxury feel. The type on the products are clean cut and again using the gold to highlight the colour, gives the product an exquisite look. I also like the dark type in the background with the spot varnish that gives it a shiny look, again adding texture and something else to add to the luxury feel. There are a lot of separate elements within this product that work to give it a luxury feel, the only problem is are there too many?

Another thing that im starting to realise is that i think the products are quite similar to that of Thorntons chocolate brand, and packaging. 

Green and Blacks - Cooking

One of my first thoughts about the brief was to look at the recipes that can be made using the chocolate. I thought about this because people now seem to be doing alot more cooking and baking, so making the chocolate more accessible and easy to use would be a nice idea. It would mean people would have more of an interaction with the chocolate than just buying the bar and eating it. Because Green and Blacks dark chocolate range is over 70% pure coco, it means that its very good for cooking because it is so pure.

So for this i decided to look at the range they produce: 

This is a hamper selection that has the range of the cooking chocolate bars the Green and Blacks produce. It also gives you the recipe book, that contains a variety of ways to cook the chocolate, between savory and sweet dishes. I think the packaging for the smaller bars is nicely done, you can see the chocolate and it gives you a range to cook with. The recipe book on the other hand i really do not like. I think there is way too much going on on the cover, and it completely distracts from the type which is actually quite nice. I realise their image is quite complicated, because they have a lot going on across their packaging and information but i think they've taken it too far with the recipe book. 

This is another selection for the cooking experience. Its a lot more simple and doesn't match the above previous image. There's some very different elements within this package, you still get the over done designed recipe book but you also get a smaller range in chocolate. I actually prefer the silver packaging they have, i think its a lot simple and you see it for what it is. Its a lot more stylish and makes legibility a lot easier. When their packaging is simple its more effective.

This is a very simple version of the cooking range available but you do get the added advantage of being given and apron. I think this is more appealing because you get a range of products and something to interact with, the apron. Again they have used the simple silver packaging, which i defiantly prefer because of the simplicity and elegance. I think the apron is nicely designed, just using the branding logo, the black and the white really compliment each other and give it a universal characteristic. 

Packaging inspiration

I have been looking at different styles of packaging that relate to the idea i have come up with for my packaging. Which is to make it out of material similar to that used for ship sails. I have found a variety of different packaging i like, well certain elements within it.

This CD cover is a really nice touch. Its this sort of attention to detail i like.. 

I am not 100% sure whether it would be appropriate to add that sort of detail to my design, 

but its an idea that i can look at once my packaging it done. 

What i like about the above packaging is the text, and also the idea of having a slip

in within my packaging that could possibly contain the information about the DVD

and what's on it. 

With this packaging I am interested in the thick material and how

it looks. This ends up looking like a bound book, and i like the use

of the thick black rope.

This is a much more sophisticated style of using material/fabric

to package a product. I really like the line illustrations on it and

how it is bound like a book. You can see from the images that it 

would be very soft to touch. I don't think this sophisticated idea is what

i want to achieve with mine.

Again with this it is more of the texture i am interested in.

The concept isn't applicable to my idea, but i do like the band around it that

has the information about the product on it. 

This is probably the most similar idea to what i've had. I want to be using

that sort of thick material and have it bound with string.

I really like the style and it the simplicity of the idea. 

Ship Sails

I have come up with an idea for my packaging that is based around the rigging of a ship. I knew at the beginning of my project that i did want to incorporate the rigging somehow, and i though by looking at the sails from the huge old ships i could use that texture in my designs. But i decided to scrap that at an early stage. So now i am revisiting the idea but instead of using it in my animation i want to package my CD in it. The idea being that the CD would be packaged in a ripped off piece of sail. This is a appropriate to my design because it relates to the concept and brings a part of the pirate life alive. What i also really like about this idea is the fact that its textured and it gives something for someone to interact with.

I have been researching the materials of the cloth used for sails, its a lightweight but durable material and was nearly always white. It was hard to dye things that were so huge and so costly. The sails weathered well and could be repaired quite easily. The above images have given me a basis to find material that mimicks the style of the ship sails. 

Bottles

For one of my idents the idea is to have a 'message in a bottle' floating across the screen. For that i needed some inspiration on what i needed the bottles to look like. Luckily my dad is quite an aid old wine bottle collector so i had some idea of what old bottles looked like. Generally they are crooked and not symmetrical all the way around.

These bottles are thick and fat, which is exactly what i am looking for. Their style is similar to that that i imagined for an old fashioned bottle.