H O L I D A Y B A R S
Nutcracker Brittle & Sweet Vanilla
For Holiday 2024 we decided it was time to redesign the look and flavors of our Holiday Collection. The goal of the project was to create a distinct Theo Holiday design concept that feels seasonal, giftable, and brand-right, and can scale to include packaging, marketing campaigns, and more. We explored a few different design directions but through reviews, felt that “winter cityscape” would fit for the goals of the project and brand. Each product has a different building facade, color story, and architectural style. We wanted the collection to feel approachable and have a human-focus with small moments of discovery..
I illustrated Nutcracker Brittle and Sweet Vanilla flavors.
INSPIRATION
HOUSE DIRECTION
NUTCRACKER BRITTLE DETAILS
Nutcracker Brittle is a dark chocolate with roasted hazelnuts, salt, and brittle. For the design direction of the bar I wanted to play into the the flavor ques but also the Nutcracker name.
In the 2nd story windows, there’s a ballet and a music class which is a nod to the Nutcracker Ballet.
The top window has a girl and her cat. The cat is batting around a hazelnut which is a nod to the hazelnut inclusions in the bar.
The main story of the building is a toy shop which ties back to the Nutcracker story, with the toy soldier guarding the shop and a small rat with a crown in the corner of the window.
Outside the shop, you can see a roasted nut cart selling roasted hazelnuts.
SWEET VANILLA DETAILS
Sweet Vanilla is a milk chocolate bar with double-fold vanilla. This is the only one with no crunch element and I felt that was important to the identity of the bar. For the design direction, I wanted everything to feel soft and refined, with lots of snow, ornate details, and sweet moments.
In the upper left window, there are two people frosting vanilla cupcakes which is the most obvious nod to the flavor.
The main floor is a confectioner shop. This is a nod to that this is a sweeter bar and a tribute to Theo’s own confectioner shop.
My favorite detail is the two snowpeople looking longingly at each other. You say that they’re sweeties.
