These chocolate gift packs are minimal but powerfully bold. With the logo peacefully placed on top for visual impact. Great Job!From a press release about the Antoine Amrani Premium Chocolates design by SmithDesign:" Local Philadelphia pastry chef and internationally recognized Chocolatier and Chef Patissier Antoine Amrani is behind this provocative new line. “I want people to return to the beauty and enjoyment of life’s simple luxuries and small pleasures,” said Amrani. “This begins with beautifully designed packaging, and I believe the outside of the box needs to match the experience of enjoying the fine chocolates contained within.”Hired to extend Amrani’s vision to brand identity, packaging and website was Smith Design, an award-winning brand design firm with offices in New Jersey and California. Smith Design’s mission was to develop a compelling visual image that would make a bold statement in the super premium chocolate category. "“Our charge was to position Antoine Amrani Chocolates at the highest end of the premium segment and to visually convey classic tradition with modern, vibrant innovation,” said Martha Seidner, Vice President, Smith Design, who lead the project team. “Antoine and the team at Smith Design agreed that all of the components that comprise the brand, from the shapes of the chocolates to its packaging, would mirror the brand’s promise; a ‘superlative chocolate experience™’ Smith Design worked closely with Antoine Amrani and his partners to translate the full extent of their vision into a luxurious brand identity.”Fred Potok, a partner in Antoine Amrani Chocolates, had worked with Smith Design previously in his building and development business. “Smith Design was brought in because we needed the attentiveness of a boutique firm that also offered an extensive background in food—which is Smith Design’s core competency. Their team analyzed the competitive sets, developed our positioning, tagline and created all the visual elements that make up our brand at every consumer touchpoint, Their team really understood the premium, luxury brand aesthetic, yet also offered extensive experience on leading CPG food brands. They created every aspect of our visual branding—logo, copy, sustainable packaging, consumer website –even our chef uniforms. Their interior designers are now assisting with the design of our factory store.”Typically, chocolate companies use existing stock molds (due to the time needed to create custom molds), yet the team felt there was nothing “in stock” that matched the level of these chocolates. Antoine Amrani’s bon bon shapes were developed by Smith Design’s team of illustrators and designers, who worked closely with an exclusive supplier in Italy on the final tooling for the molds. The results are beautifully sculpted domes, some with subtle shimmers of color and each enrobed in Antoine’s signature rich, dark chocolate. Every piece is provocative and designed to be intuitive to its particular flavor.“People are inherently influenced by what they see,” said Seidner, a 20-year veteran of visual branding industry. “They love being enticed. When you taste Antoine Amrani Chocolates, the deal is closed. But understanding how people behave, we wanted the chocolates and overall brand to be a feast for all of the senses. Antoine’s flavors, texture, aromas and ingredients are simply unmatched and so the visual experience needed to be very special. The packaging suggests the experience that awaits inside the box — classic, rich dark chocolates with notes and flavors that are colorful and vibrant.”The Antoine Amrani packaging conveys excellence without saying a word; rich, matte, mahogany brown gift boxes contrast a chartreuse logo stamped on each lid. The papers used from Mohawk Fine Papers were selected for their environmental benefits.“We explored a range of paper options, and as a sustainable design firm, we recommend what offered the greatest benefits,” said Seidner. “Not only did the papers fully maximize our design strategy, but they are carbon neutral and manufactured with Green-e certified wind energy.”Their brand’s signature pattern, a European-inspired scrollwork, lines each box and shows through where the lid meets the base. The dark brown boxes are offset with vibrant paper sleeves in magenta, orange, purple and green—an unexpected bold and modern twist.Antoine has received tremendous encouragement from one of his mentors, Jean Banchet, one of the most influential chefs in the US, and founder of Chicago’s acclaimed La Francais Restaurant, which Bon Appetite Magazine once proclaimed, “The Best French Restaurant in America.” Antoine Amrani creates the finest chocolates in the United States,” said Banchet.
