26 Dec 2009 --- Tasked to open up the experience of tasting dark chocolate to a new generation of milk chocolate eaters, Cowan Design Sydney created a package design that challenges the staid traditions of the ‘old world’ dark chocolate design to modernize Nestle Australia’s brand of dark chocolate blocks – Club – and make it appealing to this new consumer group while retaining the older, current eaters.

The world of dark chocolate products is one dominated by ‘old world’ staid brands based on rational claims centred around provenance, craftsmanship or cocoa content, Adam Partridge of Australian design agency Cowan Design Sydney told.

So when Nestle Australia approached Cowan for a new packaging design, the design agency saw an opportunity for the brand to make an impact in the product segment. Partridge said, “The opportunity for Club was to leverage a fresh approach to the staid category of dark chocolate through a visual identity that would trigger a reappraisal of what the dark chocolate experience is, and more specifically, Club’s role in the product category.”

The design theme created by Cowan reflects the image the design agency had thought up for it; Partridge explained: “The packaging design was an iconic device that integrated the central repositioning idea of ‘entering the world of dark (chocolate)’ and the brand marque was developed, with the ‘l’ in Club morphing into an opening door.”

The door represents mystery and creates a sense of intrigue, inviting consumers to enter the new world of chocolate that Club has created. In addition, the brand marquee works as a single-minded encapsulation of the brand idea, allowing Club to truly own the brand positioning and stand out from the competition.

“This device creates a strong shape on shelf and delivers the brand a core equity it can own and leverage across other communications. It also delivers a strong architecture to lock up hero product shot and punch out strong variant differentiation in an otherwise dark and dull category,” Partridge said.

Cowan also roped in Aberis to create a unique structural design for the package using the card envelope to reinforce the invitation to consumers to try Club’s dark chocolate. According to Partridge, the use of such a new packaging format is also more harmonious to the product quality and is a world away from the previous flow wrap.

Nestle’s Club won the Silver Award (Food – Confectionery and Sweet Snacks) at the Pentawards award ceremony held on 2 October 2009 during the Brussels Design Forum.