OUGD503 YCN - The Grown Up Chocolate Company - Developing Ideas (Sleeve Design)

Developing Ideas (Sleeve Design):

Surprise:
From the feedback I received that suggested that surprise could work with the brand cohesively, I have begun to sketch surprised eyes to work with.

Taking the top left eyes, I began to sketch out a design for the sleeve.

I then began to make a digital interpretation of the eyes in illustrator.

Working from my sketch I began to create a rough digital interpretation of what it could potentially look like.  

The white background make the box look too bare and unfinished, it isn't engaging enough to attract attention. The lines on the background also don't create a strong enough pattern.

Having a brown background creates a better contrast that is easily recognisable as a chocolate bar. Changing the stroke on the eyes also helps to give it a more handcrafted feel, relating to the handcrafted nature of the chocolate. The question marks provide a more interesting pattern and help to allude to the mystery of what could be inside.

Changing the background to pink with the brown outline makes it seem tacky and reduces the quality of what it contains. Having the text brown makes it stand out less, with the background being the main point of focus.

I felt that the background needed a stronger pattern to make the box more interesting and appealing, so I created a repeating pattern of question marks. I think that on this design the eyes really don't work, they seem out of place and don't work cohesively. The text also does not work in brown, it is lost in the background.

I tried the same design with a brown background which works a lot better but I don't think it catches the bright, fun, vibrant nature of the brand.

I tried the design in different colours and slightly different backgrounds / styles but Im still not completely happy with the design. I think the eyes make it look too childish and not suitable for a more sophisticated audience. 

Working with just pink, white and brown has been a struggle as it doesn't seem to reflect the high end chocolate. I want to try and see if I can include some brighter more attractive colours that won't seem to clash as much. I am also going to rethink my design as so far nothing seems to be working. I am struggling to come up with ideas, and so far I am not enjoying working on this brief. I think it would have been more appropriate to work collaboratively with someone from illustration.