Fun stuff - Luisa's Vegan Chocolate x Rusty Monkey
Have a look at how we created the Luisa's Vegan Chocolate x Rusty Monkey label! -->
RESEARCH
We began by researching local vendors we could collaborate with. We discovered Luisa's Vegan Chocolate in Sneinton Market, whose core values we admired and felt were aligned with our own. We then got out trusty Pinterest to begin to spark some creativity amongst the designers here.
INITIAL SKETCHES
We wanted a design that both complimented Luisa's brand and our own. Iulia headed to procreate to put down some initial sketches of ideas that were floating around in her head.
FINALISED ARTWORK
Iulia refined her design and added some colour! We wanted the design to translate over two different packages: a chocolate box and a packet. We had to adapt these accordingly.
TEMPLATE FITTING
Once we had the finalised artwork, it was up to Zoe to fit it onto the templates for the boxes and packets. We still needed to include all the important legal requirements for food packaging, but we also added in some quirky details and hand drawn elements that made the labels feel ‘Rusty Monkey’, or dare we say ‘artisan’.
PRINT PRODUCTION BOXES
Then it was off to print and assembling the labels by hand onto the boxes...
PRINT PRODUCTION SLABS
We also did the same for the packets!
PHOTOGRAPHY
We wanted to humbly shout about this cool project so we took pictures in our own professional photo studio which we could then share on social media.
TASTE TESTING
Then, the all important taste testing! We give Luisa's chocolate a 11/10! What a dream of a project!
Zoe
She / her; green / blue. Zoe is a designer, daydreamer and self-anointed snack queen. Once described as “so awkward she’s charming” by a friend, there isn’t a day that goes by without her accidentally slipping in an innuendo. In winter, she hibernates in a blanket of books and netflix, but by late spring emerges with her trusty birkenstocks, ready to go on photography adventures and socialise with the neighbourhood cats. If she were a pokemon she would without a doubt be Pikachu, but a buzzfeed quiz has determined her to be a Magikarp. She’s a firm believer that buzzfeed quizzes cannot be trusted, under any circumstances.
Iulia
She / her. Iulia is Rusty Monkey’s animation, illustration and 3D expert. Responsible for making everything beautiful, she also dabbles in graphic design and UX design. Among her credits is an animated music video for local parody heavy metal band Evil Scarecrow. A talented artist, she showcases her work on her Instagram channel. She usually spends most of her time in some random corner of the house with a drawing tablet and a pen, scribbling away. Cat obsessed. Professional house plant killer. Autumn lover. Maker of things.
PROJECT TIMELINE
THE CLIENT
Rusty Monkey (ourselves!).
THE GOAL
The goal of this campaign was to raise brand awareness among our existing customers, and to demonstrate our in-house services (such as illustration, photography, video and design).
But more importantly, the campaign was about promoting small independent business and creating a buzz for our partners.
THE SOLUTION
For the chocolate, we partnered with vegan chocolatier Luisa’s - who operate from a store just up the road from us - to create a limited run of Rusty Monkey branded chocolates for us to send to our clients for Christmas.
We try to work with businesses who are bringing something good to the world — and Luisa’s does just that. Luisa’s ethical trade business model and responsible ingredient sourcing mean that their farmers are always paid a better-than-Fairtrade price.
THE TEAM
Our creative guild, led by the talented Iulia and Zoe.
THEY SAID
“Blown away by the Rusty Monkey gift today thank you so much. What an awesome team.” - Benn Raistrick
We are proud to be part of the local independent creative community here in Nottingham. We’re always looking for opportunities to connect with other small local businesses for mutual benefits. Get in touch with us if you would like to collaborate on something like this!
THE OUTCOME
A wholesome gift for our clients! The finalised products made use of hand-drawn elements that encapsulates the joyous whimsy of the Rusty Monkey brand.
We also wanted to make sure that the chocolates still honour the original label design whilst having the Rusty Monkey stamp on them, resulting in some wonderful personalised gifts to share with clients and friends.
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