El Metate - Chocolate de México
I wanted to show my love for packaging by designing 3 different packagings for chocolate; chocolate with dried red fruits and nuts, black chocolate and white chocolate. As I didn't want to make a redo from an existing chocolate factory such as Cote D'Or, I decided to conceptualise my very own chocolate brand, El Metate.
The Brand name 'El Metate' is a Spanish word that translates as a mealing stone or quiery. It is a three-legged curved stone tablet that has been used by Mesoamerican cultures (such as Mayas and Aztecs) to grind mais, beans but also cacao. This is how chocolate was traditionally made in Mexican culture. Nowadays the mealing stone has been replaced by industrial machines to make chocolate, but the metate is still very popular in Mexico (to grind mais for tortillas).
I wanted to use the metate as a logo since this specific tool has been groundbreaking and utterly important in Mexican history and culture. The metate is also very powerful, raw and natural, just like the cacao beans that are used to make chocolate. I chose to incorporate the typical curving metates have with the roundness of the cacao bean. I opted for a sober and clean logo that wouldn't give everything away in one second, but gives an idea of what the brand is about.
Mexico is famous and proud for its lush and wild forests but also for its wildlife. Their coat of arms is an eagle holding a serpent. I wanted to refer to this particular Mexican cultural heritage and proudness by using birds to refer different kinds of chocolate. The toucan (and it's surrounding) represents chocolate dried red fruits and nuts, the crow for 100% black chocolate and the swan for white chocolate. The bright colourful background with the birds makes the product stand out and intrigues the customer.
To read more about this project, please go to: www.sarahherlant.com/el-metate
