TASK:
Create a Christmas gift for 250+ clients
WHAT I DID:
Branding, Illustrations, Packaging, Art Direction
DURATION:
2 weeks in Vietnam +
3 weeks inkl. printing for the project
BUDGET:
tight, but def. doable 🤓
chúc mừng Giáng sinh —
Chocolate x Christmas. What a wonderful combination. Together with Jan Schölzel, a well-known photographer, I travelled to Vietnam to capture the process of bean to bar from Marou Chocolate and created a unique branding and packaging for creo-media. This company is sending out Christmas mailings every year to make more than 250 people happy and they asked me if I can create something unique. And what would be better than showing those lovely folks how chocolate is created?
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![](https://franziskacieslar.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Xmas_marou_02.jpg 2000w, https://franziskacieslar.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Xmas_marou_02-300x225.jpg 300w, https://franziskacieslar.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Xmas_marou_02-768x576.jpg 768w, https://franziskacieslar.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Xmas_marou_02-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://franziskacieslar.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Xmas_marou_02-650x488.jpg 650w, https://franziskacieslar.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Xmas_marou_02-1000x750.jpg 1000w)
How to make chocolate in Vietnam: On the trunks and branches of the cacao trees the tiny cacao pods grow. After about six months the farmers harvest cacao pods. The raw beens inside are covered in a sweet white pulp.
![](https://franziskacieslar.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Xmas_marou_01.jpg 1800w, https://franziskacieslar.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Xmas_marou_01-225x300.jpg 225w, https://franziskacieslar.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Xmas_marou_01-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://franziskacieslar.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Xmas_marou_01-650x867.jpg 650w, https://franziskacieslar.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Xmas_marou_01-1000x1333.jpg 1000w)
![](https://franziskacieslar.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Xmas_marou_09.jpg 1500w, https://franziskacieslar.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Xmas_marou_09-225x300.jpg 225w, https://franziskacieslar.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Xmas_marou_09-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://franziskacieslar.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Xmas_marou_09-650x867.jpg 650w, https://franziskacieslar.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Xmas_marou_09-1000x1333.jpg 1000w)
Harvest of the cocoa pods: This is a beautiful part of the bean-to-bar-process. Look at all those amazing colors!
![](https://franziskacieslar.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Xmas_marou_04.jpg 2000w, https://franziskacieslar.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Xmas_marou_04-300x225.jpg 300w, https://franziskacieslar.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Xmas_marou_04-768x576.jpg 768w, https://franziskacieslar.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Xmas_marou_04-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://franziskacieslar.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Xmas_marou_04-650x488.jpg 650w, https://franziskacieslar.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Xmas_marou_04-1000x750.jpg 1000w)
![](https://franziskacieslar.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Xmas_marou_03.jpg 2000w, https://franziskacieslar.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Xmas_marou_03-300x225.jpg 300w, https://franziskacieslar.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Xmas_marou_03-768x576.jpg 768w, https://franziskacieslar.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Xmas_marou_03-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://franziskacieslar.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Xmas_marou_03-650x488.jpg 650w, https://franziskacieslar.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Xmas_marou_03-1000x750.jpg 1000w)
After harvesting the beans are placed in a wooden box lined with banana leaves. This is where the magic happens: the temperature rises and subtly transforms the aroma during the fermentation. After 5 days the beans are dried in the sun for another 10 days. This is how they look afterwards.
I wish you could smell this now. Honestly: it is one of the greatest things in life you could be a part of. If you ever get the chance to visit a chocolate farm — don’t think twice!
![](https://franziskacieslar.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Xmas_Bag_02.jpg 705w, https://franziskacieslar.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Xmas_Bag_02-227x300.jpg 227w, https://franziskacieslar.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Xmas_Bag_02-650x860.jpg 650w)
![](https://franziskacieslar.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Xmas_marou_07.jpg 1500w, https://franziskacieslar.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Xmas_marou_07-225x300.jpg 225w, https://franziskacieslar.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Xmas_marou_07-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://franziskacieslar.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Xmas_marou_07-650x867.jpg 650w, https://franziskacieslar.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Xmas_marou_07-1000x1333.jpg 1000w)
![](https://franziskacieslar.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Karten.jpg 2394w, https://franziskacieslar.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Karten-300x203.jpg 300w, https://franziskacieslar.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Karten-768x520.jpg 768w, https://franziskacieslar.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Karten-1024x693.jpg 1024w, https://franziskacieslar.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Karten-arttheme-standard-thumb-650x440.jpg 650w, https://franziskacieslar.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Karten-arttheme-standard-thumb-medium-1000x677.jpg 1000w, https://franziskacieslar.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Karten-arttheme-standard-thumb-big-2000x1353.jpg 2000w)
![](https://franziskacieslar.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Cards.gif)
On each of those little cards I explained the unique process from bean to bar & created unique illustrations as well. Besides I also designed postcards with the incredible photos we took as well as the locations we visited all over vietnam.
In the end I decided the cards in an elegant box & combine them with a selection of Marou’s chocolates & my personal favorites.
![](https://franziskacieslar.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Bilder.jpg 1976w, https://franziskacieslar.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Bilder-209x300.jpg 209w, https://franziskacieslar.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Bilder-768x1102.jpg 768w, https://franziskacieslar.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Bilder-714x1024.jpg 714w, https://franziskacieslar.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Bilder-650x933.jpg 650w, https://franziskacieslar.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Bilder-1000x1435.jpg 1000w)
![](https://franziskacieslar.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Visitenkarten-1-e1694865755166.jpg 933w, https://franziskacieslar.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Visitenkarten-1-e1694865755166-200x300.jpg 200w, https://franziskacieslar.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Visitenkarten-1-e1694865755166-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://franziskacieslar.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Visitenkarten-1-e1694865755166-682x1024.jpg 682w)
![](https://franziskacieslar.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Box-1.jpg 1440w, https://franziskacieslar.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Box-1-244x300.jpg 244w, https://franziskacieslar.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Box-1-768x944.jpg 768w, https://franziskacieslar.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Box-1-833x1024.jpg 833w, https://franziskacieslar.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Box-1-650x799.jpg 650w, https://franziskacieslar.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Box-1-1000x1229.jpg 1000w)
![](https://franziskacieslar.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Chocolates.jpg 2000w, https://franziskacieslar.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Chocolates-300x229.jpg 300w, https://franziskacieslar.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Chocolates-768x587.jpg 768w, https://franziskacieslar.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Chocolates-1024x782.jpg 1024w, https://franziskacieslar.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Chocolates-650x497.jpg 650w, https://franziskacieslar.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Chocolates-1000x764.jpg 1000w)