I worry for IVORY
For this project, I chose to work on something that I constantly crave - chocolate! Right? Who does not like chocolates? There are so many fun facts about chocolate that are generally unknown to us. We always associate celebratory, exuberant, blissful experiences with chocolate.
Chocolate is a product enjoyed by the privileged, known for its delicacy. My objective was to look into the production of chocolate, how and where cocoa is manufactured, and to discover the story behind the creation of it. What is hidden beneath that luscious brown surface? I decided to look into the journey of these delicious creations that so many of
us fail to resist.
There is a darker shade of brown too!
My research revealed a very uncomfortable fact - many of the chocolates we consume are made from cocoa produced by slaves in Africa. I was greatly disturbed when I found that most of these slaves are children. This helped direct my project’s purpose. What appears so delicious and alluring on the surface has a tragic back-story. I wanted to raise awareness about this issue by creating an experience that uncovers this disturbing truth. By exposing this shocking reality, I hope to motivate people to choose fair trade companies and make more socially conscious decisions.
IVORY is a project that raises a concern about child slavery in the cocoa industry and
asks consumers to make ethical purchasing decisions. I have designed a luxury chocolate packaging that gives a rich visual experience but at the same time, challenges a person to think about their actions and whether they are appropriate. Within the beautiful elegant box, I have placed child headed chocolates with the goal of making a person think twice before consuming them. Within that split second before consumption, my hope is that
the design provides time to think about consumption actions by indirectly looking at the reality of the cocoa farms. My design is based on five senses and is intended to be accessible to normal people like us as well as physically impaired people. I strongly
believe that design should be inclusive and accessible to all.
Design is a social action!
Thank you for viewing!
