Services: Identity design Art direction Brand concept Brand strategy Interior design Motion design Packaging design
Client: Neuhaus
Services: Identity design Art direction Brand concept Brand strategy Interior design Motion design Packaging design
Client: Neuhaus
Services: Identity design Art direction Brand concept Brand strategy Interior design Motion design Packaging design
Client: Neuhaus

Revitalizing a Belgian icon

Neuhaus is a global premium chocolate brand. A Belgian icon with a superb product, a rich heritage, a presence in over fifty countries and a webshop shipping worldwide. They had just about everything to outshine the fierce competition. And yet, they didn’t. Neuhaus had lost its spark along the way. Operating from a retail mindset, it had lost track of what the brand was all about. We worked with them to recapture that essence and revitalized the Belgian chocolate icon from within.

Effie Belgium Awards Brand campaign

Bronze winner

The Idea

Neuhaus needed to engage with the customer on a more emotional level. So it shifted its focus from ‘what you give’ (a product) to ‘why you give it’ (an emotion). You give to show you care, a universal motivation rooted in the brand’s origin. Back in 1857, Neuhaus’ founder Jean Neuhaus, originally a pharmacist, soaked bitter-tasting medicines with sweet chocolate because he cared about his customers. It’s what Neuhaus articulated as ‘the gift of caring’. Using this as a foundation, we rebuilt the brand around a singular goal: make Neuhaus the ideal gift to show someone you care.

Neuhaus’ new foundation is a visual language we defined as ‘Modern Classic’. A premium forward-looking style combined with a profound respect for their craftsmanship and heritage. It establishes Neuhaus as a timeless, high-end brand in a modern context.

Fil rouge

The copper ribbon is our “fil rouge”. It’s Neuhaus’ primary colour, but also turns every box into a gift. After all, a bow marks the beginning of an unboxing ritual. You immediately feel the thrill of discovery. In execution, we paid supreme attention to details, using quality materials only. Every element of the packaging is thought-through and produced with the utmost care, resulting in an iconic, thoughtful gift.

Photography

Forget about dramatic shots against a dark background, this photography style breaks from traditional chocolate category codes. The bright, fresh images present the pralines as mouth-watering centerpieces.

Seasonals

Valentine’s Day, Easter and other holidays are key moments for Neuhaus. For those collections, we create stories that transcend the product. Whether romantic love or more general togetherness, each season’s sentiment is reinterpreted through ‘the gift of caring’. Every packaging design tells a story that goes beyond the product.

Creating a system

The brand identity system leaves room for the character of each individual product. It allows Neuhaus to change with gifting seasons and trends without losing its identity.

We didn’t just polish Neuhaus’ look and feel. We reconnected the brand to its roots and original intention: caring for people. We did this in a way that remains true to the brand’s history, but still speaks to the modern consumer. In a world overflowing with visual stimuli and a visually literate consumer, we created a brand that whispers instead of shouts. Using refreshing understatement to cut through the noise — a form of restrained elegance that leaves room for honest emotions.

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