Pack of the Month: Block Party Throws it Back to the Swingin' 60s

As more and more hemp-infused chocolates enter the marketplace, it's easy to get lost in a sea of your favorite sweet delights. All the more reason that Block Pary needed to revamp their line of treats. Turning to Candy Brophy Creative, the brand opted for a type-focused throwback with funky, stretched-out letters and bold colors. Brophy even warped the warning, something you certainly can't get away with here in the states, but a lovely detail for our neighbors down under.

We spoke with Brophy about her design for Block Party and how it eschews the "Mumsy" friendly cues that dominate much of the chocolate landscape.

Walk us through the design process that you went through for this project.

The process was re-naming an existing product that was dull and typical in this category. When taking on a project, I usually sit on it for a few days to a week, then most often at night, a funny name hits me. 

I have the luxury of not taking on too many jobs, but only the ones that allow me to inject a bit of myself, and this is often what the client engages me for. Early in my career, I would take on board jobs that have you working like a Mac operator bringing the client's misguided vision into reality, and that never sat well. So, I embarked on a design bombardment to showcase my style. That led to the right client partnerships.

What was one of the biggest goals you set out to achieve with the Block Party packaging, and how did you accomplish it? 

Trying to have it minimal but also a bit much, I was trying to tap into that weird time in the 90’s when the ’60s came back in style, so the Block Party themed name paired with the funky lettering is a nod to teens dancing to gangsters paradise with crochet tops and flared jeans (lol).

Why did you go with a type-forward design?

I love minimal type and clean lines, but I live in an affluent area, and all I see in stores and windows are products with plain words and negative space paired with the latest interior design colors on beauty and food products, and it's a bit boring. 

I feel like minimal type and muted colors are very agency “Mumsy” friendly designs and are the majority of the purchase options in-store. So it's either Dull or Dull. Now and then, you get 5% weirdness, and they are usually the purchases I make. I grew up in the ’80s and ’90s, and bold, dominating type soaked my formative years and led to my believing that type should be unique and memorable to become iconic. The typefaces I like are usually hand-drawn on Procreate on my iPad then vectorized in illustrator.

What was the most challenging part of this project?

Choosing colors that look great as a family and also scream unique. But I wouldn’t really say any part of the projects I take on board are challenging in a negative way, or I pass on it. Playing for hours with color combos is a privilege and suits my disposition. I would rather experiment with color and form than speak to people or engage in small talk with my age group, so the job plugs social avoidance nicely. As a designer, often you'd prefer to look and observe than engage. You can’t say the wrong thing or upset the design; you can be as foolish or experimental as you like.

If you could pick one aspect of the finished design that you like the most or feel proud of, what would it be and why?

I like it as a whole. I'm always proud of composition and color because these are the aspects I work hard on, but I don’t enjoy looking back. I have a habit of changing things too much because nothing is ever good enough. I have to put it in the "done folder" when I am happy and not keep looking at it and obsessing.

Share one lesson that you learned while developing the finished product.

I like it as a whole. I'm always proud of composition and color because these are the aspects I work hard on, but I don’t enjoy looking back. I have a habit of changing things too much because nothing is ever good enough. I have to put it in the "done folder" when I am happy and not keep looking at it and obsessing.