Recchiuti by Handbook — BP&O

Recchiuti Confections is a San Francisco-based gourmand chocolatier that creates goodies with distinctive flavour mixtures. Utilizing conventional European strategies, with regionally sourced components from Northern Californian farms and markets, Recchiuti’s goodies have earned a loyal buyer base and a number of other accolades.

After 25 years in enterprise, Recchiuti sought the experience of Handbook – a neighborhood design studio – for a model overhaul that may modernise the chocolatier and characterize it extra absolutely. Core to this new rebrand is the idea of ‘elegant steadiness’ – a high quality that Handbook notes got here up a number of instances in its interviews with clients. ‘Elegant steadiness’ refers to Recchiuti’s talent at creating suave flavour pairings, and its capacity to search out the candy spot between Candy+Tart, Consolation+Discovery, Pleasant+Fancy, Artwork+Science, Elevated+Whimsical.

The small tweaks which might be wanted to realize ‘elegant steadiness’ are mirrored in Recchiuti’s new animated wordmark. Ascenders and descenders transfer up and down easily, as if performing a symphony. This hyperlink with music is deliberate, chosen to imbue extra of founder Michael Recchiuti into the visible identification. Recchiuti, in addition to being a chocolate maker, can also be a musician who experiments with digital music, percussion and up to date jazz. The wordmark is playful and up to date, capturing the spirit of Recchiuti Confections. The identical typeface, primarily based on Tightype’s Exposit, can also be used as headlines and throughout packaging.

For many chocolate followers, packaging is the primary interplay with this deal with, and Handbook has created a system of containers, bars and tubes that convey the range of candy treats on provide. The packaging is premium, thought-about, and strikes a steadiness between minimalism and heat. In different phrases, every merchandise feels as if it have been a present – which is strictly what you wish to really feel when receiving or giving goodies. Excessive-quality paper substrates, inflexible structural integrity and diamond bevel foil embossing improve the luxe tactility.

Very like the chocolatier’s creations, the visible identification strikes a steadiness between up to date strategies and conventional craft. Honouring Recchiuti’s hands-on small batch manufacturing, Handbook launched illustrated linework parts that commemorate the pure components and flavour mixtures, and connect with the gestural ornament on the goodies – the ‘artwork’. These distinction effectively with the highly-controlled, stylised studio pictures, which speaks to the science and dedication that goes into flavour extraction – the technical talent. The studio labored with photographer Maren Caruso to coordinate the sculptural ingredient nonetheless life photos, which equally fascinate and tantalise the tastebuds.

The usage of color throughout the model highlights the identical pressure. Whereas stored largely monotone, pops of color might be seen throughout the packaging, serving as a refined nod to the Recchiuti’s former palette, and sometimes referring to the flavours inside. For instance, the S’mores Package contains a soft-roasted gradient paying homage to toasted marshmallows. Equally, Key Lime Pears characteristic a zingy inexperienced sticker adorned with the model’s monogram – an ‘R’ on an summary balancing board (that phrase once more).

This can be a visible identification the place the sum of its components work harmoniously to supply the chocolatier with an elevated feel and look that speaks to its spirit. It’s each crafted and premium, trendy and welcoming, minimal and vivid, artistically expressive and technically skilful. Briefly, it’s sublimely balanced.