Illustration, Chocolate & The Art Of Visual Storytelling

One of my favorite (and most delicious) assignments was for the St. Croix Chocolate Company.

They were preparing for their first appearance at the Chicago Fine Chocolate Show, and commissioned an illustration to publicize that appearance.

Here’s the final. It tells the story in a single image.

I created the nine chocolates from scratch in Photoshop. I’m amazed at how well they turned out, and I’m not quite sure how I managed it– I did a lot of experiments!

Here’s a detail image.

The point I want to make here is that illustrations are a particularly good media choice for storytelling.

You can include anything in an illustration. No concept is too fantastic. You can suspend the laws of nature, take liberties with time and space, tell the story any way you want.

A good illustration will stand out and attract attention. You can also make sure it references your brand.

St. Croix chocolates are true works of art. So is their product photography. But it’s hard to tell a story with a static photo, even a mouth-watering one.

A story, no matter how simple, is a narrative that requires some energy to drive it forward.

I wish I could take credit for St. Croix’s logo, but I can’t. I don’t know who designed it, but it’s a beauty. So are their product photos. You can see more on their Facebook page.

The St. Croix Chocolate Company is co-owned by Deidre Pope (below, L) and Robyn Dochterman (R). Deidre’s the operations manager, Robyn’s the chocolatier. I think the guy in the middle must be a seasonal employee… 😊

They sent me a box of chocolates as a bonus after I finished the assignment. It didn’t take me long to empty it.

They’re a class act, and I’m grateful they asked me to help tell their story.

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About Mark: I’m an illustrator specializing in humor, branding, social media, and content marketing. My images are different, like your brand needs to be.

You can view my portfolio, and connect with me on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Questions? Send me an email.

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