Ethical Chocolate Campaign

Banner, billboard, magazine and HTML quiz about ethical chocolate

This project was for an information design studio class, exploring various ways to encourage thoughtful consumption of chocolate.

Tech

HTML/CSS
Adobe Photoshop
Affinity Publisher
Affinity Designer
Excel

Process

Ethical chocolate quiz banner — Banner designed to hang alongside a store chocolate display (banner mock up from LS Graphics)

A short online quiz that grants the user a coupon for a discount on Fairtrade chocolate brands. Instead of telling consumers what NOT to buy, point towards sustainable and ethical brands: these are the companies that I want consumers to remember.

Ethical chocolate quiz — This quiz was made with HTML and CSS via Glitch. A barebones approach allows it to quickly load on any smartphone without having to run any scripts.

The QR code from the banner brings the user to a short quiz, the completion of grants the user access to a coupon highlighting Fairtrade brands.

Ethical chocolate billboard — A literal bar chart highlighting the cacao industry (Brooklyn Billboard mockup from House of Mockups)

Child labor is an unfortunate reality in Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire, the world's top cacao producers. In Cote d'Ivoire, 85% of cacao farmers do not earn a living income, with 38% living in extreme poverty ("Cacao Farmer Income", July 2021). This billboard seeks to encourage thoughtfulness and consideration for cacao origins and farmer conditions.

Ethical chocolate magazine — Holiday magazine spread highlighting ethical chocolate makers (Magazine mockup from rawpixel.com / Freepik

Many craft chocolatiers acknowledge the unfairness of our world's cacao supply chain and choose to only source cacao via direct, transparent or Fair trade. This magazine spread seeks to highlight makers who excel at both chocolate-making and sustainability, echoing the designs of the rest of the campaign with little facts hidden in the margins. Chocolate consumption won't stop-- according to the National Confectioners' Association, the average person spends $136 per year on chocolate! Total chocolate sales increased 4.1% YoY in 2022 (vs. 2021). By highlighting ethical makers, I hope to divert that spending to quality chocolatiers.

Data

Resources:
Nyabor, J. (2022). Ghana’s new cocoa price leaves production targets in jeopardy, farmers say. The Africa Report. https://www.theafricareport.com/247539/ghanas-new-cocoa-price-leaves-production-targets-in-jeopardy-farmers-say/
‘(2022). Cocoa Commodity. Markets Insider. https://markets.businessinsider.com/commodities/cocoa-price
(2022). The Situation. Slave Free Chocolate. https://www.slavefreechocolate.org/children-slavery-cocoa
Gandy, M. (2022). 21 Current Chocolate Statistics (Chocolate Market Data 2022). Dame Cocoa. https://damecacao.com/chocolate-statistics/#17
(2021). New Study Shows Higher Incomes for Fairtrade Cocoa Farmers. Fairtrade International. https://www.fairtrade.net/news/new-study-shows-higher-incomes-for-fairtrade-cocoa-farmers/
Lalchandani, P. (2022). Social Issues with Major Cocoa Production. Bar & Cocoa. https://barandcocoa.com/pages/social-issues-with-major-cacao-prouction
Ahorgba, A. (2022). NEW COCOA PRICE - FARMERS IN VOLTA & OTI REGIONS APPLAUD GOVERNMENT. Ghana Cocoa Board. https://cocobod.gh/news/new-cocoa-price-farmers-in-volta-oti-regions-applaud-government
(2022). About Taza. Taza Chocolate. https://www.tazachocolate.com/pages/about-taza
(2022). About Us. Dick Taylor Chocolate. https://dicktaylorchocolate.com/pages/about-us-learn
(2022). Our Ingredients. Omnom Chocolate. https://omnomchocolate.com/pages/our-ingredients
(2022). Honduras Wampusirpi Cacao. Crow & Moss Chocolate. https://crowandmoss.com/pages/about-honduras-wampusirpi-cacao
(2022). Our commitment to sustainability. Venchi Chocolate US. https://us.venchi.com/venchi-for-the-environment
(2022). Tree to Bar. Soklet. https://soklet.in/pages/tree-to-bar
(2022). Tony’s 5 Sourcing Principles for modern slavery free cocoa. Tony's Chocolonely. https://tonyschocolonely.com/us/en/our-mission
(2020). Sourcing Report 2019-2020. Dandelion Chocolate. https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2434/0841/files/2019_2020_-_Sourcing_-_Report_-_Web-compressed.pdf?v=1651873402
Luckstead, J., Tsiboe, F., & Nalley, L. L. (2019). Estimating the economic incentives necessary for eliminating child labor in Ghanaian cocoa production. PloS one, 14(6), e0217230. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0217230
(2001). Framework of Action to Support Implementation of the Harkin-Engel Protocol. United States Department of Labor. https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/ilab/legacy/files/cocoaframeworkaction.pdf
(2022). Standards. Direct Trade. http://www.direct-trade.org/standards