Unveiling the Myth: Mirzam Monsters Collection

Backbone Branding's Award-Winning Chocolate Packaging Design

The Mirzam Monsters Collection is not just a chocolate packaging design, but a journey through the ancient Orient, meeting mythical monsters along forgotten sea routes. The design is a unique interpretation of tales told by Arab merchants to scare off competitors from entering the sea trade. These tales spoke of mythical monsters that blocked their passage, trying to sink and swallow their vessels filled with spices.

The chocolate-makers from the United Arab Emirates (Dubai) approached Backbone Branding to create a unique identity for their handcrafted bean-to-bar chocolate. The team took on the challenge, designing each element around a fascinating story. The result is a brand that takes consumers on a journey from one country to another, meeting monsters and mythical characters along the way.

The design process involved creating a stencil-like design for the sleeve of the chocolate packaging. This allowed the monster illustrations on the actual surface of the packaging to be visible from the window. The packaging material used is paper, and the dimensions are Width 31 mm x Depth 1 mm x Height 61 mm.

One of the challenges the team faced was telling a deep story on a small, flat packaging. To overcome this, they developed a sliding-sleeve technology that aids the storytelling process. When the sleeve is removed, a new reality is unveiled – where the shine of stars and ocean planktons create an impression of the fantastic mythical beasts. This mythical journey continues even when the bar is unwrapped, revealing sea wave patterns on the chocolate, summing up the Mirzam Chocolate adventure.

The project, which took place from January to September 2015 in Yerevan, Armenia, required extensive research into Arabic storytelling, especially those connected with the sea and sea trade. The name 'Mirzam' was chosen, which is the Beta star of Canis Major, one of the primary stars sailors would navigate by during the era of the Spice Route. This name represents the romance and adventure of bygone days, an era that Mirzam Chocolate celebrates.

This innovative design was recognized with a Golden A' Packaging Design Award in 2021, a prestigious accolade granted to marvelous, outstanding, and trendsetting creations that reflect the designer's prodigy and wisdom. The Mirzam Monsters Collection is indeed a bright idea that advances art, design, and technology, embodying extraordinary excellence and significantly impacting the world with its desirable characteristics.