Art Deco and craft chocolate make a perfect marriage in UnitedUs’ identity for Cocoa Runners

It all started with chocolate. Although it is dearly beloved across the world, there’s no hiding from the exploitation and unethical practices found within mass production in the industry. Brighton-based brand agency UnitedUs first unexpectedly encountered Cocoa Runners, a chocolate retailer on a mission to improve the ecosystems of growers and makers, through an online tasting session. In this immersive session, like any participant will tell you, UnitedUs understood the nuances of craft chocolate, and learnt how to discern quality. However, despite their unquestionable expertise, high quality products, and dedication to championing the stories behind each bar, their customer base struggled to grow beyond its loyal subscribers. Aligning with their ten year anniversary, they invited UnitedUs to develop a new and better brand image – one that reflects the high-quality and detail-oriented nature of their extensive, meticulously selected collection – and help them to improve their online e-commerce experience. The team opted for an Art Deco inspired direction for the brand’s new logomark, which Partner Luke Taylor explains, felt appropriate, thanks to the movement’s ethos of high standards of craftsmanship and use of exquisite materials. This perfectly aligned with the spirit of Cocoa Runners and the artisan makers they work with. “Wulkan Display was chosen to further emphasise this notion of high craftsmanship and a certain sense of opulence,” Taylor tells us. “Although influenced by old-style types, it also brings a contemporary counterpoint to the deco-inspired wordmark.” Similarly, UnitedUs introduced the reliable workhorse Neue Haas (in both Roman and Bold) to both compliment the classic style of the brand’s typography, while being an appropriately functional option for e-commerce implementation. “Sweet Sans completes the typographic hierarchy,” Taylor continues, “both bringing an early 1900s complimentary counterpart to the Deco-inspired logo, but also as a highly functional notation device that adds further functionality to an already highly versatile type system.”