Looking back to move forward.

Chocolate…but make it retro.

That was the ask in front of me once I was approached to take charge of the aesthetic for the 2023 Heritage Chocolate Society conference in Richmond, VA. The Heritage Chocolate Society, also known as HCS, is a branch of AMERICAN HERITAGE Chocolate, where members can geek out about the fine details and spellbinding history of one of the world’s most treasured desserts.

Thus, I sought to incorporate this 1970’s-inspired theme into every last branding element for the meeting. This included promotional materials for the weeks leading up to the big day, signage at the site, PowerPoint decks, and even smaller details like the name tags attendees wore and the “memory cards” they wrote their favorite moments on.

Ultimately, the goal was to use throwback imagery to communicate HCS’s larger goal of educating the world about chocolate and transforming how people view the delicacy going forward. However, the goal was doing all of this while staying connected to the established AMERICAN HERITAGE brand. Having the opportunity to spearhead this effort for my agency was an amazing opportunity, and taught me volumes about parlaying an abstract concept into a successful campaign.