Heshey’s
2024
My Hershey's Bar Packaging Design
Services:
Art Direction
Graphic Design
Branding
Packaging Design
As part of an exciting initiative for Hershey’s Chocolate World, I was commissioned to design a series of themed packaging concepts for their supersized chocolate bars—bringing new life and personal expression to one of the brand’s most iconic products. These bars are part of the MyHersheyBar collection, a customizable platform that allows consumers to celebrate life’s meaningful moments with a sweet, personalized touch. I was tasked with designing five unique wrappers for special occasions: Birthday, Wedding, Graduation, Thank You, and Mother’s Day. Each design involved creating original illustrations for the front label that captured the tone and spirit of the celebration—whether that meant confetti and candles for birthdays or soft florals and ribbon-like typography for Mother’s Day. On the back of each bar, I crafted complementary layouts that included messaging areas, visual motifs, and brand elements to complete the storytelling.
Role: Senior Designer @ Hershey | Collaborators: Matt Diehl
01 Background
The creative direction leaned into warmth, joy, and occasion-specific charm, using illustration to enhance emotional connection and make each bar feel like a keepsake. I worked closely with the Hershey team to ensure that each design was not only visually distinct, but also adaptable to the brand’s broader personalization platform. These initial five designs represent the beginning of a growing illustrated series that will eventually expand to include a wide range of holidays and celebrations—building out a collectible, seasonally rotating set of custom bars that transform the gifting experience. This project blends art and storytelling, turning everyday chocolate into a meaningful gesture that’s as fun to give as it is to receive.
02 Process
My Hershey's Bar Packaging Design - Final Designs
The launch of the themed MyHersheyBar packaging was met with overwhelmingly positive feedback, both internally and from consumers. The illustrated designs resonated with shoppers looking for thoughtful, personalized gifts, resulting in a noticeable boost in engagement on Hershey’s e-commerce platform. The Birthday and Mother’s Day bars, in particular, quickly became top-performing options, with strong sales leading up to each occasion. Social media posts featuring the new designs generated high levels of organic sharing, with customers celebrating the bars as both delicious and gift-worthy keepsakes. Internally, the success of the initial launch reinforced the potential of illustration-led packaging as a storytelling tool and laid the foundation for an expanded seasonal series. The campaign not only elevated the product’s visual appeal but also positioned Hershey’s as a brand that understands the emotional value of gifting and customization.