Communicating indulgence: Making your packaging work harder

Packaging is art. Many premium brands put as much thought into their packaging as they do the product. They understand that packaging is how people tangibly experience their brand. Done right packaging becomes a ritual, an experience and a moment of emotional connection.  

Consider Hotel Chocolat’s Sleekster box, a best-in-class example of premium storytelling. The magnetic close, ribbon pull, and perfectly aligned truffles create a slow, elegant reveal that feels more like opening jewellery than chocolate. It’s packaging that turns gifting into theatre.  

Hotel Chocolat’s Sleekster box shows what happens when form, function and feeling align. Every detail, from the magnetic click to the ribbon pull, builds anticipation and emotion. It’s proof that great packaging isn’t decoration, tangible strategy which turns the opening into an experience which upholds the brand’s positioning.  

The same principles can be applied to any premium brand: by designing with intent, you can transform the act of opening into an experience, the product into a story, and the brand into something more memorable. 

Some considerations to achieve this:  

1. A multi-sense reveal - Packaging isn’t just visual, it’s tactile, auditory and behavioural. Design finishes such as matte versus gloss transmit meaning before any text is read. But beyond finish, the ‘how’ of opening - tabs, sleeves, ribbon pulls, hinges, become part of the story. Packaging should invite a slow moment of anticipation. For indulgent snacks this means: designing for a sequence of unwrapping so that the consumer can feel the luxury, not just see it. 
2. Tell the brand-story - The pack structure should reflect the brand’s heritage and promise, telling the story behind the treat. Every design choice should quietly signal luxury, and take care not to shout it. The structure should say ‘this is my moment’. 
3. Balance standout with repeat ritual usability - The classic stand out on shelf still matters, but for indulgent snacks the job doesn’t end at purchase. Packaging must also support the ‘ritual of unpacking’, use, and re-engagement (sharing, gifting, snapping for social, etc.). It must reward the consumer beyond the shelf-pick: opening, portioning, closing, storing, even displaying.

At Radius we don’t disregard packaging or see it as an after-thought. Instead, we champion, reminding brands that the packaging they choose is a tangible reflection of their brand DNA, a way to delight customers, and a powerful tool to drive engagement and emotional connection.