Alex Szymczak

Lady Godiva is a story about beauty and strength within a person, and I set out to capture that feeling in this design. As the story goes, Lady Godiva rode naked through town with just her long hair as a cover. I wanted her hair to represent something soft yet powerful, and to be the focal point that draws a person into the illustration. She was, and still is, known for her beauty, but her real power was her generosity to the people, which makes her such a fascinating subject.

I like to have fun with my designs and this one was no exception. I pulled my inspiration from nature — colors, architecture, and the overall story. I wanted to have a storybook-quality finish that would resonate with adults and children alike, and generate happiness. The buildings at the time were ornate so I incorporated some personal detail to set the tone. My color palette was inspired by early dawn, when Lady Godiva would have begun her ride, and the brilliant colors that paint the sky that early in the day. My personal finish always has a hand-done quality, which gives it a personal feel and is meant to connect with the viewer.

After finishing this illustration I realized how much of my inspiration for this tin came from Lady Godiva herself. She did not realize the strength she had within herself, and her beauty was anything but skin deep. This illustration pushed me to my limits. My ultimate goal was to create a beautiful tin on the outside that gives people a sense of strength and joy. 

Godiva was looking to create a dessert truffle box reminiscent of a European Pâtisserie. While developing the design for this collection I was inspired by the yummy desserts featured inside each box. Each tiny illustration is based off of one of the truffle flavors, such as tiramisu, chocolate soufflé, and strawberry creme tarte. 

Each dessert illustration has chocolaty notes, as well as a bit of Godiva's classic gold touch. I also added a bit of color to make some of the desserts pop!

During 2017 Godiva launched a new limited edition collection of Éclair Chocolates! I absolutely love éclairs — the art of making them, the taste, and the beautiful decorations. Éclairs are a fun dessert, and I wanted to give the box that same feeling. To ensure the collection lived with the  Pâtisserie Truffles collection I created illustrations for both collections. The end result was a fun and whimsical collection just in time for the summer season! 

This Japan-exclusive collection incorporates a bold and bright abstract pattern inspired by seasonal fruits. The painting shown below is an original and has been applied to all SKUs in the collection.

Godiva's Spring 2016 called for bright, bold, and fresh pops of color. I wanted to make something that would bring a smile to kids and adults which led me to create a a rainbow effect in the bubbles. 

Truffle Flights were designed to be a fun, new way for younger consumers to enjoy Godiva’s classic truffles. Much like a beer or wine flight, Truffle Flights highlight key flavor notes in a specific order defined by Godiva’s head chefs. The boxes incorporate bright colors that evoke each flavor flight, while the brown identifies them all as part of the same product family.

EMD pigments were incorporated in this line to add extra sparkle and dimension to the package. This process was new to Godiva at the time, but has since been integrated into other product lines. The Ultimate Dessert Truffle Flight has a distinct look that identifies it as part of both the Truffle Flights and Ultimate Dessert Truffle product families.

Godiva wanted to create a product that would "wow" customers and be a centerpiece at parties. This box contains 80 pieces of classic and newly formulated truffles, and puts them on display in a double door box. Both the classic brand gold and iconic truffle look are highlighted with hot stamping, embossing, and specially developed papers.

The design of this box reflects the truffles’ position as Godiva's premium chocolate piece. The double door opening was designed to elicit a more exciting consumer experience.

The aim of this project was to create a uniform look for the Signature Truffles line across all regions worldwide. The design objectives were to attain a premium look without increasing cost, to maintain the product’s iconic look, and to address issues regarding the product’s physical integrity and presentation. The new design incorporates a classic gold color, a signature of the Godiva brand. A new truffle paper was developed for both Signature and Dark Truffles, creating a more robust color and texture, while minimizing cost. The drizzle ribbon and striped base identify the Signature and Ultimate Dessert Truffles as part of the same product family.

This premium limited edition line features vanilla-infused chocolates from Godiva's master chefs. Each flavor is from a different part of the world, and the shape of the package resembles that of a map of the Earth.

The debossed illustrations draw attention to the ingredients, which are sourced from around the world. We chose a pearlized paper that helps the debossed illustrations shine on shelf as well as add an additional layer of elegance to the package.

This bright and fun summer collection incorporates graphics that are a take on a classic ice cream shoppe. Bright pastels pop across the gift boxes, novelties and chocolate moulds.

The Halloween collection incorporated a haunted house theme. Spooky trees and bats are set in the background with the house. A spiderweb is featured in the foreground to give the illusion of peeking through into the distance. The spider web has hits of gold stamping to give some additional shine and be on brand.

For this collection, Godiva partnered with pastry chef Duff Goldman, who gained notoriety for his quirky cakes on the Food Network show Ace of Cakes. Duff worked with Godiva's chefs to create four unique cake truffle flavors. The packaging played off of the new truffle designs as well as Duff's distinctive style.

Godiva wanted to create a limited edition collection of truffles that feature a fun spin on classic desserts. The packages feature illustrated stringing that is a take on chocolate drizzle. When the chocolate brown hot stamp combines with the holographic hot stamp and becomes embossed, the packaging really pops on shelf. This collection was so successful that Godiva decided to keep it year-round.

This collection was optimized during the Signature Truffle redesign. Though the graphics stayed mostly the same (with the exception of the 6pc flight), the packaging was redone to fix some issues facing the old truffle packaging.

This limited edition box was inspired by the hand crafted chocolate pieces inside. All 6 flavors were created using premium ingredients utilizing cocoa from around the world.

I created these illustrations to have a more personalized and hand crafted style, that focus on the unique ingredients inside. The rawness of the illustration directly links back to the chef's working with raw ingredients. When combined with the luxurious rich quality of the paper as well as the gold and holographic hot stamps, a more premium and distinct looking box is presented to the consumer.

Godiva wanted to create an ‘on the go’ self treat drink. A customer can go into a store to pick their favorite chocolate piece to be blended into a frozen shake. The design has a classic Godiva look, utilizing gold and brown, with fun bright colors that evoke a whimsical look during the summer months. 

This cup was redesigned in 2010 to replace the 'Godiva Chocolixir' drink. The name and cup design changed, however the product remained the same. 

Godiva chocolates infused with vanilla and romanced with ingredients. I art directed all photography in the series. 

Godiva truffles romanced with ingredients. I art directed all photography in the series.

This design was printed for the Godiva holiday card in 2009. Holiday illustrations were custom made to align with the 2009 gift box graphics. 

The illustration uses a blind emboss technique on pearlized paper. 

The beaded egg is one of the more complex packages I've worked on. I wanted to do something different for the 2016 design, so I decided to use flower shaped sequins to give the feeling of falling flowers, similar the cherry blossoms. The final product had a lovely spring feeling.

The Valentine’s Day 2013 collection focuses on the theme "Indian Dream." Soft pinks and reds blend into one another on the packaging, creating a soft rose petal-like effect. Custom romantic paisley illustrations decorated with red and gold hot stamps create sparkle and dimension. The theme was then applied across gold boxes, gift boxes, fabric hearts, plush bears, and more.

The Valentine’s Day 2012 collection focuses on the theme "Messages of Love." Bright abstract roses pop from the love notes, which are written in different languages and utilize different type treatments. Soft, silky roses adorn the classic gold boxes and fabric hearts. Gift boxes have a fun pop of color. The theme is applied across gold boxes, gift boxes, fabric hearts, plush bears, and other novelties.

I was approached by Biena Foods to create a brand refresh, which included a new brand identity and new packaging for their award-winning line of chickpea snacks.

The brief asked for something bold, that would pop on shelf, and have a fun and lighthearted feel. The flavors inspired me right off the bat, and I knew they should have a whimsical feel on shelf. The window shaped as a chickpea is a bulls-eye right to the product. 

Press release:

Biena Chickpea Snacks Launches Brand Redesign Amid Skyrocketing Growth for Company

D'Agostino's Supermarket launched a design competition in 2009 called  "D’Agostino Goes Green: Students design reusable shopping bag." My bag design "Leafy Greens" won first place and the bag had a limited edition run.

D’Agostino Goes Green: Students design reusable shopping bag