It’s that time of the year when gifts arrive — chocolates, cookies, sweets, wine, liquor bottles and more — in glittering wrapping, ribbons streaming and with festive Diwali diya and candle motifs. But there are some standout gift boxes you don’t want to throw away, as they are filled with beautiful artwork and stories that highlight the brand’s origins and growth. Opening the gift is a whole new experience.

For these brands, the Diwali festive box ideation begins months in advance. Manam Chocolate’s Diwali 2025 packaging, for instance, is a veritable keepsake, bringing you a before-the-bean and from-a-farm-to-bar story. Designed by Anomaly Brands, the impressionist-style illustrations on the luxurious box, created by artist Namrata Kumar, literally take you to the cacao farms of West Godavari, as well as celebrations in homes in metros.

Says Chaitanya Muppala, Founder of Manam Chocolate, “The design of Manam Chocolate’s Diwali Edition 2025 packaging is deliberate and layered — one that blends storytelling, premium craftsmanship and our origin story. Each year’s design process begins with a theme and, for 2025, it’s ‘There’s always room for more’ — capturing the warmth and generosity of Indian celebrations.”

Great thought has gone into designing the look and feel of the packaging. “Premium finishes like embossing, foil stamping and custom moulds are used to elevate the tactile and visual experience. Typography follows a mixed strategy — both Latin fonts and Indian typefaces are used to balance a global and premium feel and local authenticity,” says Muppala.

Rooted in identity

Another example of an exceptional festive packaging is Jack Daniel’s Diwali box, created by brand design consultancy OPEN Strategy and Design. The package is conceptualised as a Diwali taash or playing cards party, with Jack as the host.

As Asparsh Sinha, Managing Partner at the consultancy, explains, “Diwali is often characterised by familial celebrations, rituals and rangoli... but there is another side to the festival that is rarely talked about — that of playing a game of chance and good fortune. We decided to look at Diwali from that lens since it was more befitting for a whisky brand built on a code of Americana.”

Sinha describes how the message of revelry and good luck helped amplify the No 7 identity of Jack Daniel’s, and the agency also designed a deck of cards to go with the package, to get the party started.

When brand design agencies get involved in festive packs, clutter-breaking ideas emerge to reinforce the brand’s identity. As Sinha says, “During this season, most brands are making either festive gifting or limited edition packs; shelves, hence, tend to become cluttered with sameness, with the usual festive leitmotifs. Therefore, brand identity is important.”

He adds that it is important to use elements that help create memory, identity and recognition for the brand beyond the logo. For Jack Daniel’s, “we made a festive pack that built on the visual identifiers of the brand by using black, white and gold. We also used other brand identifiers like the No 7 and built on the name ‘Jack’ by introducing the character Jack.”

Important opportunity

With Diwali sales accounting for a significant chunk of the annual turnover of many brands, it’s an important opportunity for them to invest in out-of-the-box ideas to sparkle and shine. And many are recognising this. As branding and design consultant Sanjay Sarma says, “More and more new-age brands are moving from loud golds and reds to modern minimalism. Designs are becoming more subtle, blending traditional and contemporary aesthetics. Packaging clearly focuses on creating an ‘unboxing moment’ that is share-worthy.”

Indeed, there is now a conscious thought given to how the unboxing experience will be. Take Two Brothers Organic Farms, which has beautiful artwork and storytelling on its Diwali boxes. Not only do the product names have Diwali allusions — such as Rangoli Barfi, Mathri rocket and Kaju Diyas — but the visuals play them up too.

Says Satyajit Hange, Co-founder and farmer, Two Brothers Organic Farms, “We design our packaging to be something customers feel proud to share, an experience that goes beyond the product itself. Our goal is to create packaging that delights at first sight and makes the unboxing moment memorable and social-media-worthy. It’s about combining thoughtful design with a sense of celebration and personal connection.”

Think sustainable

Festive packaging that also remains sustainable is another focus area for new-age brands, says Sarma. “I personally feel reusability of the packaging can create a lasting memory. If the packaging can be repurposed and used by the recipient as something of utility or decor piece, it resonates better,” he says.

Brands like Manam are already doing this. Says Muppala, “Our design is for reuse. Tins, high-quality boxes and collector’s editions reflect our intent that packaging can be reused and recycled, rather than thrown away.” He adds, “Manam Chocolate’s packaging is ‘plastic-free’ as our tablet wrappers are made with paper. The QR codes on the packaging trace the bean origin as well as the farmers, and that reflects sustainability in sourcing as well as transparency.”

Darkins Chocolate has this year replaced gift boxes with wooden trays embellished with Pichwai paintings, so they can be used long after the chocolates are finished.

A lot of cost, resource and design thinking is expended on Diwali boxes. But how do brands figure out the volumes — isn’t the festive season demand often unpredictable?

Says Hange, “For us, festive demand is largely predictable, as we have built substantial experience over the years. Our forecasts are driven by data, factoring in year-on-year growth, new customer acquisitions over the past 12 months, retention rates and historical sales from previous years.”

Meanwhile, some others have taken a clever tack — using a generic term for their festive boxes, so they remain evergreen. A prime example is Cadbury’s with its ‘Celebrations’ pack, which can fit into any occasion.

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Published on October 19, 2025