Why CGI was the only way to build Riyadh Chocolate’s signature look

When Project32 Creative Studio reached out about a Riyadh Chocolate launch, we were as excited as we were hyper-focused. We know how tough it is to catch a premium chocolate’s taste and overall experience in a visual, especially when creating CGI chocolate visuals that feel rich, indulgent, and true to the brand. Plus, they weren’t only looking for pretty visuals. 

Project32 needed a symbol of modern Saudi luxury, and they wanted Riyadh Chocolate, from now on, to convey this exact message to their audience. Their chocolate is top-tier but also deeply rooted in Saudi heritage, hospitality, and culture. 

That’s no small feat, as you can probably tell. Especially in a traditional photography studio. Nailing this 50/50 blend of tradition and progress means scouting locations, chasing that perfect skyline light, and somehow coaxing real chocolate into looking flawless in the Riyadh heat (so multiple photoshoots and tons of products wasted in the process). That’s exactly why Project32 contacted us.

CGI let us build a visual world from scratch, from the comfort of a studio, and comfortably for our clients, too — everything is remote! We created the rich, indulgent texture of the chocolate and the Riyadh landmarks in the background to bring that brand identity to fruition. Here’s how we got that premium, culturally resonant universe for Riyadh Chocolate, and just what CGI can do for a brand’s signature look.

Our projects are based on collaboration, and this begins with a creative brief. The more details, the better! The more we know about the client’s creative vision and inspirations, the better and more seamlessly our team can work. In this case, we had this: “reflect the chocolate’s luxurious quality and connect it to Saudi heritage and hospitality.” 

When we got “modern and traditional,” we immediately saw it: landmarks of both old and modern Riyadh in the background, with the chocolate as the hero product.

Next, we had to learn exactly what we had to deliver. The brief outlined three still image types:

1. White Background Images: These are meant for e-commerce and catalog use, so they need to focus on the product’s texture and detail. We’d use soft, even lighting to create that polished, premium look.
2. Simple Props Images: These compositions were made to highlight the rich fusion of cultural ingredients (dates, cardamom, and nuts). The mood was specified as “warm and inviting,” a wink at that hospitality legacy.
3. Custom Hero Images: These were the most ambitious visuals, as they included iconic old and modern landmarks of Riyadh (e.g., the Kingdom Tower and Al Faisaliah Tower).

On top of these, we also had to create a 10-second 3D product animation for their online campaign.

Our 3D modelers were happy they had so many detailed reference materials to base their work on. We’re talking photos of the actual milk and dark chocolate bars, from multiple angles, and videos showing the packaging in different kinds of lighting, along with the needed measurements. Why do we need precise measurements when we make everything from scratch, you ask? Well, because our CGI models need to be perfect twins of the actual product.

The same goes for what’s inside the chocolates, too. Yep, once the 3D modeling process started, that was our first challenge – accurately modeling the pieces’ cross-section. Our artists had to recreate the placement and texture of the dates and nuts within the bar just like they looked in real life.

Moments like these are when ongoing feedback rounds are crucial. Our client communicated their priorities, and we knew to focus our resources on the core product and packaging (rather than on items like gold foil or larger display boxes). We thus streamlined the production timeline and focused on achieving the hyper-realism that the launch hinged on.

Once the 3D modeling phase was done and our assets looked just like the real Riyadh chocolates, we moved to the fine touches. But don’t be fooled into thinking these matter less. In fact, texturing and shading are what turn a cheap-looking, “good enough” CGI image into one that screams premium.

To make sure the chocolate looked rich and decadent, we used a shading technique called subsurface scattering. This simulates light penetrating the chocolate’s surface, which creates a soft translucency around its edges. The human eye might not notice these details consciously, but it instinctively reads them as delicious and high-quality. We went one step further, too. We added tiny defects and indentations on the surface. This made the chocolate bars look even more real and avoided that tacky, perfect/digital look.

Finally, we came to the most ambitious task: what we call the “impossible shot.” Well, this is more of a joke, as it’s only impossible in a physical studio. In this case, it meant placing the product in an art-directed vision of Riyadh, with all the right angles and lighting hitting the product so it’s realistic and still the center of attention. 

Our team modeled and then integrated stylized versions of the Kingdom and Al Faisaliah Towers. The result was a harmonious backdrop that paints Riyadh Chocolate as a symbol of modern Saudi luxury, rising from an old culture of opulence and hospitality. We know, sounds fancy. But take a look at the photos and see for yourself: don’t they look delicious?

We delivered a library of high-quality digital assets that met Project32’s needs and exceeded their expectations. The final deliverables were super hi-res, rendered at 300 DPI for flawless print reproduction. But we also gave Riyadh Chocolate the same assets in web-optimized variants (so lower res) for the digital campaign.

The Project32 team was thrilled by all our assets — the white background, simple props, and custom hero images, as well as the animation. Now, they had a versatile library that could be, first off, used immediately across their entire campaign. 

Secondly, they can be used again and again, tweaked for new campaigns, seasonal offers, and more, at a fraction of the cost of a traditional reshoot. Riyadh Chocolate posted these gorgeous images on their website, social media, and in print, getting immediate results in the process. If they’re happy, we’re happy!

The Riyadh Chocolate project means one thing only for us: proof of how CGI can build a strong brand identity from scratch. Our expertise in 3D product modeling is a promise. Every detail is perfect, but not “CGI perfect.” It looks real, indistinguishable from a real photo, and brought to life with advanced texturing and shading, in a way traditional photography just can’t achieve. 

And yes, with CGI, you get unparalleled creative freedom (the only limit is your imagination), consistency, and flexibility (you get a future-proof library of assets that can evolve along with your brand).