Leonidas
An experience centre that invites visitors to step inside the story of Belgian chocolate.
Introduction
Next to its new factory, Leonidas opened an experience centre for students, companies and franchisees. Instead of a classic showroom or guided tour, visitors discover the brand through film, interactive installations and virtual reality: its heritage, its ingredients and the craft behind every praline.
As part of the multidisciplinary team at yondr, I worked on six parts of the experience: the intro film, the interactive praline experiences on the touchscreen, the packaging timeline, the VR shoot, the Rube Goldberg animation that opens the kids’ route and the Leonidas Kids video game.
Intro film
Every visit starts in the auditorium, where Mr Leonidas welcomes visitors and tells the story of the brand.
We filmed the presenter in a virtual studio. I built the shop around him in 3D, so every shelf, jar and lamp could sit exactly where we wanted it, then gave the set its final look with an AI pass. 3D for control, AI for the finish.
Touchscreen experience
On a large touchscreen, visitors make two Leonidas classics themselves: the Manon and the Louise.
Every step of the craft becomes a simple gesture, like pouring, dragging, rotating or tapping, so visitors learn how a praline is made by doing it rather than reading about it.
Two interactive experiences, two techniques. For the Manon, visitors shape the filling, drop in the hazelnuts, slice it with a guillotine, remove the imperfect pieces and coat them in a curtain of chocolate.
For the Louise, they fill the mould, tap out the air bubbles, scrape off the excess, add the praliné filling and seal it with a final layer before tapping the pralines out.
Along the way they cool everything to just the right temperature, and both experiences end with packing a box of their own pralines.
Packaging experience
A big-screen timeline shows how Leonidas packaging has evolved over the decades.
I recreated the boxes in 3D, and Leonidas opened up their photo archive for the backdrops. I brought those historical photos to life with AI, so every box sits in a moving scene from its own era.
VR shoot
The VR experience takes visitors back inside Leonidas’ original factory.
On set, I helped the shoot run smoothly by setting up the lights, stands, microphones and backdrop.
Leonidas Kids
The kids’ route opens with a Rube Goldberg-style animation of the Manon: a playful chain reaction that sets the tone for everything that follows.
I also designed the Leonidas Kids video game from start to finish, from the mechanics and interface to the look and feel. It’s played on a large screen, and a separate developer took care of the code.
Coming soon
