I SCREAM for
Public Typography Carolyn Appelbaum
I scream, you scream... Let’s face it, ice cream is a part of nearly everyone’s lives we all crave it. It is our inner sweet tooth crying out for something so amazing that we can’t always make ourselves. We see them all over and every store is a little different from the next. There
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are the franchises that
NATIONAL ICE CREAM DAY IS EVERY THIRD SUN-
are found everywhere,
DAY IN JULY. IT WAS CREATED BY RONALD REAGAN
and then there are the local parlors that you can only find in
IN 1984. HE RECOGNIZED THE POPULARITY OF ICE CREAM IN THE UNITED STATES (90% OF THE NATION’S POPULATION CONSUMES ICE CREAM) AND STATED THAT THESE TWO EVENTS SHOULD BE OBSERVED.
one specific place. Lastly are the unique places that are popping up more frequently with trends, and those are the unique, modern twists on ice cream like Artisan ice cream. Among
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these different styles of parlors are very different flavors of ice cream, and also very different flavors of typography styles.
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I SCREAM for
Coldstone Creamery America thrives on chain eateries. We see them everywhere, recognize their logo from far away, and know that regardless of the location you are in they will all have the exact same flavors to choose from. Let’s face it, these places are unavoidable. The ďŹ rst thing you recognize is that bold logo with a picture of ice cream on it, and then you see the neon sign beaming a bright letting you know they are open.
Slap happy? As you walk through the doors, you see a cramped area with hardly any seating. The design concept wants people in and out quickly within a narrow space. The smell of the ice cream and cones proliferate the air. To the right you look and there is a large freezer storing cakes and ice cream to buy with text slapped all over the outside about their products. None of the text is uniform and there is no clear hierarchy. It is an hodgepodge compilation of mixed type attracting so much attention, but in the wrong way. There are posters on the door, window, and inside advertising for the Make-A-Wish Foundation asking for donations. Everything is mass-produced. They want you to see a lot in a small area through the bold use of text.
Timeline of Events 1988 Don and Susan Sutherland open the ver y first Cold Stone Creamer y in Tempe, Arizona. 1997 Ser ves its one millionth ice cream cone. 2000 Ranked 94th on Entrepreneur magazine’s list of Fastest Growing Franchises in America, and 361st on the Entrepreneur magazine’s “Franchise 500” list. 2000 Cold Stone celebrates 100th store opening. 2002 Cold Stone partners with Make-A-Wish Foundation® raising more than $100,000 for the charity and is featured on CNN. 2003 Cold Stone Creamer y opens its 500th store. 2004 Launched a new line of Signature Ice Cream Cakes 2004 Ranked fourth in the July 2004 issue of Restaurant Business “Top 50 Growth Chains.” 2005 Receives the “2005 Consumers’ Choice in Chains Award” in the Treat categor y in August 2005 Opens first store in Japan, marking the company’s expansion into Asia. 2006 Launched a new line of smoothies and ice cream shakes and featured them on the Today Show. 2007 Cold Stone Creamer y is acquired by Kahala, one of the fastest growing franchise companies in North America. 2008 The founders are featured on Oprah Winfrey’s Show. 2008 Celebrates opening of the 100th International store. 2008 Announces the opening of the first co-branded store with Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factor y. 2009 Celebrates the first store opening in Caribbean.
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COLDSTONE CREAMERY’S MAIN PRODUCT IS PREMIUM ICE CREAM, OR ICE CREAM MADE WITH APPROXIMATELY 12-14% BUTTERFAT, THAT IS MADE ON LOCATION AND CUSTOMIZED TO ORDER FOR CUSTOMERS AT THE TIME OF PURCHASE.
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Too much type? The dark red walls on either side are filled with type, and their extensive menu leaves no words out in describing what flavors they recommend to mix. The alternating brown and pink type help separate the flavors so it can be read easier.
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Next to the serif type on the menu with sans serif subtext, are pictures of the ice cream concoction they are describing. The type for the name of the flavor is large, and the subtext is small. They want to fit a lot of flavors onto the menu so they also help separate the flavors by adding thin rules in between each flavor. There are multiple typefaces used within the store adding clutter to the design. This is common for a chain eatery to do because they try to promote a lot of different things all at once.
Reviews of Coldstone “Best Ice Cream” & “Best New Business” South Hills Record “Best Chills & Thrills in New York” Shecky’s 2006 Best of New York Awards
“#1 Ice Cream in Hawaii” Star Bulletin
“Best Ice Cream in Seattle” Seattle Weekly
“Entrepreneur of the Year” The Chamber Jeffersontown
“Dean’s List – Perfect health inspection scores” KOAT-Action News 7
“Best Milkshake” The Source
“Best Specialty Ice Cream” Reno News & Review
“#1 Ice Cream – 2005 Foodie Awards” The Orlando Sentinel
“Readers’ Choice: Best Ice Cream” Phoenix New Times
“Silver Platter – Best Ice Cream” Food Industry News: Chicago
Like it ? Love it ?
Gotta have it ? By now it is your chance to order. You pick from their flavors of homemade ice cream. The flavor is on a small black card with a thin gold rule outline in front of the display that tells you the flavor. Their specialty flavor “cake batter,” is on a red card with bold text that is heavily outlined and filled with different values of yellow so that it stands out and you can’t miss it.
If you look closely you’ll see below the pink ice cream is their signature red cake batter label.
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Their toppings are in jars on either side of the ice cream display labeled with black and gold outlined card and white sans serif text like
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the ice cream flavors. If you choose to get your ice cream in a dish,
THE TOP FIVE MOST POPULAR ICE
you will notice that their logo is stamped on the bowls as large as
CREAM FLAVORS ARE: VANILLA,
possible. So even if they are thrown away someone would notice that
CHOCOLATE, NEAPOLITAN, STRAW-
red patterned cup and see the giant white logo in the trash. This is
BERRY AND COOKIES N’ CREAM, IN
their way of getting their name out and constantly reminding people
THAT ORDER, WITH VANILLA COM-
of who they are. BOLD.
PRISING ABOUT
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1 4
OF ALL SALES.
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I SCREAM for
Sylas & Maddy’s The hidden treasures within each town are the local food stops you cannot get anywhere else. In the heart of Lawrence, Kansas is a local ice cream parlor dishing up a homemade atmosphere with 150 different homemade flavors and handmade type.
This sign is hand-painted on the outside window and fading in some areas because of the sun.
Homestyle The warm colors and light-hearted design of the type and painted walls makes you feel welcome. The wood floors creak as you step inside and a bell rings letting them know someone has arrived. The first thing seen after stepping inside is “A Lawrence Original” hand-painted on the wall in large curly type. The the pencil lines still show from where it was traced over, so you know they did it themselves. This reminds people that it is local and they created it themselves from scratch.
The block letters of this hand-painted type makes “ice cream” stand out boldly so people see it from afar.
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SYLAS & MADDY’S MAKES 150 FLAVORS OF HOMEMADE ICE CREAM, AND FEATURES 40 OF THEM EACH DAY.
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To the left is an old-fashioned sign that says “fudge� in 3-D retro type. Because of the type the fudge sounds more appealing because it illustrates to you that it is made the old-fashioned way from scratch. From that sign your eye is drawn immediately toward their elaborate display of pre-made flavors with mix-ins.
To the right
is a chalkboard with painted
pictures of “Sylas and Maddy� the cat and dog, and two pictures of ice cream. The text is all hand made, except for their feature flavor they are displaying, which is a caramel apple sundae typed and printed on top of an apple drawing they taped onto the board.
Not Just Homemade Ice Cream Bright and cheery colors alternate on the menu board to distinguish easily one item from the next. It is clear, easy to read, and it is hand-painted on a chalkboard with wood trim. All of the prices are in white to clearly separate the item from the price. It means something totally different when someone takes the time to hand paint each letter, and the small imperfections are what makes it unique and amazing.
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Can’t Get Enough The menu is a large blackboard filled with brightly colored type that is on black planks to be easily removed and inserted. The type becomes the image of the ice cream it is describing. For example “Da Bomb” flavor has text made of rope that is lit on fire and has a TNT at the end. If you don’t come for the ice cream, it is worth coming to see the list of flavors alone. People will begin to pick their flavors based off of the creative type as image design they see. Their creative, colorful, and fun textual design is what captures the attention of the customers and puts a smile on their face.
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IF YOU DON’T ALREADY ADORE SYLAS & MADDY’S, YOU’RE MISSING OUT ON ONE OF THE TOWN’S LOCALLY OWNED CROWN JEWELS.
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A sweet surprise The white slips of paper with Individually packaged fudge in plastic bags with a sticker and hand type make you feel like your mom made it.
black serif text labeling the ice cream at the counters are slowly peeling up and some are bent, but they are clear and easy to read. They serve freshly made ice cream with the classic mix-ins already in there and their waffle cones
Fresh flavors and computer made labels in black and white. Some flavors have an expanded description.
are to die for. Another little touch they always add is a malt ball at the bottom of their homemade cones which is just another sweet surprise everyone looks forward too.
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THE FIRST SYLAS & MADDY’S HOMEMADE ICE CREAM OPENED ON MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE IN LAWRENCE, KANSAS, 11 YEARS AGO. THE STORE WAS NAMED AFTER THE OWNERS’ PETS, A MIXED TERRIER AND A CAT.
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I SCREAM for GlacĂŠ Artisan Ice Cream A new addition to the city of Leawood, KS is a modern twist on ice cream and design. GlacĂŠ, which is owned by Christopher Elbow, introduces the Artisan ice cream concept. This non-traditional ice cream stop is attracting the curiosity in people daily. The location is situated in an upscale shopping and dining area next to the Apple store.
Both of these signs hang outside so you can see their name from both directions.
The brand expression is clean, sophisticated and a nod to the owner’s love of modern minimalism. At the same time, copy and color palette make it feel fun and approachable. The logo also incorporates a sly tie to ice cream with circles that look like melting “drips” hitting the floor, while tailored graphic elements make the identity feel fashionable and unexpected in the category.
Now open! From the outside logo and name, you would not have any idea what type of place it is, so you have to go inside. From the outside you see their “now open” sign that is very typographic and clean and easy to read from afar. The door has type placed on it with their hours and logo and an “open” sign hanging in all caps. They also have a sign on the outside that sticks out so if you are walking down the sidewalk you could see it. It is shiny, and their colors are very minimalist by only using brown, turquoise, and white.
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ADJECTIVE: (OF FRUIT) HAVING A GLOSSY SURFACE DUE TO PRESERVATION IN SUGAR. VERB: GLAZE WITH A THIN SUGARBASED COATING.
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The inside scoop Once inside, the interior floor is made of shiny white tile and the chairs are all metal. The bench inside against the wall is wooden and curves up to the ceiling. There is seating outside by the fountains and benches as well. They have very modern white paper lights hanging in the seating area only. There is no additional text on the wall besides the three menus, rein-
The rounded geometric typeface mimics the rounded dots in the design, which are also used behind the numbers to highlight them and tie the design together.
forcing minimalism.
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THE SIMPLE DELIGHT OF ICE CREAM, MADE FAR MORE REWARDING. NO FAKE FLAVORINGS, DISAPPOINTING TEXTURES OR KITCHEN-SINK COMBINATIONS. JUST INTENSELY PURE, ALL-NATURAL INGREDIENTS AND DELICIOUSLY SURPRISING FLAVOR PAIRINGS THAT BEAR THE UNMISTAKABLE SIGNATURE OF CHRISTOPHER ELBOW. GLACÉ.
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You’ve got good taste The first thing you notice on the left, after walking in, is the small freezer compared to the space that it’s in. Inside it stores small square containers with the hand-written name of the flavor in black marker on the front of the blue and white sticker. This handmade quality juxtaposes with the modern design.
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When joy freezes over Then you proceed towards the shiny display case of ice cream. The flavors are lit up with lights that reinforce the sleek and modern design. The type is in all caps, dark and against a white background. The type is sans serif condensed with a narrow line weight. Each of the labels are illuminated so that it is easy to read, sleek, and reinforcing their modern approach.
“National ice cream day is every third Sunday in July. It was created by Ronald Reagan in 1984. He recognized the popularity of ice cream in the United States (90% of the nation’s population consumes ice cream) and stated that these two events should be observed with “appropriate ceremonies and activities.”
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The modern minimalist
On the wall are three menus of the ex-
parts of the menu. The menu is miniOn the wall are three menus of the exact
act same size in their three different
same size in their three different colors. mal, and the unique Artisan flavors One sign is for the ice cream toppings
“The simple delight of ice cream, made far more rewarding. No fake flavorings, disappointing
and sizes, one is for drinks, and one colors. Oneorsign is forcombinations. the ice cream listed,ingredients it can be clearly and textures kitchen-sink Just intensely pure,are all-natural andread deliciously has the list of flavors. Though the back-
surprising flavor pairings that bear the unmistakable signature of Christopher Elbow. Glacé.”
specifics, one is for drinks, and one
ground of each is a different color, all quickly. The clean sans serif, geometthree of them utilize all three colors by
has the list of flavors. Though the
integrating them into the text to highric typeface is easily read and again light and separate different parts of the
background of each is a different color,
menu. The menu is minimal, so it can be supports the modern theme. Again, read clearly and quickly. The clean sans
all three of them utilize all three col-
serif, geometric typeface is easily read all of the text is in caps. The main text and again supports the modern theme.
ors by integrating them into the text
Again, all of the text is in caps. The main has a heavier stroke weight, while the text has a heavier stroke weight, while
to highlight and separate different
the subtext is in a lighter stroke weight. subtext is in a lighter stroke weight.
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We all scream for ice cream! Comparing Coldstone Creamery , Sylas and Maddy’s, and Glacé has proven that not only are the ice creams different flavors and styles, but so is the typography and design. Coldstone Creamery is very bold and spontaneous through their uses of many serif and sans serif typefaces, as well as very thick , outlined letters to call attention to a lot of different things they are trying to promote. Sylas and Mad-
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THE ICE CREAM CONE’S INVENTION IS LINKED TO THE 1904 WORLD’S FAIR IN ST. LOUIS. AN ICE CREAM VENDOR REPORTEDLY DIDN’T HAVE ENOUGH DISHES TO KEEP UP WITH THE DEMAND, SO HE TEAMED UP WITH A WAFFLE VENDOR WHO ROLLED HIS WAFFLES INTO CONES!
dy’s reminds you of home from the way their walls and type are all hand painted. The chalkboard type is fun, unique, and their type used as image really makes you look at the ice cream fla-
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vors in a different way. Glacé is sophisticated and modern. This is reinforced through their use of only a geometric sans serif typeface, using two different weights, and all capital letters.
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Credits: Bibliography
http://www.coldstonecreamery.com/
http://www.glaceicecream.com/
http://www.icecream.com/funfacts/funfacts.asp?b=105
http://www.kansastravel.org/olathe/sylasmaddysicecream.htm
http://www.makeicecream.com/icecreamtrivia.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_Stone_Creamery
Typefaces
Archer (medium)
CAC Pinafore (regular)
Futura (book, light condensed)
Camera
Canon EOS Rebel T1i University of Kansas Designer As Author Patrick Dooley Fall 2011