Brief: To create a range of ice cream packaging designs for a Cornwall and Devon’s only cocktail & ice cream van. The design must be suitable for batch production of different flavours in three separate 1l ice cream tubs: dairy, vegan and alcoholic. The label must allow room for customisation of the flavour, sell by date and ingredients.
Problem: The ice cream market in Cornwall is incredibly crowded, in order for my design to stand out it must go against tradition.
Brand Story: Cecil on Ice is a vintage 1972 ice cream van, rescued from a barn and lovingly restored. Adam (the founder) is strong advocate of the Cornish food and drinks market, and where possible only uses local and seasonal ingredients and produce for his cocktails and ice cream. Upon driving his newly refurbished van home, Adam accidently ran over and killed his cat Cecil, hence the name.
I wanted to communicate this unusual and slightly morbid story through the branding and packaging. I have altered the original story, making it look like Cecil ran away from home to discover new and exciting flavours, sending his discoveries back to Cornwall. Furthermore, Adam is of Italian descent and he remembers his father bringing back Panetonne for Christmas before you could get it in the UK.
Design: Adam explained to me that he does not like anything typically associated with ice cream branding (pastels, bunting etc.) and wanted his brand to have a point of difference. Adam and I were inspired by Campari posters and panettone packaging. From this I developed a strong Italian Deco aesthetic, using rich, dark colours and eye catching three-dimensional patterns inspired by Italian church floors. This overall effect is a high end, batch produced ice cream with a different, slightly surreal design.
Target Market: Students, locals and young professionals in Falmouth and Cornwall (aged 20-45)
Cecil the Cat: Adam explained to me that Cecil was not a very friendly cat, was very independent and was not very affectionate. He wanted Cecil to be part of the branding but decided he should take a back seat. Cecil’s character is unusual, somewhat rude, likes to act like he’s human, and is a stickler for perfection. He had no problem abandoning his family in search of greater things and now travels the world in search of the best ice cream flavours. On each variety of packaging a small polaroid from Cecil can be found with an image of him doing something fun or human-like abroad. Accompanied with each photo is a blunt note explaining Cecil’s wish to never return. On the back of each ice cream tub is an ‘Animal Passport’ which explains the brand story from Cecil’s perspective.
