Scooples

Scooples ice cream logo on a purple dripping oval

The Brief

Scooples doesn’t make itself known as a quirky local ice cream spot, but its loyal customers have considered it that for almost 30 years. With flavors like “Hungry Hippo” and “Drama Queen”, and a slapdash handmade aesthetic, it’s quite the standout snack spot.

Setting the Scene

The slapdash sort of avant-garde feel of Scooples is the one thing that makes it stand out from the others, but is it possible to uphold that appearance while also maintaining a consistent brand?

Unsurprisingly there are a lot of items that go into any food business: cups, uniforms, food packaging, informational brochures, business cards, indoor signs, etc. Scooples didn’t quite reach the level of a food truck, but they do the occasional outdoor event, so they need a cart that suits them for those days. Regular online orders weren’t preferred, but customers should still be able to easily view the menu.

The physical store itself was cozy and employees did most of the indoor signage themselves, from the offerings to the individual flavor signs.

Grey shirts with a graphic of a melting ice cream cone and text that reads "It's global warming!"
Various hand-drawn labels for ice cream flavors with names like Bearfoot Brownie, Oatmeal Cookie Outrage, Strawberry, and Cookie Dough
A light-skinned woman with her face blurred is holding a stuffed moose. The background has walls that are cream, purple, green, and pink colored splotches.

All of this provided a good starting point for an updated look.

First Draft

Right away, the color palette needed to be more eye-catching and not quite so drab – it’s an ice cream parlor, after all! Rather than come up with an entirely different color palette, it was easiest to take the existing one and turn the colors, to quote Spinal Tap, up to ELEVEN!

Four ice cream graphics in purple, pink, dark green, and orange.

The logo had so many variations, it was difficult to nail down a single one to work off of. So, the easiest approach was to keep with the handmade and more friendly appeal with a hand-lettered logo.

Multiple versions of the name "scooples" handwritten in grey ink on white paper
Talk about semantic satiation!
Logo for scooples in three versions

Then finally, went with the few noticeable motifs and made sure to include them throughout the branding.

Three circles with graphic motifs of sprinkles, melting ice cream, and a waffle cone texture.

Premiere

Pints of ice cream in orange, pink, purple, green, and waffle cone texture with the name Scooples printed on the front.
Images of a tri-fold square brochure that include size information, a flavor list, toppings, and cake information.
Business cards with two rows of ice cream graphics and the name Scoop Troop at the top
A dark-skinned young woman wearing a Scooples shirt in pink, orange, and green. A young asian woman wearing a baseball style shirt with dark red sleeves and a Scooples logo over orange, purple, and pink colors holds up a peace sign. There is an interior shot of an ice cream parlor showing menu boards and flavors in a display.
A small ice cream cart with a waffle cone pattern, pink, green, and orange splotches. The canopy is white and purple striped.
Stacked cake boxes in green, orange, pink, and purple, with a dripping white design.
A hand holding a smartphone reading an ice cream flavor menu.

Sequel Talk

First priority is to expand Scooples’ online presence to potentially create a clear and simple way for customers to order custom cakes. Being able to regularly update what flavors are available would also be a huge benefit to customers, and could also help when it comes time to restock.

When it comes to branding, the one thing that’s hard to see from early on is just how much goes into creating an entire identity for a business. It’s not just the look and feel, but the language and tone that’s evoked as well, so it’s incredibly important to keep that in mind as the whole brand is shaped.

(Plus? Sometimes you really, really want ice cream throughout the process.)