Carolyn Appelbaum

I SCREAMfor Public Typography

NATIONAL ICE CREAM DAY IS EVERY THIRD SUN-

DAY 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.

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 diff erent from the next. There

are the franchises that

are found everywhere,

and then there are

the local parlors that

you can only fi nd in

one specifi c place. Lastly are the unique places that are pop-

ping up more frequently with trends, and those are the unique,

modern twists on ice cream like Artisan ice cream. Among

these diff erent styles of parlors are very diff erent fl avors of

ice cream, and also very diff erent fl avors of typography styles.

“

”

I scream, you scream...

1

I SCREAMfor Coldstone Creamery

America thrives on chain eateries. We see them every-

where, recognize their logo from far away, and know that

regardless of the location you are in they will all have the

exact same fl avors to choose from. Let’s face it, these places

are unavoidable. The fi 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.

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 prolifer-ate 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 Founda-tion asking for donations. Everything is mass-produced. They want you to see a lot in a small area through the bold use of text.

Slap happy?

1988 Don and Susan Sutherland open the very first Cold

Stone Creamery in Tempe, Arizona.

1997 Serves its one millionth ice cream cone.

2000 Ranked 94th on Entrepreneur magazine’s list of Fast-

est 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 Creamery 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 category 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 Creamery 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 Factory.

2009 Celebrates the first store opening in Caribbean.

Timeline of Events

5

The dark red walls on either side are fi lled with

type, and their extensive menu leaves no words

out in describing what fl avors they recommend

to mix. The alternating brown and pink type help

separate the fl avors so it can be read easier.

The dark red walls on either side are fi lled with

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.

“

”Too much type?

7

Next to the serif type on the

menu with sans serif subtext,

are pictures of the ice cream

concoction they are describ-

ing. The type for the name

of the fl avor is large, and the

subtext is small. They want

to fi t a lot of fl avors onto the

menu so they also help sepa-

rate the fl avors by adding thin

rules in between each fl avor.

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 pro-

mote a lot of diff erent things

all at once.

“Best Ice Cream” & “Best New Busi-ness” 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

Reviews of Coldstone

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 out-

line 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.

Like it ? Love it ? Gotta have it ?

If you look closely you’ll see below the pink ice cream is their signature red cake batter label.

Their toppings are in jars on either side of the ice cream display la-

beled with black and gold outlined card and white sans serif text like

the ice cream fl avors. If you choose to get your ice cream in a dish,

you will notice that their logo is stamped on the bowls as large as

possible. So even if they are thrown away someone would notice that

red patterned cup and see the giant white logo in the trash. This is

their way of getting their name out and constantly reminding people

of who they are. BOLD.

THE TOP FIVE MOST POPULAR ICE

CREAM FLAVORS ARE: VANILLA,

CHOCOLATE, NEAPOLITAN, STRAW-

BERRY AND COOKIES N’ CREAM, IN

THAT ORDER, WITH VANILLA COM-

PRISING ABOUT OF ALL SALES.

“If you look closely you’ll see below the pink ice cream is their signature red cake batter label.

“

”11

14

I SCREAMfor Sylas & Maddy’s

The hidden treasures within each town are

the local food stops you cannot get any-

where else. In the heart of Lawrence, Kan-

sas is a local ice cream parlor dishing up a

homemade atmosphere with 150 different

homemade fl avors and handmade type.

The warm colors and light-heart-

ed 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 step-

ping inside is “A Lawrence Origi-

nal” 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 peo-

ple that it is local and they cre-

ated it themselves from scratch.

HomestyleThis sign is hand-painted on the outside window and fading in some areas because of the sun.

The block letters of this hand-painted type makes “ice cream” stand out boldly so people see it from afar.

SYLAS & MADDY’S

MAKES 150 FLAVORS OF

HOMEMADE ICE CREAM,

AND FEATURES 40 OF

THEM EACH DAY.

“

” 15

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-fash-

ioned way from scratch.

From that sign your eye

is drawn immediately to-

ward their elaborate dis-

play of pre-made flavors

with mix-ins.

To the left

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.

To the right

Bright and cheery colors alternate on

the menu board to distinguish eas-

ily 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 some-

thing totally diff erent when someone

takes the time to hand paint each letter,

and the small imperfections are what

makes it unique and amazing.

Not Just Homemade Ice CreamBright and cheery colors alternate on

the menu board to distinguish eas-

ily 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 some-

thing totally diff erent when someone

takes the time to hand paint each letter,

and the small imperfections are what

makes it unique and amazing.

Not Just Homemade Ice Cream

19

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 ex-

ample “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.

Can’t Get Enough

IF YOU DON’T ALREADY

ADORE SYLAS & MAD-

DY’S, YOU’RE MISSING

OUT ON ONE OF THE

TOWN’S LOCALLY OWNED

CROWN JEWELS.

“

”

The white slips of paper with

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

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 every-

one looks forward too.

Individually packaged fudge in plastic bags with a sticker and hand type make you feel like your mom made it.

Fresh flavors and computer made labels in black and white. Some flavors have an expanded description.

A sweet surprise

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.

A sweet surprise

“

”

I SCREAMfor Glacé Artisan Ice Cream

A new addition to the city of Leawood, KS is a

modern twist on ice cream and design. Glacé,

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 shop-

ping and dining area next to the Apple store.

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 ap-

proachable. 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 iden-

tity feel fashionable and unexpected in the category.

Both of these signs hang outside so you can see their name from both directions.

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.

Now open!

27

ADJECTIVE:

(OF FRUIT) HAVING A

GLOSSY SURFACE DUE TO

PRESERVATION IN SUGAR.

VERB:

GLAZE WITH A THIN SUGAR-

BASED COATING.

“

”

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 mod-

ern white paper lights hanging

in the seating area only. There

is no additional text on the wall

besides the three menus, rein-

forcing minimalism.

The inside scoop

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.

29

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.

“

”

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 hand-

made quality juxtaposes with the modern design.

You’ve got good taste

31

Then you proceed towards

the shiny display case of

ice cream. The flavors are

lit up with lights that rein-

force the sleek and mod-

ern 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.

When joy freezes over

“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 cer-

emonies and activities.”

33

On the wall are three menus of the ex-

act same size in their three different

colors. One sign is for the ice cream

specifics, one is for drinks, and one

has the list of flavors. Though the

background of each is a different color,

all three of them utilize all three col-

ors by integrating them into the text

to highlight and separate different

parts of the menu. The menu is mini-

mal, and the unique Artisan flavors

are listed, it can be read clearly and

quickly. The clean sans serif, geomet-

ric typeface is easily read and again

supports the modern theme. Again,

all of the text is in caps. The main text

has a heavier stroke weight, while the

subtext is in a lighter stroke weight.

“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.”

On the wall are three menus of the exact

same size in their three different colors.

One sign is for the ice cream toppings

and sizes, one is for drinks, and one

has the list of flavors. Though the back-

ground of each is a different color, all

three of them utilize all three colors by

integrating them into the text to high-

light and separate different parts of the

menu. The menu is minimal, so it can be

read clearly and quickly. The clean sans

serif, geometric typeface is easily read

and again supports the modern theme.

Again, all of the text is in caps. The main

text has a heavier stroke weight, while

the subtext is in a lighter stroke weight.

The modern minimalist

35

THE ICE CREAM CONE’S INVENTION IS LINKED TO THE

1904 WORLD’S FAIR IN ST. LOUIS. AN ICE CREAM VEN-

DOR REPORTEDLY DIDN’T HAVE ENOUGH DISHES TO KEEP

UP WITH THE DEMAND, SO HE TEAMED UP WITH A WAF-

FLE VENDOR WHO ROLLED HIS WAFFLES INTO CONES!

Comparing Coldstone Creamery , Sylas and Maddy’s, and Glacé

has proven that not only are the ice creams diff erent fl avors and

styles, but so is the typography and design. Coldstone Cream-

ery is very bold and spontaneous through their uses of many

serif and sans serif typefaces, as well as very thick , outlined let-

ters to call attention to

a lot of diff erent things

they are trying to pro-

mote. Sylas and Mad-

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 fl a-

vors in a diff erent way. Glacé is sophisticated and modern. This

is reinforced through their use of only a geometric sans serif

typeface, using two diff erent weights, and all capital letters.

“

”

We all scream for ice cream!

37

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

Credits: