Here's a small sampling of the ideas were explored. Yes, that's a blueberry-shaped ice cream sandwich, and a savory peanut popsicle stick.
My colleagues and I learned about the science of ice cream at the University of Wisconsin's Ice Cream Course.
Early concepts for treats and brand elements. Simplicity was always the goal our flavor and color combinations.
I art directed the Gladwell logo, with one of the guiding princples being "Modern Nostalgia." The wordmark was drawn by Laura Mesegeur, who recommended we use Arboria as our accompanying typeface.
Packaging graphics and dielines. (I particularly enjoyed typsetting the Nutrition Facts labels.)
Quality control at the press check. I now understand the ins and outs of laminated polypropylene flexible printing processes.
Each treat was isometrically illustrated with component callouts.
So many ice cream sandwiches. Keeping track of them was a full time job.
In-progress tricycle mockup.
Crisp clean uniforms were a key part of our customer focused approach. I liked to think of it as the 21st Century update to the Good Humor Man.
Diagrams were used to communicate clearly with our logistics partners. Ice cream is particularly sensitive to temperature fluctuation, so holding a constant temp was key to maintaining the quality we wanted to deliver to our customers.
I also created guides to illustrate our ordering options with key vendors.
Having a responsive website was important, especially because of the mobile nature of our business. See for yourself at www.thegladwellco.com.
We were fortunate to receive several glowing reviews from Zagat, Chicago Magazine, Dining Chicago, Thrillist, and the "Hungry Hound," Steve Dolinsky. Here we are featured in Timeout Chicago. Photography by Martha Williams
Our fans loved to share photos of Gladwell on Instagram. Social media is a powerful thing.
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The Gladwell Company
Gladwell is a mobile ice cream company that I designed, developed, and ran during a 16 month period that spanned 2012 & 2013. It was an amazing adventure.
The Gladwell Company was a response to the dying art of customer service. It was a return to a time when a product delivered on its promise. The entire experience was designed from the ground up: from the brand inspiration, to the tricycle; from the ice cream recipes to the final packaging. No detail was unaccounted for. Simply put, Gladwell delivered tasty frozen treats from the friendliest ice cream man you'll ever meet!
