Gelato-A-Go-Go
This was a project that we could not have had more love for… After all, who isn’t happy when surrounded by gelato? And the work we created pulled on every skill set… branding, web design, collateral graphics, sound design, interior and exterior design, plus everything in between!
It all started with developing a solid and memorable brand name with the aim being to strongly identify the business as a retro-influenced gelateria, perfect for the Palm Springs market. While the greater Palm Springs region did have a number of existing ice cream, smoothie and frozen yoghurt outlets, they were all very “American” in nature and family-oriented in their respective offering styles. The point of difference identified was to bring all the flavor and style of Italy to the public, with a sassy European aesthetic designed to fire up the word-of-mouth about this fun gelateria concept.
So the name we came up with was “Gelato-A-Go-Go” which spoke to both the Italian nature of the offering and the signature product, while also portraying a fun retro feel. Aesthetically, the prominent graphic mouth icon was chosen to push the fabulous taste and appetite appeal, while adding that “sassy” European element. Meanwhile the red, green and white color palette clearly spoke to the Italian heritage, while the stripes that formed part of the brand collateral evoked that “sweet treat” traditional parlor feel.
The tag line in Italian, “Il Gusto Figo Dell’Italia”, translates as “The cool taste of Italy”, obviously portraying the frozen nature of the dessert. At the same time, it also gives off the feeling that it’s the hip and groovy or “cool” place to be seen, the aim being to create a “must visit” destination for tourists and locals alike.
We applied the branding across the full suite of marketing channels from business cards, interior and exterior signage, packaging, promo cards, social media profiles, the website that we designed and built, the catering cart, and every other touchpoint.
Moving onto the design of the property itself, the overall concept was developed to portray the feeling that you were stepping inside a gelateria time machine where you could discover a swirl of funky flavors, served up in a space where mid-century modern meets slick 70's glam.
Starting with the exterior, we replaced the existing dreary pink and grey color scheme with a far more vibrant and clean white, red and black palette, while adding the red and white striped awnings to add to the retro aesthetic. The dated glass bricks either side of the front door were replaced to create a more welcoming entrance, and the large lips illuminated signage was added above the door, as was the “clock” signage at the top of the building.
Stepping inside, we replaced the floors with large Italian terrazzo tiles, and installed space-age style ceiling tiles - that together with the matching molding on the front counter - looked straight out of “Barbarella” or “2001: A Space Odyssey”. Bright red dome ceiling lights contrasted perfectly with the clean white tiles, while a gold mid-century style was chosen for the pendants hanging above the counter.
The super cheeky “Lips On Legs” pin-up wallpaper added plenty of color and movement, as did the disco ball and its moving lights, accompanied perfectly by the funk and disco soundtrack we sourced for the space.
The other points of interest we came up with were the vintage 1963 gold and black Vespa, positioned perfectly for that “ciao, bella!” Insta moment, complete with large branding on the wall behind it. This was part of the striped interior graphics we created, along with the tiling behind the counter that echoed this 70’s style stripe aesthetic.
Furniture for both inside and out was chosen to be bright and bold in nature too, and continued the green, red and white brand color palette.
Naturally we paid homage to the esteemed and fabulous “founder”, Dario Pescatore - the man, the myth and the mustache - that we developed as part of the brand story, He’s depicted in a gilt-framed portrait that hangs proudly inside, as does his “Life is for licking” motto, writ large in neon on the wall.
All up, we created many points of interest that made the place into not just a place to grab a gelato, but an inviting and interesting location to hang where “every lick is like a disco hit”!
(Click any image to enlarge)