Inspired

I’m like a big sponge, me. Even before I knew what graphic design meant, I was aware of the power of a bit of brand theatre. We creatives all have the magic ability to become human archive boxes.

This was never more true than last month, when I won Blue Sky, our internal competition which challenges us to submit a concept that will somehow creatively reward us and the company (£2000 and two weeks off helps). My idea was simple – lets take the old, tired image of the classic ice cream van and completely reposition it as a strictly adult brand.

I was inspired when, recently, I bought my four-year-old daughter, Honey, an ice cream, and the whole theatre of my childhood came flooding back. Wouldn’t it be great to relive the excitement of getting butterflies when you heard that kitsch music playing from around the corner? The sense of anticipation, when finishing your lolly, to find the answer to your joke.

The actual surreal, physical look of those 1970s-style vans is like nothing else on the road – pure joy on wheels. The trick will be to retain those nostalgic references and inject some contemporary twists.

So watch this space. Here comes organic champagne ice cream, served with fresh strawberries in glass dishes with spoons, in a van with a chandelier. And no you can’t have two flakes in it.

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