Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream makes high-quality ice cream with organic ingredients, prepared from scratch in Brooklyn and sold in classic and vegan varieties in New York and Los Angeles. Pentagram’s Natasha Jen and team have created a new brand identity system for Van Leeuwen that position it as “the ice cream of choice.” Stripping off all the visual noise typically seen in ice cream branding, the identity deploys minimal graphic elements — the logo and a vivid color palette tied to the various flavors — that reflects the purity of the ingredients, that stands out on shelves, and looks great on social media.
Jen and her team worked with company founders to develop the branding, which coincides with the company’s 10th anniversary. The minimalist packaging system unifies and distinguishes the two previously separate lines — classic and vegan — and gives the brand name primacy.
The refresh keeps the familiar wordmark originally designed by Cathe Holden. Van Leeuwen’s signature buttercup yellow also been retained, but evolved to a pastel hue that feels contemporary and is closer to the color of cream. On the trucks and printed collateral, colors appear in cheery circular patterns that bring to mind ice cream scoops. In addition to Jen, the team includes Associate Designer Joseph Han, Designer Ji Park, Animator Rhea Manglapus, and Project Manager Georgina McDonald.
