5 Keys to Designing the Perfect Ice Cream Container for Your Brand

From strengthening your brand to encouraging repeat purchases, a great ice cream container can do wonders for your business.

However, like every aspect of packaging creation, designing the ideal ice cream container isn’t always an easy process. From color to typefaces, graphics and other design elements, a range of different factors go into differentiating a great container from an ineffective one.

Below, we’ve listed five key elements to keep in mind when designing ice cream containers for your business, all of which contribute to creating an appealing, effective and marketable brand for your ice cream.

Choose Your Packaging Color or Pattern Strategically

The color you choose for your ice cream container can have a huge impact on how customers perceive your product, making it important that you choose something that accurately matches your brand image.

There are several ways to go about choosing the right color for your ice cream packaging. The first is to keep it consistent, with one color for every flavor of ice cream you sell. Done right, this can create a cohesive, consistent image that sets your brand apart.

The second strategy is to match your packaging color to the flavor of the ice cream you have for sale -- brown for chocolate, pink for strawberry, and so on. This tactic can help you differentiate each product, giving more character to each flavor of ice cream.

A third option is to choose a pattern instead of a solid color, giving your ice cream packaging a visual identifier that sets it apart from other brands on store shelves.

The final option is to keep it simple and opt for an inexpensive cream, tan or light blue color for every package. This option is ideal for mid-priced or affordable ice cream, as using the same or similar packaging for every flavor can help to reduce your per-unit manufacturing costs.

Ultimately, the best approach depends on the needs of your business and the demands of your brand. If your brand image incorporates a certain color, use it on its own. Otherwise, choosing a mix of colors can be a great way to set your packaged ice cream apart from the competition.

Pick a Typeface That Matches Your Brand Image

Just like colors and patterns matter for setting your ice cream brand apart from competitors, the typefaces (or fonts) that you use for your ice cream packaging can have a huge impact on how it’s perceived by your customers.

Aiming for a sleek, modern look? Choose a clean, sans-serif typeface that sets your ice cream packaging apart from your more conservative, traditional competitors.

Going for a homemade, small business feel? Opt for a more artistic, handwritten font that best matches the small business feel you’re aiming for. Marketing an old-fashioned, traditional ice cream? Stick with an equally old-fashioned, classic typeface.

While your choice of font might seem like a minor design feature, it can have a huge impact on how customers perceive your ice cream. As such, it’s important to put serious thought into the typeface (or typefaces) you use for your product’s name, tagline, and other packaging text.

Focus on Visibility, Especially From Passersby

The goal of your ice cream container isn’t just to hold your ice cream and let customers know what’s inside -- it’s also to serve as an advertisement for shoppers passing by your ice cream while they wander around the supermarket or grocery store.

In short, the same rules of visibility that apply to flyers, brochures, billboards and other forms of visual advertising also apply to your ice cream container, albeit on a smaller scale.

This means that powerful typefaces, high-contrast color schemes and other design elements that attract attention can be valuable marketing tools, especially if store shelves are your key distribution platform for your ice cream.

When you’re designing your ice cream containers, focus not just on readability from a relatively close distance, but also on visibility from afar. After all, many of your most valuable sales could come from passersby who spot your ice cream’s packaging on a store shelf.

Keep it Consistent With Your Existing Branding

Do you already have an established brand for your ice cream business? If so, there’s no reason to reinvent the wheel when it comes to the branding for your pre-packaged ice creams and other takeout products.

When you’re designing your ice cream containers, keep the key visual elements of your brand in mind. Do you have a specific typeface that features heavily in your business? If so, make it front and center on your ice cream packaging? Got an established color scheme? If so, use it.

While it can be tempting to make your packaged ice cream stand out as much as possible from the rest of your business, sticking with a consistent image can strengthen your brand and help you to attract your existing customers.

After all, when they pass by your ice cream in the supermarket or grocery store, they’ll already have a history of experiences with which they can associate it, helping you to earn on-the-spot sales from your existing customers.

When in Doubt, Keep it Simple

Finally, it’s important to keep your ice cream container’s design as simple as possible. Instead of including every detail about your product, focus on reducing your packaging design down to the core essentials that make your product unique and appealing.

For a pre-packaged ice cream, this could be the brand name, the flavor and the specific factors that make your product unique -- an all-natural ingredient profile, a particular health benefit, or a unique taste that’s unmatched by your competitors.

In short, it’s best to focus on the two to three elements that make your ice cream unique, rather than including an overly long product description or tagline and risking alienating customers via information overload.

Instead, put extra information -- from nutritional data to ingredients, manufacturing locations, and minor benefits -- on the back of your ice cream containers. This lets more discerning customers find them without distracting from the core message on the front of your packaging.

Order Customer Ice Cream Containers for Your Brand

Do you need eye-catching, effective ice cream containers for your brand? We offer custom ice cream containers in a range of sizes, from small containers suitable for single servings to large ice cream containers that are ideal for supermarkets and other large stores.

View our entire range of ice cream containers online or contact us now to talk to a member of our team about customization and design options.