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Cold Standard

Ice cream, held to a higher standard.

Self-directed brand conceptIdentity, packaging concepts & motionFictional brand · AI-assisted visualizations
Packaging family · pint, takeaway bag, sandwich wrapperConcept visualization · not a manufactured product
Overview

Cold Standard is a self-directed ice cream brand concept built around a simple contrast: a name that sets high expectations and an identity that feels warm, playful, and approachable. I developed a visual direction spanning the logo, mascot, packaging concepts, and motion, using AI-assisted tools to explore and refine the applications.

Project type
Self-directed, fictional brand concept. No client.
Role
Concept development, visual direction, identity refinement, packaging concepts, and motion direction
Tools
AI image generation, local H3 animation, and authored compositing and editing

01A character at the center

Primary logo, mascot, tagline lockup
Cold Standard primary logo: chunky navy lettering with a smiling cream ice cream mascot set inside the O of COLD.
Primary logoNavy on cream · SVG
The Cold Standard mascot: a smiling cream soft-serve swirl with two drips, set in a navy circle.
MascotStandalone mark

The smiling ice cream mascot sits inside the O in COLD, giving the wordmark a recognizable focal point. Compact, rounded lettering gives the name weight, while the cream silhouette and uneven drips soften its form. The same character carries through the packaging and animation.

Cold Standard logo with the tagline Ice cream, held to a higher standard. set beneath it in navy.
Tagline lockupOutlined · no font required

02Brand system

Core palette, flavor accents, type
Core palette
  • Navy
    #082D53
  • Cream
    #FFF8E9
  • Sunshine
    #FFC43D
Flavor accents
  • Vanilla
    Sunshine
  • Strawberry
    #EA687C
  • Midnight
    #B8A0D8
Type
Good ice cream.
Good people. Lilita One for brand display, DM Sans for supporting copy.

03One identity. Three flavors.

Packaging concepts · click to enlarge

Navy and cream hold the system together. Sunshine yellow identifies Vanilla Standard, pink identifies Strawberry Standard, and lavender identifies Midnight Standard, the chocolate flavor. Shared logo placement and graphic details connect the pint, sandwich wrapper, and takeaway bag concepts.

Pint lineup · Vanilla, Strawberry, MidnightConcept visualization
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Front panels are concept artwork, not production dielines.

04A little personality in motion

Three square spots · 10 s · silent · click to play

Three short, silent animations bring the character into each flavor's world: sunshine for Vanilla, pink for Strawberry, and moonlight for Midnight. A simple sandwich-building action gives each spot a shared structure, while color and small finishing gestures distinguish the flavors. Each animation ends on the approved logo and flavor title.

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{{ v.name }}1 : 1 · 10 s · silent
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05The gold standard, served cold

Campaign extension · click to enlarge

A visual play on the name: gold bars stand in for ice cream sandwiches, stacked like bullion under the line “The gold standard. Served cold.” The same illustration style carries into a six-flavor menu board that extends the core three with S’more, Cookie, and Mint Standard concepts.

Illustrations are AI-generated concept artwork directed and composited into outlined Lilita One and DM Sans layouts. Menu items and prices are placeholders for a fictional brand, not an offering.

Illustration of six golden ice cream sandwiches stacked in a pyramid like gold bars, cream filling dripping, with small yellow sparkles.
Gold-bar illustrationTransparent asset
Poster · The gold standard. Served cold.3 : 4
Menu board · six flavors3 : 2 · placeholder prices

06Campaign poster

Supporting concept · click to enlarge
Good ice cream. Good people.2 : 3 · concept visualization
Project note

Cold Standard is a fictional, self-directed brand concept. Packaging imagery and character animation are AI-assisted concept visualizations. Art direction, selection, refinement, and final presentation form part of the project. These are not photographs of manufactured products or evidence of a commercial launch.

Credits and scope

Ethan Walsh: concept development, visual direction, identity refinement, packaging concepts, and motion direction. Tools used in the project include AI image generation, local H3 animation, and authored compositing and editing. Logo lettering carries the approved optical-spacing revision across every asset.

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