When asked to redesign Greece’s oldest (came out at 1934!) and most iconic ice cream, EVGA (ΕΒΓΑ), we got a major brain-freeze. Not because we were out of ideas, but because we were so flooded with memories and feelings that we didn’t know where to begin.
(The first ice cream cone somewhere around May signifying the beginning of the summer? Making our parents cover their ears to protect themselves from our screams whenever we passed by a fridge with the mouth-watering EVGA logo on it? The fierce “who-has-eaten-more-ice-creams” contest every summer? Waiting for the family container to fall on the kitchen table with spoons in our hands and vacation happiness in our eyes?)
For generations, EVGA ice cream has been the absolute symbol of the summer joy for Greeks. It was that soft feeling of nostalgia and summer bliss that inspired us throughout this new packaging design.
THE COLOURS
We tried to be honest to the childhood memories. We used pastel colors of the past, sourced by the native scenery of the summer in Greece, to convey this sense of natural intimacy. Colors that correspond to the visual state of summer in Greece during our parents’ era, as well as the cloak of innocence that collective memory has dressed it.
TEXTURES AND PATTERNS
To close the gap between memory and reality, we borrowed textures and materials from the traditional architecture of the Greek islands. These styles have survived through time and are predominant in summer destinations even today. To liven the static imagery and further convey the summer daze, we implemented a layer of natural shade patterns that almost moves from the delicate August breeze.
THE LETTERS
The 1930s, the decade that EVGA ice creams came out, was a time of severe economic struggle for Greeks. [If something could be hand made...it would be. No money for designers back in the day.] Our tailor-made letterings were inspired by the large D.I.Y. signs that convenience-store owners used to paint with thick paintbrushes at the front of their establishments. The designs were simple & honest, with imperfections that added a light-hearted and friendly character to them.
THE CONE
Ice cream vendors, back in the day, used to push around their carts all over the country and trumpet their merch using paper bullhorns. This image was our guide through the basic layout of the ice cream cone packaging. Now, every time someone sees the EVGA logo on the cone, they both read it and get the nostalgic sensation of the word being yelled out during a hot day that craves for some ice-cold pleasure!
