Buckeyes Scream for Ice Cream

I worked with Ohio State Dining Services to create new ice cream signs in the Traditions at Scott all-you-choose-to-eat dining hall.

The signs were needed because the ice cream station was transitioning from self-serve to employee service. Signage was needed to communicate that students now needed to order their ice cream by choosing a bowl and flavor.

I wanted the signs to be playful and clearly communicate the bowl and flavor options.

I led this project, writing the copy, communicating with the client and overseeing the install. Our talented graphic designer, Christian, created the artwork.

For the ice cream flavor sign, we needed a way to communicate the different flavors available. The flavors rotate. There are 6-7 possible flavors but usually only 4 flavors per day. 

We talked about 
– coroplast board with velcro flavors (Dining liked this velcro option but we worried Dining may lose the different flavor signs)
– plexiglass with all the flavor options listed and check boxes so dining staff could check with a wet-erase marker what flavors are available that day 
– a chalkboard where they could write the flavors (Dining liked this idea but Marketing worried that flavors will get erased or the board wouldn’t be on-brand)
– a board with hooks so different flavor signs could be hooked on 

We ended up choosing magnets for each of the ice cream flavors because it allowed us to create on-brand visuals that wouldn’t be easily lost. At first, we thought the magnets would go on the back of the machines but this evolved into a wall-mounted board where the magnets could be live.

For the choose-your-bowl signage, I wanted to visually show three different types of bowl options. Students can choose a black bowl for dine-in, a disposable paper cup for to-go or a waffle bowl. I wrote the copy, “Buckeyes Scream for Ice Cream.”

The signage is installed now and I feel like it clearly communicates the bowl and flavor options. Especially, with the visual elements, non-English speakers could recognize the flavors and bowl choices.