Reimagining a Berkshire Summer Institution

INDEPENDENT BRAND CONCEPT

Some brands don't need to be reinvented—they need to be remembered. King Kone has been a Berkshire tradition for generations, serving ice cream, creating memories, and marking the start of summer for countless local families. While the experience remained beloved, we saw an opportunity to imagine how the brand could evolve while honoring everything people already loved about it.

This self-initiated concept explores what a refreshed King Kone might look like through thoughtful branding, storytelling, and placemaking.

The Opportunity

The strongest local businesses often have something national brands can't replicate: history.

Rather than replacing that history with something trendy, we wanted to amplify it.

Our concept asked a simple question:

What if King Kone felt as memorable online and on the street as it already does in the minds of the people who grew up visiting it?

The goal wasn't modernization for its own sake, but creating a brand experience worthy of the memories already attached to the business.

In our minds, this institution deserves an image that represents everything they mean to the community, from an updated brand to a fresh customer experience.

What We Built

This concept reimagines King Kone as a vibrant community destination while preserving the nostalgia that makes it special.

The proposed direction included:

• A refreshed visual identity inspired by classic roadside Americana

• Environmental graphics and signage concepts

• Merchandise and apparel ideas designed to extend the brand beyond the counter

• A welcoming digital presence introducing the story behind the stand

• Creative direction for photography, social media, and seasonal campaigns

• Community-focused ideas that transform a quick ice cream stop into a local gathering place

Rather than designing around a logo, we designed around an experience.

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The Outcome

Although this concept was never commissioned, it represents the kind of strategic thinking we bring to every project. Great branding isn't about making something look different—it's about uncovering what already makes a business meaningful and giving people new ways to experience it.

For King Kone, that meant celebrating nostalgia without becoming trapped by it, creating a visual identity that feels timeless, playful, and unmistakably local.

Why We Made It

Not every great idea begins with a signed contract. Sometimes the most rewarding creative work starts with curiosity—a belief that a beloved local business deserves a brand experience as memorable as the product itself. Projects like this allow us to explore possibilities, challenge assumptions, and demonstrate how thoughtful design can help even the most familiar places feel new again.

Services

Brand Strategy • Visual Identity • Environmental Design • Creative Direction • Merchandise Concepts • Digital Experience • Placemaking