MARES / BRANDING
How We Created the Branding for an Ice Cream Shop in Madrid
Opening an ice cream shop in a city like Madrid is about much more than serving great ice cream. It’s about creating an experience people remember, photograph, recommend, and return to. When the team behind Mares approached us, they weren’t simply opening a new location—they were bringing a family legacy from Patagonia to one of Madrid’s most vibrant neighborhoods.
This is how we created the branding for an ice cream shop that honors more than forty years of tradition while connecting with a new generation of customers in Malasaña.
Branding Logo design Brand guidelines External signage design
Branding that stands out
Aligned with family heritage
Consistency for a start up
The Challenge
Mares is not a new story.
The original family business was founded in Puerto Madryn, Argentina, in 1980. More than four decades later, the second generation decided to bring that same passion and family recipe to Madrid, opening their new location in the heart of Malasaña.
The challenge wasn’t creating something entirely new.
The challenge was preserving the soul of what already existed.
The family had a deep emotional connection to their original logo and visual identity. Those elements represented years of memories, hard work, and customer relationships. At the same time, the new location would operate in a completely different context—one of Madrid’s most creative neighborhoods, where visual culture and social media play a significant role in attracting customers.
As we explored how we created the branding for an ice cream shop with such strong roots, we knew the new identity needed to balance two important goals:
- Respect the heritage of the original business.
- Create a modern visual system capable of thriving across digital and physical platforms.
Every design decision had to feel authentic to the family’s story while also working beautifully on Instagram, packaging, signage, menus, and future business expansion.
The result needed consistency, personality, and enough flexibility to carry the Mares story into its next chapter.
OUR BRANDING PROCESS
Discovery and Brand Design
Every successful project starts with understanding the people behind the business.
Our approach to branding begins with a detailed discovery questionnaire designed to uncover the essence of the project. We explore the founders’ vision, values, goals, audience, competitors, and long-term ambitions. These conversations help us move beyond visual preferences and understand what truly makes the business unique.
For Mares, these early conversations revealed something important: this wasn’t simply an ice cream shop. It was a family tradition built on quality, authenticity, and a genuine love for serving people.
Once we gathered all the information, we developed three distinct creative directions. Each proposal featured different color palettes, visual concepts, and strategic approaches. These initial concepts are intentionally concise, allowing us to start meaningful conversations with the client rather than presenting a finished solution too early in the process.
After selecting the preferred direction, we moved into the full development stage.
This is where brand design becomes a complete ecosystem rather than a standalone logo.
BRAND ELEMENTS
Logo & Identity
For Mares, we created comprehensive Brand Guidelines that included:
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- Primary and secondary logos
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- Typography systems
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- Color palettes
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- Photography direction
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- Brand applications
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- Usage guidelines
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- Social media templates
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- Food delivery platform assets
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- Visual consistency standards
This stage was fundamental to how we created the branding for an ice cream shop that would maintain a recognizable identity across every customer interaction.
The goal wasn’t simply to launch a beautiful brand. It was to provide the tools necessary for long-term consistency and growth.
Color & Packaging
Our objective was to create a packaging system that felt consistent regardless of where customers encountered the brand. Whether someone was enjoying a cone while walking through Malasaña, ordering delivery at home, or sharing a photo online, the experience needed to feel unmistakably Mares.
We developed a cohesive packaging family that translated the visual identity across multiple formats while maintaining flexibility for production requirements.
Beyond the creative work itself, we also supported the printing process and helped evaluate final production decisions. This collaborative approach ensured that what appeared on screen translated successfully into physical materials.
Strong branding lives in the details.
For a business like Mares, where quality and craftsmanship are central to the story, those details matter.
Signage Design You Just Can't Ignore
For many customers, the storefront is the very first interaction with a brand.
Located in Malasaña, Mares benefits from a steady flow of pedestrians exploring one of Madrid’s most energetic neighborhoods. This made signage a critical part of the project.
A great sign does more than identify a business. It creates curiosity.
It invites people inside.
It communicates personality before a single word is spoken.
During the signage development process, we worked closely with the Mares team to ensure every detail aligned with the visual identity we had built. From scale and visibility to materials and placement, each decision was evaluated through both a creative and practical lens.
We also supported the installation process, collaborating with suppliers and reviewing production details to ensure the final result reflected the quality of the brand.
The finished storefront captures attention without feeling forced. It feels welcoming, authentic, and perfectly suited to both the neighborhood and the story behind the business.
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"Tanto took forty years of family tradition and made it feel fresh without losing its soul. From the logo to the packaging to the signage, everything speaks the same language.
— Nico, Owner / Mares Heladería
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Projects like Mares remind us why we love what we do. Contact us and let’s bring your vision to reality.