Dolce Gelato

Dolce Gelato is selling a taste of true italian tradition as it is a recognizable frozen treat company which has remained faithful to the old world traditions of authentic Italian gelato. We’re known for our signature gelato, which we create with a bold flavor, layered texture and are low in fat, in hopes of authentically capturing the experience of the recipe itself.

Yet, while the product was thriving, the company felt the actual stores weren't a match for their offering. In other words, rather than a simple place to scoop ice cream, stores would instead become fully realized experiences inspired by our Italian origins. 

Transforming Product Into Experience 

The existing store design failed to do justice to Dolce Gelato’s authentic Italian brand: the stories told by our brand were not evident through the store design, which lacked architectural character. The stores simply didn’t engage shoppers beyond the moment of purchase and there existed a distinct disconnect between the powerful Italian authenticity of our product and the place in which it was served. The goal of the store concept was to invite shoppers to step into a realm where the true experience of Dolce Gelato became evident.

Converting Italian Culture to Spatial Narrative 

The designing process started out by finding an emotional background to real Italian gelato culture. The research has identified that within Italy it has became much bigger to more than just just a dessert, to become one of its own 'moment'. 

These include, a summer afternoon in the summer, a sea side walk, community and happy summer moments to be shared with leisure. This therefore formed the approach of purposefully not design an ice-cream parlor, but rather to make and store the memory of a beach scene into a working shop to give a impression that the space is truly part of coastal italy. 

The store design objective was to freeze a moment of an italian beachside to in-store and create the space to be a functioning parlor to facilitate an emotional and environmental immersion' Warm neutral and sea inspired colours were integrated into the space, alongside golden light to contribute to an authentic beachy atmosphere. 

Inside a Store: The Italian Beach

1. The Coastal Atmosphere Concept

To capture the feeling of the seaside, "Frozen on the Italian Coast” was devised by using simple design elements:

• Space as Foundation: Utilising an open-space layout, encourages spending a longer time, with wooden, deck-inspired flooring, which alludes to a seaside boardwalk.
• Colour Scheme: A palette with warm neutrals and colours from the coast were used with the aim of recreating the warmth of the sunset with a warmly, glowing-yellow light in all of the room.
• Gelato as Main Player: The protagonist of the story was undisputedly the product, and it was designed to grab attention in the most optimal way: bright spotlighting on the gelato counter, plain, minimal glass and soft backgrounds to further accentuate the deep colours of gelato.

2. Signature and Engagement Design Elements

Using unique elements and telling environmental stories to ensure the concept truly lived and had a post-purchase role as much as possible.

• Design Craft Pieces: A collection of playful decorative elements made to tell stories such as cone-shaped seats as environmental narrative furniture or light fixtures inspired by surfboards hovering above the floor; The wall surfaces also created the semblance of environmental phenomena, like movement and waves.
• Overall Engagement: Preferred physical engagement and sensory story-telling rather than technology-driven design using different textured materials such as soft-touch, matte or wood. 

Scale for Enduring Success 

The key ambition behind Dolce Gelato’s redesign concept for their reincarnated offering was light scalability – enabling new stores to duplicate the original emotional experience without a costly reinvention. We did this with modular light features, uniform timber veneers and wall panelling, as well as repeating surfboard and stools designs. 

The outcome was a design that delivered upon the commercial and experience goals. It delivered an instagram-worthy brand and emotion as strong as Italian heritage, coupled with an inviting and engaging seating area which would stimulate dwell time, through the strength of the concept-lead architectural design, also serving the memorability agenda.