July 6, 2012 In appreciation, color, life and the universe, work and play By Patricia Saxton

Delicious Peace-Giving

Lest we forget July’s other holiday ~ it’s National Ice Cream Month! So treat yourself. Treat someone else. Celebrate well!

Ice Cream. Just the mention of it makes eyes light up. And for the month of July you can honor its pure, refreshingly delicious peace-giving goodness with guilt-free extra servings. Although I personally feel that “guilt” and “ice-cream” should never appear in the same sentence, I know some of you think ice cream is a likely culprit for that extra pound or two. In reality, what ice cream adds is cheer.

So dig in, scoop it up, slather on your favorite topping or have it au naturel ~ the thing is to enjoy this smile-breeding treat!

ps: What’s your favorite ice cream? I’m pretty passionate about mint chocolate chip and coffee. How about you?

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November 25, 2011 In art, design, imagination, inspiration By Patricia Saxton

Post-Thanksgiving: Sundae Peace

Peace # 55 ….. is about some give, some take, some working, some sharing. It’s having enjoyed a great meal with great people, using a little muscle to help unload truck-fulls of stuff for your brother and sister-in-law’s move back east, and leaving them with a stash of homemade hot fudge sauce to enjoy after you’ve gone. And at the end of the day, being grateful for those simple things.

© Patricia Saxton

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July 6, 2011 In advertising, art, branding, business, communication, creativity, design, illustration, social media By Patricia Saxton

What's The Big Deal About Branding (part 3)

Since it’s National Ice Cream Month, I thought I’d use a famous ice cream company for Part 3 of my branding chatter … after all, “it’s only fair…”

What’s so good about this is that the video not only shows the integrity and consistency of Ben & Jerry’s folksy branding in action, it’s also a great example of authenticity.

Just to clarify, authenticity means that the message (the visual voice) rings true. And there’s very little that can replace, go above or beyond being genuine.

In this particular case, the element of authenticity underscores a product that’s been proven worthy and continues to breed the important ingredient of trust, therefore keeping ~ and gaining ~ a loyal following.

I really like how Ben & Jerry’s found a way to keep their classically down-home look, feel and messaging steady, vital and relevant in a technological environment. From the start they’ve been about extra good ice cream with an organic bent and a social conscience, and they haven’t skipped a beat.

(Makes you want a quart or two …!)

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April 3, 2011 In appreciation, branding, design, illustration By Patricia Saxton

Google Steals My Heart

While doing a quick search for something online this morning, I noticed the Google logo had another fun interpretation. There on the screen was an old-fashioned illustration of a big ol’ double-o ice cream sundae ~ and my heart skipped a beat.

You don’t understand. Or maybe you do. Maybe you share my love for sundaes.

To explain: I am a hot-fudge sundae aficionado. I was weaned on chocolate, you see, and later treated to a secret family recipe for hot fudge sauce, which I now make on a regular basis. And of course the purpose of ice cream is to serve as a vehicle for the hot fudge. So I should probably admit that it’s really more about the good sauce than the ice cream, but in truth, together they’re dreamy.

Plus … ice cream sundaes are just “happy”. Did you ever see someone who was unhappy while eating ice cream? Seriously. It’s a gift from the Gods.

Now that you know this juicy personal tidbit, you can see why I was delighted to learn, via today’s clever Google logo, that today marks the 119th anniversary of The Ice Cream Sundae. How cool is that? (Maybe cooler if it were a rounder number, but I’ll take it.)

Apparently The Sundae was “invented” in 1893, by Ithaca, New York soda fountain proprietors Chester Platt and John M. Scott. It was first called a “Cherry Sunday”, because it was served on a Sunday, presumably with a cherry on top.

Eventually, I don’t know how, and am too excited to care, the name changed from “Cherry Sunday” to simply “Sundae” (although my word loving mind is a bit curious, how it went from Sunday, to the sort of Shakespearian spelling of Sundae… I’ll find that some other time…)

So please go ahead and enjoy an Ice Cream Sundae in honor of its anniversary. And smile all the while.

Thanks Google!

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