When developer Taylor Atchison purchased the historic “Crystal Ice Factory” in downtown Mobile, he had a wonderful vision—transform the decades vacant building into a vibrant neighborhood bar. Our team was given the opportunity to turn his vision into a brand, and Ice Box was born.

Immediately, we mined the history of the building for design inspiration. Pouring over stacks of old photos, we were attracted to the hand drawn lettering of the Ice Factory’s era. So for the primary logo, we designed a typeface that feels like it could’ve lived on the trucks that delivered ice back in the day. We coupled the main logo with secondary marks, featuring blocks of ice and the tongs used to carry them. This gives the brand an arsenal of design for merchandise, on premise signage and social media.

Lastly, because we couldn’t resist, we illustrated a custom penguin mascot. And we punctuate it all with the brand’s motto: “Have an ice day!”

The interior is trendy with an industrial edge: bare-bulb light fixtures, a mammoth sliding freezer door, metal rafters. Original Crystal Ice signage and historic photos serve as an homage to the room’s unique past. “Our goal was just to be a small neighborhood bar that offers an indoor-outdoor feel,” Atchison says, arms on the white quartz bar. “We wanted to be a daytime, airy neighborhood spot.”

Mission accomplished.