Packaging Design on the Go for Andy’s Frozen Custard
When your brand is built on a delightful in-person experience—how do you encourage customers to recreate that feeling at home?
That’s the problem Andy’s Frozen Custard was hoping to solve. Andy’s is famous for its delicious frozen treats served under bright lights on big patios. As host to many first dates, post-game celebrations and afternoon pick-me-ups, many happy memories are made every day at 70+ locations across the U.S.
With a passion for ingredient quality and taste, Andy’s wanted to be more than just a treat enjoyed on special outings. So, they made it easier than ever to take their frozen custard to go—and asked us to help them share it.
And then the pandemic hit.
A To-Go Menu Makeover
Last year, we helped Andy’s brand their new to-go menu. They’d put in the work to make their offerings more travel-friendly—freezing it solid to minimize melting and packing it up in quarts and pints—and we helped to give them a name: Andy’s Anywhere. In the first phase, we worked on building awareness and excitement around their new offerings.
The next step? New packaging.
New Packaging, New Perspective
To design new packaging for Andy’s to-go treats, we needed to take a look at their current packaging. That didn’t take long. Their frozen custard was packed in simple white cups with a logo sticker on the lid.
This gave us freedom to explore a variety of looks, layouts and copy lines to bring Andy’s personality to life.
Across all of our designs, we wanted to celebrate and share fun examples of what “Andy’s Anywhere” really means. We crafted a long list of all the places you could enjoy Andy’s, from the practical—at the playground or on your lunch break—to the more fantastical—on a rollercoaster or in an igloo.
But as we wrote about the all the wonderful places to enjoy Andy’s this spring—many of those wonderful places were starting to shut down. When the pandemic hit, huddling close on Andy’s patios was replaced with hunkering down at home.
Finding Comfort in Frozen Custard
Andy’s Frozen Custard locations remained open, serving customers safely through the drive thru. The Andy’s Anywhere offerings went from being a supplement to the main menu to being the center of attention as Andy’s fans craved the familiar comfort of frozen custard.
Early mockups of Andy’s Anywhere packaging design
Our packaging designs now needed to be more than an extension of the brand as Andy’s Anywhere became an important way to help Andy’s fans bring that delightful experience home.
Andy’s at Home
While we couldn’t add neon lights to quarts and pints, we used small touches—like familiar colors and lighthearted copy—to make the new packaging feel as warm and welcoming as an Andy’s visit.
We added badges and stamps to reassure customers that despite the new look, each cup is made, mixed and packed by hand, right in the store where it’s sold.
We crafted short, sweet instructions that are easy to read and easy to follow–to ensure that Andy’s at home reaches that same “scoop-able” texture that you’d get at the store.
And we kept that “anywhere” list to inspire happy hopes for future adventures with Andy’s in tow.
The resulting designs are bright and memorable, standing out in the freezer and making the experience of Andy’s Anywhere happy and enjoyable.
Pick 6 Packaging Design
Just when we thought they couldn’t top the Quart Combo and Andy’s Anywhere options, the Andy’s team reached out to us with a new idea: the Pick 6.
Perfect for sharing with friends or just saving for later, the Pick 6 would feature six half pints of frozen custard blended with fan-favorite toppings and flavors.
A mini prototype of a carrier case mockup
We designed simple but bold half-pint cups, carrying on the Andy’s Anywhere brand identity, language and badges. And to make the “anywhere” aspect easy, our team designed a foldable carrying case that can just as easily be stashed in the freezer or brought on the road.
The Pick 6 rounded out the Andy’s Anywhere menu—and the Andy’s experience away from the patio.
Warming Hearts with Frozen Treats
Since 1986, Andy’s has been on a mission to spread happiness through hand-crafted treats—to warm hearts one scoop of frozen custard at a time. It’s why they painstakingly pick and choose the freshest and finest ingredients, and bend over backwards—sometimes literally—to provide stellar service.
It’s why they’ve worked hard to extend their menu and make it easier to enjoy Andy’s anywhere, even if “anywhere” today means something different than it did before the pandemic.
Packing familiar treats in fresh packages is helping Andy’s build more meaningful brand connections—whether they’re happening on the couch or at the pickup counter—and inspiring fans to make more happy memories at home.
