Ice Cream Shop Color Palettes

Use these ice cream shop color palettes to select colors for your ice cream shop sign, ice cream logo, menu boards, ice cream cups, and website and social media posts.

They’re designed for ice cream parlours, gelato producers, dessert parlor groups and everybody opening up a sweet treat brand.

I was very impressed by how the ice cream was presented, flavored and the beautiful colours used in Cool N2 Creamery & Cafe.

The overall ambiance was enhanced by the color scheme, modern style interior design, beautiful lighting, and furniture, making it a high-quality and classy atmosphere.

I believe it is paramount for an ice cream shop to select the color to showcase the flavors, but also to make the cafe look beautiful, modern and appealing as a whole.

Popular ice cream shop colors: Strawberry Swirl, Mint Chip, Vanilla Bean, Chocolate Fudge, Bubblegum Pop, Pistachio Gelato, Blueberry Frost, Mango Sorbet, Cookies & Cream, Retro Soda Fountain

10 Ice Cream Shop Color Palettes

Quick Reference Table

Here are all the palettes, and the five colors in each — it’s like a flavor menu.

Tropical Greens	#06800B	Best for:
Strawberry Swirl	#D94F70, #F28AA0, #FBC4D0, #FFF0F3, #6B2E3A	Classic scoop ice cream parlors
Mint Chip	#2A9D8F, #8FD8C4, #DDF5EE, #FFFFFF, #4A2C2A	Modern gelato bars
Vanilla Bean	#FFF8E7, #F3E3C3, #D9BF8C, #8B6B4A,	Made by hand, in small batches, creameries.Artisan small-batch creameries #3E2C23
Chocolate Fudge	#3B1F14, #6B3A26, #A0673F, #E8CBA8,	Dessert cafés and sundae bars are #FFF4E6.Dessert cafés and sundae bars are #FFF4E6.
Bubblegum Pop	#FF5DA2, #FFB3D9, #8EE3EF, #FFF06A, #FFFFFF	Children’s ice cream parlours
Pistachio Gelato	#93C572, #C5E1A5, #F1F8E9, #A1887F, #3E3133	Chinese restaurants.#2E3030 Indian restaurants.
Blueberry Frost	#3F51B5, #7986CB, #C5CAE9, #F3F4FB, #F7B259	Fruit shops
Mango Sorbet	#FF9F1C, #FFBF69, #FFE8C2, #2EC4B6, #FFFFFF	Boating Rental Companies
Retro Soda Fountain	#E63946, #F1FAEE, #A8DADC, #457B9D, #1D3557	Retro Diner-style Ice Cream Parlors
Cookies & Cream	#1E1E1E, #4A4A4A, #BDBDBD, #F5F5F5,	The modern, upscale dessert cafes are listed here.The modern high-end dessert cafes are available here.

So, what Palette should you choose?

What you need	Best pick + why
Children’s / family shop	Bubblegum Pop: bright pinks and blues are fun and playful.
The Italian gelato shop	Pistachio Gelato: soft greens and browns are authentic and fresh.
Warm creams feel handmade and natural from an artisan, small batch brand	Vanilla Bean.
	Retro Soda Fountain: red, cream and blue feel nostalgic.
Frozen yogurt or healthy shop	Blueberry Frost: cool blues feel light and clean.
A beach stand or kiosk for the summer season	Mango Sorbet: sunny orange and aqua is bright and tropical.

Sweet Pastels vs Bold & Bright

The majority of ice cream parlours have a tendency to either of these two styles. Let’s take a look at the differences.

Sweet Pastels

There’s Strawberry Swirl, Vanilla Bean and Mint Chip.

Best for:

• Small neighborhood ice cream shops
• Artisan and handmade brands
• Shops that have a ‘café’ seating space
• Brands desiring to be soft and charming

Bold & Bright

Try to imagine the flavor of the pop, mango sorbet and retro soda fountain.

Best for:

• Kids’ and family shops
• Kiosks and stands to be tended to
• Summer/seasonal pop-ups
• Brands looking to be fun and energetic.

For most ice cream parlors, I highly suggest using a soft pastel with one bright accent. They are sweet yet not childish.

How to Use These Palettes

Website

1. Use the lightest color as a background for your page.
2. Apply the darkest colour to text and menus.
3. For buttons, go for one bright accent, such as “See our flavors.”

Signage & Packaging

1. Use a colour converter before printing to convert HEX codes to CMYK.
2. Try using a primary color to color your cups, napkins and shop sign.
3. You will want to print a test cup first because pastels can appear muted when printed on paper.

Social Media

1. Choose one shade to go with all new flavour and new offer posts.
2. Use the same 2-3 colours for text and Story Stickers.
3. Check your grid. It should be as it would be at one ice cream shop, not ten.

CSS Snippet

css

:root {
  --ice-dark:  #6B2E3A; /* text */
  --ice-pink:  #D94F70; /* buttons */
  --ice-blush: #FBC4D0; /* highlights */
  --ice-cream: #FFF0F3; /* background */
}

Copy and paste this into your style sheet and use var(--ice-pink) anywhere you need to use the pink color.

Pro Tip

Test your colors in relation to the actual scoops. Have your cup or menu design next to a variety of ice cream flavors in a tray.

If the flavors look dull with respect to your colors, choose a lighter or softer color. The ice cream should resemble the shape of the star.

What I learned at Cool N2 Creamery & Cafe is that there’s a way color, presentation and the interior design work together in a perfect relationship that’s very important when it comes to brand building for an ice cream shop.

I think soft pink, cream and mint green shades can give the shop a soft and elegant touch, and a little dark brown can add a luxury feel.

One of the key factors to take into account when choosing cup, menu, and packaging colours is their complementarity with the ice cream flavours, making the colour combination shine the natural beauty and making the ice cream even more attractive.

FAQ

Which colours are the most suitable for an ice cream parlour?

Soft pinks, mint, cream and light brown are good choices. They serve as a reminder of well-known tastes such as strawberry, mint and vanilla.

What is the optimum number of colors for an ice cream shop to use?

These are the colors I recommend: 3 to 4 colors; one dark, one light, and 1 or 2 accents. More is more and can get messy.

Do these ice cream shop color palettes have any license issues associated with them?

Yes. Have them as a logo, web image, cup or sign. No credit needed.

Would an ice cream store be better in pastel or bright colors?

Pastels are sweet and soothing and bright colors are attention-seeking. A number of stores decorate their walls with pastels and signs with bright colors.

Looking for more ideas on colors?

Access hundreds of brand colour palettes in our Brand Color Library. Click on any color to copy it off for free and forever