By Nessa Pullman
Photographed by Jennilee Marigomen
GOOD DESIGN TELLS A STORY, WHICH MEANS VANCOUVER-BASED BRANDING AGENCY ARITHMETIC IS A PRO AT SPINNING YARNS: THE FIRM HAS SHAPED BRAND IDENTITIES FOR DOZENS OF CLIENTS. But until the team designed the new La Glace ice cream shop in Kitsilano, they’d never created an entire built environment. The task was, however, a natural extension of their skills. “We believe that a complete branded experience doesn’t stop at a logo or shopping bag but is woven throughout the consumer experience,” says Elizabeth Vegh, design manager of Arithmetic.
Veghand Margherita Porra, Arithmetic’s founder and creative director, adopted a design concept that bridges Art Nouveau and Art Deco styles with a finely detailed bar, bursts of gold, and a wall adorned with painted peacocks. Gilded window signage proclaims the sentiment on which La Glace was founded: “All things are better when shared with someone cherished.” Especially, as it turns out, ice cream.
A version of this story appeared in the February/March 2018 print edition of GRAY.
