JD Institute of Fashion Technology
Color Secrets Visual Merchandisers Can Learn from Ice Cream Shops

Did you know our brains process color 60,000 times faster than text? That’s why an ice cream shop can convince you to try a flavor before you even read the menu. And for visual merchandisers, that’s a superpower worth mastering. Ice cream shops are basically playgrounds for playful color palettes, using visual tricks to make your taste buds say “yes” before your brain even decides.

And if you’re studying visual merchandising, like in the Visual Merchandising course at JD Institute, this is gold or should I say pistachio green?. Understanding how colors can instantly set a mood, influence decisions, and tell a story is a skill that works way beyond dessert counters.

Playful Color Palettes

Famous ice cream brands like Baskin-Robbins use their signature pink and blue not just for fun, but to make the brand instantly recognizable. Pink feels lighthearted and sweet; blue feels fresh and cool.

For a visual merchandiser, a playful color palette can turn even a small space into a memorable destination. This is why dessert shops paint walls in cotton-candy shades, use pastel seating, and mix quirky neon signs, it’s about giving customers a reason to smile the moment they step in.

Mood-Based Design

Ever noticed that Haagen-Dazs stores often use warm cream and rich burgundy shades? These colors signal luxury, comfort, and indulgence, perfect for a brand that wants you to savor your dessert slowly. On the other hand, Ben & Jerry’s leans into sky blue, grassy green, and happy cow prints for a playful, friendly vibe.

This is mood-based design in action. Different colors spark different emotions, and ice cream shops know exactly which mood to serve. As a VM student, you can apply the same strategy to any retail space. Want people to feel relaxed? Go for earthy tones. Want them excited? Bring in bold contrasts and bright pops.

Food-Inspired VM: Making Taste Visible

Here’s a clever trick: ever noticed how Amorino Gelato matches decor elements to its best-selling flavors? Lemon-yellow chairs, strawberry-pink walls, and mint-green tiles, it’s basically the menu brought to life in color form.

This is food-inspired visual merchandising, letting the product’s personality seep into the space design. It’s subtle but powerful. Customers don’t just read “mango gelato” on a menu; they see it in the decor, feel it in the mood, and are halfway convinced before tasting.

For future merchandisers, this is the perfect takeaway: make your product’s essence part of the environment. When visuals and products speak the same language, the entire customer journey becomes irresistible.

Why Aspiring Visual Merchandisers Should Learn from Ice Cream Shops

Because they’re basically living laboratories for human behavior. In just a few seconds, these shops make people:

• Enter a store they hadn’t planned to visit.
  
• Choose a flavor they hadn’t planned to buy.
  
• Post a picture that doubles as free advertising.

By observing how colors trigger emotions and influence decisions, you can design stores, exhibitions, or events that work the same magic.

The Scoop You Didn’t Expect

Color psychology isn’t just for branding experts or interior designers, it’s a secret weapon for anyone in visual merchandising. Ice cream shops prove that if you can make people feel something, you can make them do something, whether that’s buying, exploring, or sharing.

So, next time you step into an ice cream shop, notice how the colors work together, how the space feels, and how your mood changes before you even taste the first bite. If you’re dreaming of becoming a future Visual Merchandiser, here’s your cherry-on-top advice: learn the craft from people who treat creativity like a full-course meal. At JD Institute, your palette (pun intended) won’t just be colors, it’ll be possibilities.