Atalvi
Case Study № 01
Abdul Qadir Shahab
Brand · Design · Strategy
Atalvi Gelato — Brand Identity, Visual System & Launch Strategy

Built a premium gelato brand. Defended its price.

Full brand identity, visual system, and go-to-market strategy. Priced 50% above local ice cream. Same range as Baskin Robbins. People still chose Atalvi, and kept coming back.

Client
Atalvi Gelato
Services
Branding, Design, Strategy
Market
Lahore, Pakistan
Year
2024 — Ongoing
+50%
Premium held against local market, matched Baskin Robbins range
~90%
Customer return rate after first visit
~60%
Of customers turned into regulars
№1
Top-ranked gelato in Lahore by Google reviews
01The problem

Launch a premium category in a market that only knows discount ice cream.

Context

Lahore had two extremes. Cheap local ice cream below. Global chains above. Gelato barely existed as a category.

Atalvi needed to land at 50% above typical local pricing, hold it, and make people come back.

When the market doesn't know the category, the brand has to do the explaining. The design has to do the convincing.
02The approach

Build the category through brand, design, and strategy.

Five moves

Five connected moves. Each one supported the others. None of them would have worked alone.

Pillars
01
Strategy · Own the niche, justify the price

Product positioning

Found the gap between cheap parlours and global chains. Built Atalvi to fill it. Tight menu, strong hero flavours (pistachio, dark chocolate, kunafa). Premium tied to clear quality, not random branding.

Three scoops of local ice cream equalled one Atalvi scoop on volume. The math made the price logical.

02
Design · Look Italian café, not local parlour

Visual identity

Calm palette: cream, brown, deep green. No neons, no cartoon colours. Refined logo and typography closer to an Italian bar than a dessert shop.

The visual language said it quietly: this is not what you usually buy.

03
Strategy · Educate first, justify second

Brand communication

Simple explanations of what gelato is. Less air, more flavour, real ingredients. Showed the difference without attacking competitors. Built a story customers could repeat.

Used real scarcity on small batches and seasonal flavours. It fit the craft story and reinforced the premium.

04
Design + Strategy · Content that changes minds

Social and content system

Four pillars: education clips, close-up texture shots that made one scoop look worth the price, in-shop moments, and flavour drops for the existing fanbase.

Repeated until customers used the language themselves in reviews.

05
Design · Consistency across every surface

Brand world

Interior, cups, tubs, signage, online visuals. Every touchpoint reinforced the same premium positioning. The brand wasn't a logo. It was a felt experience from Instagram to spoon.

The brand system

Design choices that made the premium price believable.

Positioning

"Handcrafted luxury, real flavours, pure taste. The bridge that brings Italy's finest gelato tradition to a Pakistani audience."

Color Palette — Italian café, not local parlour

Seven warm earth tones. Burnt sienna leads. Honey amber accents. Distinct enough to own the category.

Typography — Refined, not loud
Wordmark · Montserrat Bold
ATALVÏ
Headlines · Hero New Regular
CRAFTED GELATO
Body · Hero New Light
Slow-churned, small-batch gelato from the finest ingredients.
Local ice cream
1×
3 scoops to equal Atalvi volume
Atalvi (Baskin range)
+50%
Customers returned. Recommended it.
Identity in application

Same world, every touchpoint.

03The outcome

Customers who do the marketing for you.

What changed

Weekends sold out. After awareness campaigns, weekdays moved close to sold out as well, even in winter when the wider dessert market slows.

Around 90% of customers returned after first visit. Roughly 60% became regulars. People openly vouched for Atalvi as authentic Italian gelato in Google reviews. The shop ranked top gelato in Lahore.

The most telling result wasn't a number. It was that customers started using the word "gelato" themselves. The category had landed.

If this is the work you need

I help F&B brands launch premium in markets that shouldn't pay premium.

Brand identity, design systems, and launch strategy for food and lifestyle brands competing in crowded, discount-heavy markets.

Book a Call
See the live brand on Instagram @atalvigelato