ANTONY
SHEPHERD
The Challenge
Desert Chill had reach but no shape. A growing ice cream name with real local presence, running on service-led thinking, popular, but built as an operation, not a brand. The category it wanted to compete in doesn't reward volume, it rewards desire. Shelf presence, collab credibility, franchise-ability: none of that comes from being liked locally. The challenge was to turn a product people bought into a brand people chose, one built to travel, franchise, and hold its own next to names it had no business standing beside yet.
The Plan
Shift the brand from service-led to product-led, and build the system that lets it scale without dilution. That meant one flexible identity engineered to stretch across 60-plus SKUs and multiple sub-ranges without fragmenting, and to hold from a food-truck window to a mall retail space to an international franchise unit. Design the foundation once, so growth becomes rollout, not reinvention, and so every new market inherits the brand instead of reinterpreting it.
The Execution
Working directly with the founder as creative lead and strategic advisor, I helped translate a business vision into a cohesive brand ecosystem of products, experiences, and communications, an ongoing partnership built to scale the brand without ever losing its personality.
That scope ran deep: 60-plus SKUs, multiple sub-ranges, retail environments, delivery assets, kiosks, vehicle livery, merchandise, and campaigns. Every touchpoint is considered against the same system, so the brand stays consistent whether it's a food-truck window or an international franchise unit, a flexible foundation that keeps supporting Desert Chill's growth rather than getting rebuilt for it.
Case Studies
Brand, campaign, and experiential work for some of the region's most demanding names.
DESERT CHILL
The Success
10
New locations across UAE
From food trucks and mall kiosks to permanent retail spaces, Desert Chill expanded its physical footprint across the UAE, bringing its products closer to communities through high-traffic hubs and branded customer experiences.
5 Countries
Global expansion (Franchise)
The brand’s franchising model launched successfully, establishing a presence in 5 countries across Asia and Africa. Each international location reflects the core brand system, adapted with local relevance and cultural nuance.
60 New Items
Products Launched Since 2023
More than 60 new SKUs were launched, including ice cream bars, cones, pints, lollies, mochi, and milkshakes. Each product was part of a broader shift from service to product-led growth, driving shelf appeal and brand equity.
3+
Iconic Brand Collaborations
Ford, DHL, and Louis Vuitton, alongside luxury hotel groups across the Middle East. Collaborations that repositioned Desert Chill from local favourite to a name culturally relevant enough to sit beside global icons.
Brand, campaign, and experiential work for some of the region's most demanding names.
Case Studies