At a Glance

Role: Assistant Manager & Marketing Manager (seasonal, May – Aug 2025 and May – Aug 2026)
Client: Sundae's Eats, Treats, and Drinks, Swan Valley, Idaho
Scope: Brand guideline · Facebook and Instagram pages · 62 posts · drive-thru menu · pizza and drink-shop signage · website design · ongoing Google Business Profile support
Working with: the owners and shop manager​

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Challenge
Sundae's is a local shop in rural Idaho known for large portions of ice cream and pizza, and for its friendly staff. It sits in a tourist-heavy area near Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. The business had an established local presence, but its visual identity and digital marketing needed more consistency and a stronger social media presence.

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The owners asked me to build new Instagram and Facebook pages and develop the brand. I did this as assistant manager and marketing manager, so marketing shared my time with running the shop.

 

Goals

• Help the brand communicate consistently across every customer touchpoint

• Attract customers online, from visiting tourists to local families and workers

• Create marketing materials that reflect the personality and location of the shop

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Approach
I approached the project from both a design and a marketing perspective. Instead of treating each graphic or post as a separate piece of content, I built one recognizable visual identity that could carry across social media, print, promotions, and other customer touchpoints.

I also designed for the different people Sundae's serves: tourists passing through, local families, and workers looking for drinks, treats, and quick meals.

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The Campaign Package

1. Brand Identity - I created a brand guideline with the owners that set the visual direction for everything else.

2.  Social Media - I created the shop's Instagram and Facebook pages and produced 62 posts. I planned and designed the content, wrote captions, managed comments and messages, and published it. Content included designed graphics, photo-based posts, and reels, including a local collaboration and a post featuring employees.

3. Print & Signage - I designed a drive-thru menu for the coffee shop and signs for the pizza and drink shops.

4. Digital - I designed a website for the shop, which the owners approved. It has not launched, but the design is included here. I also manage Google Business Profile updates and social posts as needed.

5. Product Imagery - When traditional photography wasn't practical, I used generative AI to create product imagery for ice cream and drinks while keeping the brand's visual direction.

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Process
I developed branded social content, promotional graphics, print materials, and digital assets. I also supported day-to-day social media management and developed marketing ideas for the shop. I applied the brand guideline to every piece so each one looked like it belonged to the same business.

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Constraints

• The shop is seasonal, and I worked both summers while also managing daily operations.

• There was no advertising budget, so all results are organic.

• Staff availability to appear in content was limited.

• An older Facebook page already existed, so the audience was split and cross-promotion was limited.

• The website design was approved but has not yet launched.

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Results (organic, no paid promotion, as of October 2026)

• Facebook: 78 followers. Instagram: 65 followers.

• Best reel, a collaboration with a local creator: 4,513 views, 124 reactions, 14 comments, 7 shares, and 4 new follows across both platforms.

• Post featuring three employees: 2,207 views, 66 interactions, and 5 new follows.

• Typical still and photo-based posts: 25–300 views.

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Final
The finished package gave Sundae's a cohesive presence across its marketing channels: a brand guideline, 62 social posts, print and signage pieces, a website design, and product imagery. The work was built to speak to both local and visiting customers. I continue to support the shop with Google Business Profile updates and social posts as needed.

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What I Learned
Working with a real small business taught me that good design is only part of effective marketing. A strong creative solution also has to fit the audience, business goals, budget, timing, and the realities of working with a client.

• People outperformed polish. The two posts featuring real people drew many times the views of designed graphics. In future projects, I would plan content around people from the start.

• Settle ownership early. I would agree on who owns each page and who has admin access at the very beginning of a project.

• Design for real capacity. Plans need to fit a small team's time and budget, and projects need clear decision points so approved work gets launched.