“Say Pepsi, Please,” “For Those Who Think Young,” “The Pepsi Generation,” “Taste That Beats the Others Cold” — classic slogans from the world’s second most popular soft drink. For the last half century, Pepsi has projected an image of fresh, youthful energy. Its iconic circle logo began as a 1930’s-era bottle cap, acquired its red, white and blue color scheme in 1941 in support of the war effort, and in 1962 made the leap to the bold, sans-serif typeface that it has used, more or less, ever since.
It was the 1962 typeface change that visually separated Pepsi-Cola from Coca-Cola, which until then had shared a swashy, Spencerian script, at least in the uppercase letters. Pepsi’s clean, modern look was in sync with 1960s design, in which sans-serif type was acquiring huge popularity, and for a time it left Coca-Cola’s 19th-century logo looking rather old.
Above, left to right, 1930s, 1951, 1962, 1987. Note the Coca-Cola-style script, and that the Pepsi wave has remained almost unchanged for 75 years.
Pepsi’s makeover and high-octane advertising paid dividends in sales. Outsold by Coke five to one in the the early 1960s, by the mid-1980s the gap was two to one, close enough that nervous Coca-Cola introduced “New Coke,” reformulated, it was said, to taste more like Pepsi! (a misadventure that lasted only three months)
While Pepsi’s look has been modified many times, its wavy red, white and blue circle has remained basically the same and is Pepsi’s real icon. The 2008 iteration retains the circle and colors but distorts the wave; and it replaces the bold, full-blast typeface with a light, low-key version — airy, minimal, quiet.
This is not unwelcome. In a world pounded by relentless visual noise (thank you, Internet), Pepsi is joining a move to simplicity and silence characterized by spare, pure design (thank you, Apple). It prevails over the noise not by outshouting it but by erasing it; as in an art gallery, the product alone on a clear field is the only thing you see.
As it was in the 60s, Pepsi’s new design is in sync with the times. This time, however, it has some company. Coca-Cola has gotten synched up, too, ditching its shadows, metallics and fake water drops for a crisp, white-on-red presentation that is simpler, clearer, stronger.
Above, the busy old cans and the quiet new ones.
Side by side, Coke’s new aluminum bottle and Pepsi’s new can make it obvious that we’re in a new era of ultra-clean brand design. These products stand out on cluttered shelves by virtue of their white space — or, in this case, red and blue space.
The question, though, was what do you think of it? Does Pepsi’s new logo work? I asked last week, and you had many bright, perceptive things to say.
For my part, I’m a big fan of the new simplicity. Simple design means that lines, shapes and colors are applied only after asking, “Does this element strengthen or weaken the visual message?” Nothing is plopped down arbitrarily; simple design is characterized by intentional, to-the-point clarity, and it’s always beautiful.
That said, had I been on Pepsi’s board, I would have given the new design a thumbs down. It’s technically adequate (if unimaginative), but the sum of its parts, as many of you pointed out, is static, empty, vaguely bland. It conveys no energy, no motion, no effervescence, and, well, it’s not young. Its styling cues — the round letters, the wavy e, the swashy circle — will please Pepsi insiders, and consumers will recognize it, but that’s the end of the good news. It really could, as others said, pass for an oil can or a tissue box or an airline logo.
Above, Pepsi, Korean Air Lines
So what’s happening? The problem starts with the wavy circle. By disconnecting it from the type and floating it in space, it becomes a singular design element that must stand on its own, which it really cannot do. It’s not a bottle cap, as it once was. It’s not an object. It has no meaning in real life.
Pepsi’s circle and name used to interact — one overlaid the other or was contained within it . . .
. . . so the two functioned as one. The wave added motion and vigor to the name. Alone, however, the Gestalt law of equilibrium takes over and brings all that to a stop . . .
Equilibrium Above, an object in nature tends toward a stable, resting state, as seen in a water droplet. Splashed water beads up — draws inward — and comes to rest in a circle, the shape of greatest equilibrium.
In logo design, a circle is used to convey stability and stasis. It’s the reassuring shape that says, “we’re here, we’re settled, we’re steady, you can trust us.”
Above, left to right, BMW, Target, ABC, AT&T, General Electric, Starbucks
Pepsi, of course, is “here, settled, steady and trustworthy,” but that message is for its shareholders. Its public image is Fun! Carefree! And young!
You’d think the wave would help. It’s active, for sure. I don’t see the “smile” unless I try hard, but it does remind me of sailboarding. Problem is, it’s stuck inside that circle, where it’s too small to overcome the effect of equilibrium and the stasis of the large, empty field around it.
(Above, left to right) Full of motion, no motion, slow motion
The thin typeface doesn’t help, either. Thin type is mostly air. Because of that, it can convey quietness, sophistication, authority, the kind that comes with understatement. But these qualities also require a conventional, grown-up typeface, not Pepsi’s quirky round one.
It’s an awkward setting. Three round forms are followed by an abrupt si. There’s a tiny wave in the e. All is lowercase. The single stroke weight is mechanical, meaning it required machines to draw it, so it lacks the warmth of a human hand. It’s not people.
But why is it here? Understatement is not Pepsi. Pepsi is about bubble and fizz — cheery, exuberant, bursting. This typeface is slow; it’s upright and mostly circles, and you know what they do. Better would be bold type that’s italicized or swoopy or in other ways put in motion. The tiny e wave is moving, but it’s too small to have any effect.
The can slows things further. It’s mostly white space, which is used in graphic design to convey silence. White space in an art gallery is a good thing; it allows the eye to settle undisturbed on the artwork. But here it’s out of place, because there’s nothing to “settle” on except that ball, which is static. Worse, the layout of typeface and ball form not a straight line, which would be fast, but an inert “L,” all of which gives the design its sense of inactivity.
None of this means that the design will fail. It may do just fine — it’s only one part of a program, after all, that Pepsi can power with rhythm and drive. Advertising can be bold and fast — tilted, flashing, spinning, with multiple logos or HUGE logos — but alone, this tepid design will not help them.
Back to Coke
Before I leave the topic, it may be instructive to look again at Coca-Cola’s logotype, which is everything Pepsi’s is not . . .
Coca-Cola’s famous, hand-drawn script is full of human warmth. Circular letters are vigorous and rhythmic, and those swashy Cs have exuberant, carefree flair. Thick-to-thin strokes are visually engaging and fast, because the eye follows converging lines. The name has the strength of aural alliteration, too; Coca-Cola’s repetitive, hard “c” sound is visually expressed in the flowing loops. Best of all, the name is the logo . . .
. . . so no matter how much white (red) space it’s in, no interpretation is necessary. High-contrast red and white could not be stronger, an effect amplified, above, by the high contrast of elaborate script and simple circle, one smooth and plain, the other high texture and high touch. And the logo runs in a single, straight line, which is direct and very fast.
So what do you think? Does Pepsi’s new logo have what it takes? Or should it go back to the drawing board?
Let me know.
———————————————
For more on logo design, we recommend the following print issues:
John, thank you for the excellent analysis. This isn’t just a graphic design lesson, it’s a history lesson.
I think Pepsi got the logo “mostly” right. I didn’t even realize that the logo and type, which are now separate, were once tied together so well in previous incarnations. Now that you pointed that out, I see the disconnect clearly. It would be hard to combine the two, but maybe they could have replaced the lower case e with the entire logo. It may work.
That being said, Coca-Coke doesn’t even have a “logo” per se, but the entire text is their logotype. They have a “swish” running from one end of the can to the other, but they don’t appear to use this in all their branding.
I’m not really sure what other logo ideas Pepsi could have come up with to be recognizable, yet different. It would be a fun project for your readers to try.
Like Citroen, the recently introduced new Pepsi logo is a brandmark iteration designed with an intention to stick out on the modern shelf, and when reading this ‘new age coke war’ review this morning, I found the following really insightful and definite food for thought:
“In a world pounded by relentless visual noise (thank you, Internet), Pepsi is joining a move to simplicity and silence characterized by spare, pure design (thank you, Apple). It prevails over the noise not by outshouting it but by erasing it; as in an art gallery, the product alone on a clear field is the only thing you see.”
Personally, I do agree, that for the so called ‘Pepsi Generation’ the new logo does feel a little static and certainly a bit too ‘bland’.
I wonder, what does @BritneySpears think about the Pepsi logo?!
Hi John
Superb post. Personally I don’t like the logo – 1973 was their logo pinnacle for me. I wrote a post about this a while ago and it is definitely the one that has received the most comments.
This logo seems to be a love it or hate it, with most people hating it.
all the best.
that was a much better analysis than others i have read. i totally agree. as far as the cans go, i prefer the splashy fun cans for both companies. the bottles however, i prefer to be more clean.
i actually dislike the new Pepsi logo so much I don’t buy it anymore. i was looking for an excuse not to drink soda since it’s bad for you, and now i have one: i despise their new identity!
Superb analysis!!
A number of us chewed this over at David Airey’s logo site (www.logodesignlove.com) and the common view is that Pepsi have fired one huge blank in the war of the colas.
Coke’s script is iconic and works regardless of where it sits (within reason of course) whereas Pepsi’s new logo just doesn’t work for me at all. Too many shapes trying to do different things and it ends up fighting with itself, albeit in a very dull and lazy way.
what in the world are they thinking! it doesn’t even start to work.
My students and I believe this will explode on them…..if not fall flat.
I liked your post, but personally really dislike the logo – the mark and text treatment are sterile looking and very boring. It no longer looks americana to me.
I’d like the new logo better if the circle was flipped 180° so the point of the white area was pointing at the name. That would make them more of a unit.
Interesting analysis, keep it up.
ed
A very interesting article.
I’ve thought the new Pepsi logo was riding on the coattails of the Obama campaign logo ever since I first noticed it.
Nice article. The logo is a disaster. The first thing I saw was a big, white stomach … then yesterday a friend sent me this:
http://www.suckatlife.com/pepsiLogoBlowatlife.html
Great analysis and history lesson.
I personally do not like the new logo AT ALL. I think that it looks amateurish; there seems to be some strange problem in the place where the blue comes up on the right. An optical illusion or something that makes it look unfinished to me. Not to mention; BORING.
Anna
I have to agree with Alison when she said, “I actually dislike the new Pepsi logo so much I don’t buy it anymore. I was looking for an excuse not to drink soda since it’s bad for you, and now i have one.”
I realize that these soda companies are all over the world, but they started in America (hence the red, white & blue of Pepsi, I thought). The typeface/font looks more childish and sort of reminds me of Anime, and I’m not particularly fond of that style of art. They should stop trying to mess with the logo so often – that means they have nothing better to do and are in fear that they are not SHOVING their brand down enough throats in the world. Seems more of a “panic” style of marketing. I know…we must alleviate the children and teenagers of their money, and appeal to them since they have more money than most of their parents do.
Sorry… but this was a bunch of unnecessary money they spent on design and re-branding, when they probably had to lay off plenty of people to pay for something that probably was over-priced work.
In this terrible global economy… if your product is priced affordably and the taste is as awesome as it always was… is what will make this consumer (and many other consumers) continue to buy the product. Otherwise, lots of us in the world will be forced to buy GENERIC soda and generic products.
The part they got right is the part that mentions “loudness” and “in-your-face” tactics of the past. But, this still won’t make me buy the product now that it has an ugly typeface on it.
John, sorry I didn’t have time to read ALL your wise words, I just went to the last few paragraphs. Last night at the grocery store, I went down the aisle, not really looking for pepsi, but there it was… bland….and I kept walking…
John:
Your analysis is spot on. I feel the separation of the name and logo is an interesting move, but not wise.
I do not think the logo and name work together, and the lowercase pepsi font reminds me of some 1977 Letraset style that remained in the box, until it lost its adhesive.
I’m not sure where this came from (and can not attest to its legitimacy, other than it seems like a lot of work for a hoax), but this is apparently a marketing document to justify the evolution of the new Pepsi logo, presumably by the Arnell Group.
http://bunnitude.com/misc/files/pepsi_gravitational_field.pdf
While I can’t comment that the new Gravitational Field generated by the new logo design is legitimate, It does strike me as a significant departure from the original brand, and doesn’t particularly send a message of “refreshing” in any way.
Something about the “sail-boaty” white swoosh does send a different message (which to these eyes registers more in the realm of “personal hygiene” than “refreshing”).
Seems this one is a miss.
I don’t think it’s about young vs. old anymore.
What’s hip now isn’t in your face. It’s quiet.
It’s Apple. It’s smooth.
It’s Obama’s branding. It’s popular.
Coca-cola is old school. Traditions.
Today more people seem to want change. Out with traditions. Go green.
Make it simple.
I think Pepsi succeeded.
I think the smile is a little awkward, but I have a feeling it will grow on me.
I absolutely do not like the new pepsi logo, they should have done way better, the typeface is awful for a logo, it doesn’t feel like Pepsi and they should gone back to a script typeface.
Almost everyone I know hates change, whether they know it or not. Marketing is also very hesitant to make sweeping revisions of logos for that very reason. And yet Pepsi took a bold step. I love that they are forward-thinking and strikingly modern – and will in time reconfigured the new logo to be more cohesive and impressionable (that font will be the first to go). Being their target demo, I of course, like the new design and love what it stands for: change.
Awesome job!
This article was a fun one to read! Yes, the new design for the Pepsi is rather boring. The previous one I would remember finding a new design monthly which would always be fun to look at. I guess no more of that unless they realize that Pepsi is more than the font they are using. It’s got more power to it than it really has.
So many circles–the new Pepsi keeps reminding me of the Obama campaign logo…(well, with red/blue reversed; sun rising; stripes; etc–but same color scheme…wonder which came first?
Thanks for the thought-provoking and historically enlightening article for those of us not old enough to remember the 1930s! ;-}
As a long-time consumer of Pepsi products, I never noticed the tri-color circle until today, upon reading the analysis. It was only and always the name with a circular color background.
Years ago, after leaving Leo Burnett, I went to work for an agency owned by an astute fellow who said, “When you pee in your pants, it only feels warm to one person.”
This seems to be one of those occasions. I really do not like the proposed look at all and as a shareholder, do not want to see the company spend its money on a self-inflicted i.d. crisis.
This logo strikes me as being derived from the Obama logo — something about those angled curves. It felt like they were trying to piggyback on his popularity by redoing their look. I don’t care for it. It feels bland and ordinary, and kind of “done” since we have seen so much of the Obama circle.
It’s a huge noticeable change. People don’t like change like that. Pepsi knew the direction they needed to go and had the balls to do it. You know countless sniveling account execs raised the same issues many people with no real design or branding experience have raised. It stands out now. At first I didn’t like it, but now it gets my respect for not doing the obvious and stepping into that risky space while being true to the brand, as this excellent post dissects some of the branding history. I like it now. I’m not a huge Pepsi fan but have now started to drink it in place of Coke. Maybe just to say I’m a rebel… lol
Great analysis-this is an art history lesson I enjoyed thoroughly.
I agree with what you said, except that I like it. The calm appeals to me. There are moves away from soda in health and weight-loss trends, and I see an appeal to a generation thinking thin and light is what they want. The problem is that people don’t buy what they need, they buy what they want. As you stated, “fun.”
I don’t drink any soda anyway, because it’s not actually food, just liquid candy, but I wonder what their idea was. They =may have set out to get exactly what they got… more or less. something calming. If they can keep the fun in their branding it could work.
One thing you mentioned, the separation of logo icon from name, is the killer in my mind. and if they could just get that wave to jump out of the circle, the way it wants to… that would be exciting!
My first reaction to the new Pepsi logo was it was an election year nod to the Obama campaign logo.
Well, I really do believe that the Pepsi’s logo it’s sort of … unfinished.
The emphasis is on the symbol which I find it far away of conveying stability. As far as the logotype concerns, it’s much too skinny. You may end up by missing it. Pepsi is in the B2C market and I think the new logo misses the “punch” factor.
Great post. I think this rebranding attempt will be referred to for some time as an example design efficacy.
Like yourself, many designers are asking, “What is the new message?” Is it: “…Fun! Carefree! And young!”, or “light, low-key…, airy, minimal [and] quiet?” Who are they trying to appeal to?
Funny, but—although it doesn’t look anything like it—the new Pepsi logo reminds me of the Obama ’08 campaign logo. Maybe it’s the circle motif, the red, white and blue colors, or the way the elements curve, but that’s the association I make.
This is funny:
http://www.suckatlife.com/pepsiLogoBlowatlife.html
Don’t like it at all – I felt challenged to play with it and came up very quickly with four that I think are better and I’m not a pro.
Yikes – what were those Pepsi folks thinking???
A great article and fascinating in its historical aspects. Pepsi’s one big advantage over Coca-Cola is that it has the freedom to change things around more, so even if the new logo bombs, they are much more able to change it quickly (albeit expensively).
I think there are two points in your article which counter each other: you look at the logo in the context of the can and give it the ‘slow-motion’ tag; but put the can in the context of the shelf and ‘it prevails over the noise’.
Therein I think lies the crux of the matter. As a logo in its own right and taken in the gallery setting, it is flawed by its simplicity, but in the supermarket setting it (and the new Coke makeover) work because they put a visual halt in the noise.
Personally I like the new ball logo, and seeing all the suite together I like the way the white band swells and subsides depending on how ‘fat’ the variant is. The only thing I would change is to release it from its circular frame when put on a white background – let the red and blue parts create the white line between them instead of making it explicit with the blue border. The life and energy might come back into it then.
I wouldn’t have gone for that font though, and certainly not the pitiful little wave in the e. It’s too inconsequential to have any real effect, so looks like a bad rendering instead – a flaw in the design.
I have been looking at this logo a lot. I travel through Boston’s South Station where they have huge banners inside the station with this promotion. They also have billboards all over the city with it.
My problem with it is that the don’t put the word Pepsi with the logo. So unless you kind of follow advertising you don’t now what this new big graphic means. I think this is a waste of ad dollars. All they would have had to do is put “Drink Pepsi” or something like that at the bottom of the banners or billboards. It seems like they caught in their own branding. You have to constantly tell people who you are and what you are selling, people don’t spend much time guessing, they just move on.
The new Pepsi logo is NO FUN! It does not go anywhere and is not a cohesive unit. Try again.
I am not fond of the new Pepsi logo at all. It is simply too flat and has lost the snappiness that the previous incarnation had. If they wanted to modernize it I think they could have kept the same design but made it more spherical in some manner, along the lines of the blue and white Google Earth logo. See: http://googlified.com/files/earth-logo.gif
Thank you for your good and thoughtful comments. After the first post, I went to the store to find the cans and take a look. For my older eyes, the wave in the e is too subtle. I thought of Sam Walton’s comment(bad paraphrasing on my part), that identifying marks should be able to be seen and recognized from 3 to 5 feet away. It’s mass merchandise marketing, not jewelry. I am not fond of the new curve in the circle. Overall, I think they fixed something that wasn’t broken.
One question for the Pepsi mind trust… Why must the “badge” and the word be in the same vertical line of sight? Both are strong enough to stand on their own and both should.
When it comes to packaging design and logos, you still have to look at it with a (5oo foot away at 50 MPH) billboard rule-of-thumb. From a “form” standpoint, I believe they would have been better served by alternating the badge and the word PEPSI.
The badge itself is fine I guess, although the bottom shape (in BLUE) seems inconsistent with the rest of the design. As far as the typeface goes: I agree thumbs down. We could argue about the “E” wave all day, but it’s actually more of a Pepsi word size and letter weight issue for me. Enlarge the font and fatten up the letters. I’m a fan of preserving clean, simple, white space, but the package design still must perform it’s function of instantaneous brand recognition.
As a Pepsi shareholder, I’d have to say “Naw-baby-naw!” Go back to the drawing board, or Illustrator file in this case.
Wow. This was an excellent breakdown. I really do learn so much from you and your analysis.
Now I’m not sure if this is a joke or if its real but have you guys seen this PDF Presentation titled “Breathtaking”? Supposedly it’s a breakdown of the Pepsi logo redesign done by Arnell Group. Some of the slides are so wacky it’s really unbelievable.
http://www.reddit.com/r/funny/comments/7w0i2/pepsi_logo_a_response/c07k9l7
I enjoyed the post, especially the history lesson. I don’t think the logo works either. It’s too far a departure from the “branded wave”. More recent updates have fit, but this is too much. It looks more like a cat’s eye.
I think Burger King is a great example of updating without straying from the brand.
Round logo — thumbs up.
(Clean, simple, understated, low noise is right)
Rounded type font — thumbs WAY down.
(Too trendy, looks out of balance to my eye, appears to be a font designed by someone that doesn’t know how to design a font.)
Why didn’t they call you? You could have saved them millions in rebranding again next year. :-)
Legend has it that Dr. Pemberton, the inventor of Coca-Cola, first sold his new product in his drug store in Georgia. To advertise his new concoction, he sent a stockboy to find a board on which to paint the new name of his product. The boy returned with a board already painted red. Pemberton then wrote in white paint and in the handwriting style of the time “Coca-Cola.” Coke has wisely stuck with tradition.
The Pepsi logo in its latest incarnation simply reworks the Obama campaign logo using the thought process that if it worked for a campaign that appealed to so many young people, it will work for their product.
Hi John,
I loved reading your take on the new Pepsi design. Great points.
It feels like they violated the #1 rule of great logo design: create a design your audience will connect with. I wonder if the decision makers are a different generation than your average Pepsi drinker?
It looks like a patriotic tennis ball or a tipped on its side e, which might have worked better if the design were part of the word Pepsi.
I agree with your assessment: It’s not offensive, but hardly conveys the idea of youth, fun and personality. For what they must have spent to come to this result, it feels like an opportunity wasted.
I’m not against simple and clean design. but if you can’t infuse what is basically sugar-water with some personality, then you’ve failed to sell it. Of course, Pepsico will spend about a billion dollars in advertising to add back in what this design has nearly drained out.
I believe that you wrote in a much earlier issue of Before & After (or maybe I read it somewhere else?) that no design has ever convinced housewives to change their brand of laundry detergent.
In the powerplaying world of the Cola Wars, I wonder how this redesign for both will pan out?
Personally though, I’m not a fan of either Coke’s new bottle labels OR Pepsi’s new logo. Both of them look like they took all of five minutes to whip together, and the DIN-esque subtitle on the Coke bottles is quite jarring – it’s not a font I would have associated with Coke. I find Pepsi’s new branding is similarly troublesome, for the many sharp reasons outlined in the article.
This could be because I love texture and detail, things you can touch. I don’t like over-complexity, but simple is *hard* to do right, because you have to be masterful with what you take out. Still, I like texture because I find it conveys warmth, humanity, feeling. Coke’s old can had so many little things you could find on it if you spent the time to look – it was engaging and fun (well, first time at least!)
My favourite typeface of all time is Electra, designed by William Addison Dwiggins. Adobe has him quoted as saying: “…if you don’t get your type warm it will be just a smooth, commonplace, third-rate piece of good machine technique, no use at all for setting down warm human ideas, just a box full of rivets…. I’d like to make it warm, so full of blood and personality that it would jump at you.” – an ideal I take to heart wherever possible in my work.
I don’t think either of the new designs are warm or full of personality; however, this is only my opinion, so it will be interesting to see where things go in the next few years with successive iterations.
Am I the only one who thinks they took a cue from the Obama logo? Personally, I liked the “retro” bottles Pepsi introduced this past Summer. I’ve been a Coke drinker since childhood, but I wanted a Pepsi just to get one of those cool aluminum bottles!
As a designer, I think much of the dialog in the article was “design speak” trying to sound too smart. I’m a big believer in clean design and less is more. The coke logo is a classic and if it’s not broke and is the most recognizable logo on earth, it should not be mucked with. Pepsi on the other hand blows with the winds of change and can’t figure itself out. It reminds me of a focus group mentality rather than being committed to something. The “obama” like look of the pepsi logo leaves me cold and forces me to stay clear of that brand.
Great commentary! No – it does absolutely nothing for me on the positive side, but conversely, it brings up some negativity towards the product. Puts me off frankly. It looks cold and uninviting, unfriendly and ‘distant’. Like living in a street where you don’t know your neighbours – or being a stranger in a big city. The Coke logo is warm and friendly. With Pepsi, it’s the font; and the new logo, (which one feels they have seen before somewhere) being separate from the word ‘Pepsi’. Too detached and frigid. Would not inspire me to drink the product at all. Nope – I don’t think it works.
Two words: Korean Airlines
As John shows, the wavy line has been a constant for nearly 80 years, they lost it in the circle but they could have at least got it right in the ‘e’.
I really enjoyed your comments. I recently toured the Coco-Cola museum in Atlanta and even though coke had a major gaff with new coke, I think in the cola war chronicles, this “new pepsi” will flush out as another major gaff made by a lack-luster board of directors. Pepsi doesn’t shout “FUN” anymore and they will probably loose just as many customers as coke did with new coke. To bad pepsi… even the proud and arrogant stumble over themselves sometimes!
I had an experience this weekend that made me think a little more about Pepsi and recognition of their product. I was at a 50th Anniversary festival for Union City, CA. They were serving Chinese food and sodas at the food concession with local teens volunteering to serve. I asked the girl (she was maybe 14) for a Pepsi. She handed me a Pepsi Max. I think Pepsi Max is diet? I pointed out it was Pepsi Max and I would like a regular Pepsi. She had to pick through two or three cans (The Max, the regular Diet and then finally a regular Pepsi.) It was an old logo Pepsi can with a very busy can design. It seemed to me that this teen was probably in Pepsi’s target demographic and she was having trouble easily recognizing a regular Pepsi. Pepsi has always seemed to have a variety of different designs. I think it hurts the brand. I don’t really care much for the new logo. My first though was “sailing”. But first and foremost, I don’t want to have to study your product to make sure I am selecting the correct Pepsi product. Maybe, this clean look will help differentiate their different types of products?
Surely, if you are going to play with your logo – that is, your precious brand recognition – more than just subliminally, you want to have a Very Good Reason Indeed, one that people can understand instantly. This new design doesn’t cut it on that score. All Pepsi has done is create confusion with a very ordinary redo.
We haven’t seen this new design on the shelves downunder yet, but we have got a similarly minimal new design for PepsiMax that is so awful that at first I dismissed it as a generic.
Well, I don’t feel any connection between the sign and the name in the Pepsi logo – they seem to be taken out from different logos. Besides that the whole logo looks expressionless and says nothing. It doesn’t stand out from the crowd of thousands of noname logos. Let me say that I don’t like Coca Cola as a company (because its main business is not so healthy colored sweet water and because it’s so overwhelmingly everywhere), but compared to its image, Pepsi looks like a garage brand. Sorry.
It seems to me that aside from all the technical design issues Pepsi is a ‘me too’ product. I can’t see how any amount of behind the product design . Design can only communicate what lies behind and it can’t make the product imaginative and original by itself. When you want to be the leader you have to be the first. If you take a weak product and give it a high profile what you get is a weak product with a high profile.
Pepsi have been directed by their history in this project. Their desire to progress forward whilst retaining a link with the past has meant they have delivered a pudgy middle ground solution which doesnt fulfil the brief. The board should have had the balls the either reconnect with their past and make a statement of their history or forge a new direction. Instead they have confused things and delivered “pap”!
Great post. I really enjoyed it. I found you put to words some of the things I have been feeling about the new Pepsi logo. It seems to me as though they tried too hard to make their logo simple and in doing so, took it beyond calm and right into the doldrums. I don’t care for the new layout at all. It is disconnected and seems to suck out my motivation to buy it as I walk down the soda aisle. I have also noticed there seems to be a lack of differentiation between the different types of Pepsi, ie diet, max etc. I like to be able to see exactly what I want to purchase without searching the whole shelving unit for the item.
I give Pepsi credit for attempting such an all encompasing logo change. That took guts, especially in a time when spending money without guarentee of return is a scary proposition. However, I wish they had gone a different way with it.
Oh, and thanks to Alex and his posting of the “big, white stomach,” I can’t see anything else now. Too funny. :-)
My thought is that their target demographic is NOT youth, but is the (slowly aging, like it or not) Pepsi Generation now in their 30s+.
“Youth” don’t think about Pepsi – they’re energy and sports drink fans. Pepsico owns a pile of those beverages too, and many of them have more dynamic branding. I think to them Pepsi is a non-brand (Coke too.)
So I think Pepsi is going for the “drink at Starbucks, shop at Target” demographic. Will it bring in new customers, unlikely. Will it remind the Starbucks/Target gang that soda still exisits amid myriad bottles of water? Maybe.
It certainly isn’t smiling to me (I’m on board with the windsurfing!) and I agree with Dan that if this clean design helps unclutter its product line, it could be beneficial over the long term.
Not a fan of the new across the board Pepsi redesigns. Unlike Coca-Cola’s iconic scripted font, Pepsi has always had trouble settling on an identity for itself. This latest iteration of the Pepsi logo is immediately dated. In 10 years (or even 5) the design will be looked at in the “what were they thinking” context. As you said John, the simplified design does not convey a message of youth and energy…it conveys aloofness. Unfortunately cola is not high art.
Clean is good but… The font is weak and the shapes in the cirle (and the “e”) are awkward. The flow of the shapes is not good, they do nothing for me but remind me of (look closely) a fat guy with bluejeans on whose red shirt is riding up to show off his belly (think Homer Simpson). Not a good visual for an unhealthy drink. It is fine but it would be better to go back to the drawing board. And from personal experience… I understand if it is the client’s fault.
I like the post a lot. Nicely done analysis. However, I think you have to take the audience and the product more in mind.
1st – this is a big change for Pepsi. That implies action and movement in a far more meaningful way than any formal elements of the actual design ever will.
I love the connection to the Obama movement. I would never have thought of that. Lets hope the Obama movement’s approach to change is ultimately less superficial.
2nd – Who cares? Lets think about the product here. Who drinks this stuff? Who is the audience? Not us graphic designers, thats for sure. Most of their audience is not sophisticated enough to notice “l” shapes or the connection of the type to the graphic. They will notice that it is different. They might notice that it is in line with this so-called web 2.0 look, although maybe not consciously. And that is it.
Now, you could argue that the issues raised in the post will affect the product’s standing in a subconscious way. Or you could say, they could have achieved this great change in a way that is more visually effective for everyone – including graphic designers. But again, who cares?
If you are someone who drinks cola, or soda, its hard to imagine you have never heard of pepsi, so its not about introducing the product. All they need to do is make it recognizably different, somewhat associated with a current “look”, and they have achieved that.
Perhaps an inexpensive shortchanged design process is very smart in this economy. Why invest in a logo designed to last a decade or more when you don’t know if you will be around next year? When you make a product no one needs, and everyone already recognizes, this is an important question.
Why pursue a great logo when designers are going to make a lot of noise about which ever one you pick anyway. Any news is good news.
Regardless of the formal analysis of the actual logo, I think it is a brilliant campaign for all these reasons.
The Pepsi brand refresh has hit a nerve for many in the design community, and has stimulated a great deal of conversation. I have found very little of it is positive with regards to the design solution. When compared to the work that Coke did on its brand, Pepsi feels flat.
A couple of months ago, I posted an entry in our blog about it, and if you’re interested in reading more about the subject, here’s a link:
http://www.liquidbrandexchange.com/2008/11/
Alfredo Muccino
Chief Creative Officer
Liquid Agency
http://www.liquidagency.com
I love the Coca Cola logo! It’s on clothing, hats, posters. Pepsi can’t sell that. And besides all this logo talk Coke has real coca beans and Pepsi doesn’t. I guess that’s why it’s the real thing. Great article.
Thanks for the perspective. I’ve hated the new Pepsi look since it hit the shelves. Even my kids (middle/high school) said “What the…?!?!” when they saw it. Did they even try this out with a younger audience before launching it? I tried to be open to it (really, I did) but as I continue to see it I still think they took it too far and now instead of having something that makes me (or my kids) instantly recognize it as Pepsi and be excited about it, it looks more like Old Spice. Not exactly the effect I think they wanted. Hopefully this new look will disappear quickly and quietly for something that works better.
If nothing else the logo has people talking about it, good and bad. I first saw it on a huge billboard with nothing but pink around it, it one of the many Obama-like words. The pink got my 2-year daughter excited, but I was confused. It reminded me of pepsi, but I thought it was some new website. The part I dislike the most is the way that the wave leans back. It makes me uncomfortable, I desperately want to rotate it. It work with the “L” shape, but not taken on it’s own.
I don’t think there’s much “hope” for the new look!
I agree with Sarah, the way the wave is being pulled back/down makes me uneasy like someone stuck their finger in the wave and just tugged at it.
When I first saw the new Pepsi logo, I was pretty incredulous and thought that maybe someone was just goofing around. Finding out that it was a true change, I was simply not impressed.
In my personal opinion, this new Pepsi logo did not do anything for me nor do I think it is a strong visual element on its own. Lucky for Pepsi, their name is a juggernaut already.
Only a few months ago, I began noticing the ‘less is more’ trend in packaging designs for consumer products. The ‘generic’ block lettering has replaced the creative packaging designs on everything from Gatorade to Tropicana orange juice.
It seems that pepsi (all lower case, right?) is attempting to let the contorted new ‘wave’ do the job of brand identification. The actual ‘pepsi’ word appears as an afterthought stuck off to the side. If they had not redesigned the ‘wave’, they may have accomplished that goal. Then again, maybe the powers at the top of the corporation are thinking that consumers will ask ‘wow, what is this?’ when they see the new circular logo on store shelves.
When everything old becomes new again (as it always does), we will see a return to creative logo designs that maximize the visual impact for the brand they represent.
When I first saw the logo, I though, YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING! The icon change is okay, but the typeface is like looking at at bad version of Bauhaus. With so many super cool designers out there, why does this look so OLD!? I have been designing since 1980, so I do have some seasoning in me.
I agree with all here, and maybe i missed this, but the one thing no one has touched on is, what does the average joe consumer think about this, we’re all looking at it from the stand point of designers, the average consumer doesn’t have the knowledge, time or want to take the time, etc… or give a crap about flowing line, flowing lines in typefaces and/or does the logo and typeface connect and analyze allll the other aspects that have been touched on here.
They are for the most part brand loyal 1st.
and brand look 2nd. and 3rd, how can i get up the nerve to ask that person out.
Just my thoughts.
In the spirit of simplicity… I dig it ;)
[m9]
When you put the Coke logo next to the Pepsi logo, Pepsi’s logo doesn’t hold a candle to Coke’s. However, I really like the new Pepsi curve that looks like a really happy smile. It feels very human to me! I think people just have to get used to it. I realize that change is hard for some.
I loved the article’s analysis, & I agree with the majority. The new Pepsi logo is a major miss.
Is it just me, or does it look like an extreme close-up of the angry eye of a giant monster?
If you confuse the the new Pepsi logo and packaging with a store brand, it’s understandable… I don’t think it will create the connection the Pepsi was hoping for.
My take on it from December 08:
http://www.sooyco.com/blog/new-pepsi-branding-what-went-wrong
Thanks for the very thorough, informatve anlysis.
While I understand the reasons and appreciate the depth of consideration put into designing this new logo, I think the first impression (and you know what they say, “There’s only one chance for a first impression”) will be what the reaction was of myself, my husband, and few of our friends:
“They’re trying to rip-off the Obama campaign logo.”
For some people, having the logo evoke the Obama campaign logo may be a good thing . . . for others, not so good.
Maybe I’m Old-School, but large companies won’t hesitate for a nanosecond to sue a company that rips off their national logo. There must have been a reason for making the logo so evocative of Obama, with the high number of possible negative reactions associated with using it.
Of course, the Obama staff may well have figured that a lawsuit barring Pepsi from using the logo could only bring expensive and negative publicity. The Obama staff may also think that entering the Obama logo in the common unconsciousness by yet another prop is a good thing.
I doubt the latter because I can’t see a presidential candidate actually being happy about having their brand associated with a can of soda-pop..a can which often one sees discarded on the side of a road. Not exactly a good symbolism for any politician.
Whatever the case, for people like me, being sensitized to first reactions to marketing tactics, the first impression will be “Obama rip-off.”
Then there are those folks–and it’s more than a handful–who don’t like Obama, certainly don’t like Obama as president, and will have a negative first-impression of the logo design.
I have to question the wisdom of having a consumer item with a pretty much universal group target user of having a logo that in any way aligns itself with one of the two political parties. Voters are about, roughly, split down the middle, Dems/GOPs. I think one risks having nearly half of the American consumers negatively react to the logo. One also risks having conspiracy theories arise over Pepsi aligning itself with the Democratic Party. Even the other examples have the Dem Party feel, especially the one with the solid red line underneath.
Risky tactic because as goes the popularity of the politician or political party, so goes the public’s reaction to the logo.
I guess what puzzles me the most, however, is the fact that certainly Pepsi ran this by numerous focus groups. Gauging by the number of responses that note the Obama logo similarity, this probably is a connection many consumers would make.
I agree with others who have posted here about the old feeling the type brings to the logo. Combined with the simple Obamaish logo, it gives it a feel of the moderne look of vintage cruise ships . . . like the Titanic. Again, certainly not a good image association for Pepsi.
I also agree that the logo and type combination gives it a passive, solid, nonmoving feel. Boring. Non-motivating. Certainly not a young feel. For a product that has at least part of its appeal to the buzz folks get from its caffeine/sugar content, there is no appeal to those who seek an energy buzz from their canned drink.
I agree with an above comment—when I saw the new logo treatment I thought it was a nod to the Obama campaign.
Great article!
I love Pepsi’s new logo, it’s sleek, modern, and not outdated like Coke Cola.
I’ve never been a fan of drinking coke, but pepsi’s new image would convert me.
Pepsi’s new logo is simplicity, and I love it.
Hello John,
Well I have worked on some designs under the pepsi guidelines (on the logo prior to the new one). I find the prior logo really workable, unique. The symbol and pepsi type work well. It was marketable.
But the new logo is all right. I can see that it has been designed to not look too different from this prior look, just so it is easily identified by the people.
I think the glitch is with the font used. It is not so strong or dynamic. I would have gone for a bolder, stylish, playful approach.
But the fact remains, pepsi has a strong market. People love the drink so I don’t think the new logo be it less significant would make a difference. I would like to see the message the new ads, have to transmit though.
Cheers
I must say that I have learned a lot about design history, theory and practice from these discussions. But I agree with those who say Pepsi’s new logo just might work. Because the general public is NOT trained in design: they don’t know about type face, white space and all the other elements being scrutinized. They just know what they like when they see it. And the new Pepsi logo is enough of a departure – from both the old Pepsi look and the myriad of other product logos today – that it has a good chance of catching on.
Hi John,
Thank you for an excellent review. Informative and interesting. It must have taken a lot of work to pull all of those examples together. Nice Job.
Now, concerning the new Pepsi logo, I’ll be brief and just say that I do not think it’s a good move. To me, especially after considering your points, the way to go would be to stay with the retro logo which, even by itself is MUCH more recognizable. They could just move the name outside the circle and simplify the look around the logo instead of what falls “inside the circle”. Same look, people get it, clean up the surroundings. Easy and recognizable. Just my humble take.
Thanks again for a fine article.
I truly do not like the new design for Pepsi. The font style is weak and disappears. The logo is ok although I still prefer the old style. Sorry, not my taste.
Great article and insight.
It kinda looks like a knock off brand at first. I think they should add a little more to the original circle.
Thank you for this great analysis. It is a design 101 refresher course, and I appreciate you taking the time to put it together. As designer I am re-inspired.
Back to the drawing board i say! Pepsi’s new design is completely against the image the company has tried to convey and it is boring and WAAAY too calm. It would be cool as a new kind of Tea, but this is Pepsi (I’m sorry, pepsi).
I’m not much of a fan with bottled beverages but this is a no brainer, how could pepsi approve this?
I think Pepsi ought to start doing a lot of advertising if they’re going to re-train the Pepsi Generation (baby boomers like me) to recognize their new logo.
My first reaction came a few weeks ago, when stopping to pick up a Pepsi on the way home, as I have done for years. I simply couldn’t find it on the shelf! I bought Propel instead so they got my money anyway.
Then I read the logo news on Before & After. Next time I went looking for Pepsi at the store — I still had a hard time finding it! I’ve been trained my whole life to look for the old logo. Now I have bad eyesight on top of it.
Coke is jumping off the shelf at me but I’m a loyalist, and weak logo or not, I’ll keep squinting into the cooler until I find the Pepsi. But I think they’ve made a big mistake.
Great article—loved the history and analysis. I’m definitely not a fan of the logo, for many of the same reasons mentioned here.
I just visited Pepsi’s website and discovered, after it slowly made me watch numbers counting up to 100, that the site didn’t even work in Safari! Lame.
That was a terrific overall analysis of the Pepsi new logo and the Coke analysis really helped to solidify your ideas. I agree one-hundred percent. The Pepsi logo will pass, but only because of the amount of money and visual help that it is getting. A soft launch of this logo would’ve inevitably caused revenue losses in my opinion. Oh well, advertisers will get a short boost from Pepsi’s need to make the public understand and embrace (if not just tolerate) the new logo.
I hate the wave in the e! I know it’s supposed to be a nod to the old wave, but it just looks sloppy to me. I like the overall new look better on the diet Pepsi cans with the silver background than on the blue cans because the logo pops out more.
I don’t think it was a step forward. The new logo fails to exhibit a clear reasoning.
While Coke has chosen the part of tradition, which was a very wise move, the Pepsi format is challenged by keeping up with or leading the times. This approach can be very challenging; I wish them the best next around.
I don’t think the Pepsi new logo has succeeded. I think of soft drinks as part of entertainment – they should make your meal more fun/refreshing… there’s no sugar high in the new logo.
Now if the logo had been designed for a brand of water, it would make more sense.
Thicken up the stroke on the type and thicken up the stroke around the circle and the logo would at least look more bold & proud (nod to Pepsi’s past 2000ish era), instead of retiring.
And yes, the off-center layout is very hip, but it just doesn’t work. This isn’t an A4/letter title page, it’s a soft drink can!
If only I could get my customers to realize it. They still want over-complicated, unable to size down or up logos.
That being said, I don’t care much for the new logo. When I first opened my 12-pack and saw the new can, I remember a feeling of disgust. I agree with your points above. It was just too drastic. I am all for updating looks, but I feel like maybe it was too drastic.
I have to disagree with much of this. First off, it has people talking. When is the last time a can of soda did that?
Second, Pepsi will always have to go with a more modern to offset Coke’s “classic” take.
I think the wave in the e is brilliant and subtle. Remember people, most people buying this product are NOT designers.
Within a sea of product jam-packed with as much graphics as possible (even private label nowadays) Pepsi will stand out. This is package design people. Getting attention is the point.
I applaud them for trying something completely different. I am shocked that a corporate type would actually have the guts to let them do it.
Really good analysis. My first impression really was of an airline logo, a comforting “come fly with the the old steady provider” feel… I wasn’t surprised when I came to the Korean Air logo. I don’t think it will be very effective for cola drinkers.
One other effect which they may be going for is an abbreviation to the “P” for Pepsi. The text and logo on the can create a “p” which parallels the new font. I seem to recall coke using their single scripted “C” in some older advertising… to not so great effect. I don’t think this will work either; a letter is just too ubiquitous to form an identity at this point in time. Abandoning the earlier ball loses recognition without replacing it with anything particularly positive… I suspect they’ll lose some older drinkers, without really presenting a new identity which pulls in the younger set. Maybe they’re just trying to tone it down for the recession.
Love the article, hate the logo (Pepsi)
I agree with the majority… the new design doesn’t work. It reminds me of back in the day in the the mid 80’s of the Pepsi Free logo. They can be simplistic and clean-cut in design without being boring. Heading back to a pop design that didn’t work out then certainly isn’t going to work now. The total change in the white swish really is the clincher for me. The original is iconic even with the “younger” generation and to replace it is just lacks common sense. The trends are to be clean but they are also to be retro. My suggestion is to head back further then the 80’s.
I really think this works. I think it’s a bold move to be ahead of the curve regarding America’s changing self image. In the face of all the obesity and unhealthy food choices out there, dressing their brand in a more sophisticated, artsy manner seems to put pepsi in a different class. It looks more like something that I would see in whole foods, rather than in a gas station. Of course, I don’t know if this wasn’t their intention, but I like to pretend that I was pitching this new design and that’s how I would do it.
John, you make a point that really got me thinking, and I hope you will address it further.
You say, “it’s not young.” Well, what IS young? Where should those of us who are no longer quite so young be taking our cues about that? (I hope not from the sensibilities of our own past…!)
Consider Apple’s branding–say, of the iPod line. By your criteria, they’ve got it all wrong.
Major claims–graphic, functional, and verbal–about stability and reliability. The stuff “just works.” Consider the “white space” involved in not needing a manual. Echoed in all that blank packaging. Echoed in the gallery-like stores.
If I’d seen it in the ’70s, I might have thought it was for the unimaginative elderly. But now? Associations do change…
A graphically overdosed generation seems to be attracted both to reliability and to whitespace–and to products that claim to empower them to create whitespace in which to live their lives their way. How refreshing is that?
I loved this article. I think the pepsi logo fails because there is not enough contrast in the shapes. The movement within the circle does flow to the correct direction. Adding the name just adds to the lack of flow.
The new logo reminds of the Girl Scout logo.
I’m a consumer, not a designer. I think it’s ugly and does not say, “Drink me.” The words and the design are not connected. It’s old and industrial. Yuk.
Say “Poopie” please. This logo is just one massive disconnect! It’s static, boring and underwhelming. What’s really sad is that the designer probably thinks so too, but the “committee” who boiled this down to what it is, probably took the life out of his or her original idea. I’d love to see the start to finish journey of this concept. Thanks for your insightful, instructive analysis of this logo.
hi john,
great article! i agree with you. i don’t think the new design reflects the message that they are trying to portray.
i agree with the use of a simple clean design would be the trend nowadays. Coca-Cola has done a great job on their simple clean design. their logo reflects a simple clean design but retains the tradition that people are familiar with. the Coca-Cola red is cold with the Pepsi blue is cold, it completely gets pushed into the background. the Pepsi can needs that “something” to really push it back into the foreground, and be a contender. The other design flaw that irks me is the circular logo. it’s completely different. i’m used to seeing the wave and not some completely abstract image. i really have to sit there and think about the “smile’ they hide in there, it’s not an obvious trait. the wave in or outside the can needs to be there or at least something familiar to it.
all this might possibly be why i bought a Coca-Cola today over a Pepsi… interesting
:)
check out my website at http://www.garybaltazar.com. always love hearing from people. enjoy.
I hope the designer of the new PEPSI logo will find your great analysis, and come forward with his or her answer as to how the design came to be. I am sure there was a lot of back and forth, lots of design proposals, logo criteria, and a full committee that oversaw this design and ultimately gave it the thumbs up.
Maybe 6 months or a year from now, people will grow to like this new design more. While Coke-Cola’s premise is to stay true to its classic “look,” Pepsi has always rebranded it’s logo to keep up with the times.
Whenever I see the new logo and compare it to the last version, it is easy to tell which one was designed in the ’80s and which one was designed today.
Great article and a great lesson. However, I sent my grandson to the store for my Diet Pepsi fix. He got totally confused and was not sure if he was buying the correct thing. Needless to say he did not buy the right one. When I went myself, I stared at the shelf longer than I should have and wondered if I was getting the right thing. With all the brand segmentation from caffeine free to diet, to zero, to regular — it is getting harder and harder to know and recognize what you are buying. To me it is not worth the stress on us “baby boomers” to have to think about what we are buying and getting. Especially when all we want is the tried and true.
Putting on my marketing company hat for a moment — while I am all for occasional change and updating — I probably would have taken a more conservative approach to the logo change. While simplify and modernize is good — I would not depart to far from what has worked for so long. I think it shows a lack of confidence in the brand to make such a dramatic change. I certainly would not recommend it for lesser known brands unless there was negative issues you were trying to overcome… Like peanut products !!!!
Back to my consumer hat — I just want a darn Diet Pepsi. I want it fast and I want it now. And I don’t want to lose precious time in what’s left of my life thinking about what changed.
Thanks for listening to the rant—
Tom
I must agree, an excellent analysis and history of the pepsi logo. I for one when I first saw the new logo thought of Korean Airlines not pepsi. Without the brand name visible it might as well be for the airlines. Apple can pull off a stand alone logo because it is unique and conveys the brand name.
As for the new type face can we just say “sour pacman” . I look at the logo and first see the wavy “e” and it reminds me of pacman. Overall the lower case comes across to me as timid and submissive, hopeful that you will notice, the wavy “e” compounds that timid feeling.
I feel they really got it wrong this time, there is none of the emotion or identification present in the older logo present in this new one. They should go back to the design table and rethink the decision to change.
I wonder if the newly announced “Pepsi-Cola throwback” (sugar-sweetened cola) gives us a little clue as to this redesign. “Throwback” features the old Pepsi-Cola type treatment reminiscent of Coca-Cola . . . now they have a clear differentiation between Old Pepsi and New Pepsi.
And we know how well that worked for Coke.
When my husband brought the pepsi 12 pack home, I thought he had gone to the Dollar store and bought a cheaper product, slyly imitating the original. Example: Old Navee t-shirt instead of Old Navy. He does that occasionally with the Orange Crush sodas. I didn’t notice that it was the original Pepsi until a few days later.
I also think it looks like an Obama redesign. I went to the soda isle the last time I went shopping and really had to look for it. It did not pop out at me. (no pun intended) The choice of type is weak and dull. I love the “sour pacman” comment. Did not notice the little wave in the “e”. Looks like a little squeak in an overall ho hum attempt.
I have designed by committee. Enough said.
Great history lesson on the logo development, thanks. Loved seeing the transformation over the years. You can look at them and nail when they were done without looking at the dates.
Advice to Pepsi? Retro is in.
“You put down in writing what was on my mind”
As most have mentioned, there are at least two sides to this issue: the Execs at Pepsi and the designers hired by them.
In my eyes, they have both failed.
Sadly their efferts reflect the tone and tempo of today’s times and that is one of …. desperation!
“I don’t care what we do but we have to do something!”
very good job on the history of the Pepsi brand it is very educational. I would like to draw everyone’s attention to the unintentional similarities (in form) of the new Pepsi logo and its predecessors http://www.rotana.net/RotanaNew/Rotana/default.aspx
http://bloganubis.com/2008/03/17/mohammad-bin-rashid-youths-projects-support-rotana-ocean-connect/
John,
I had not seen the Pepsi logo until your article.
The “ball” logo actually pushes my eyes off to the right. I feel myself wanting to look away from it!
What a disaster.
But somewhat comforting to we hacker wannabees who find that the pros sometimes fail.
–Warm regards,
James Pepper
Santa Maria, CA
Pingback: I love Saturdays! | eightsixty9 design studio
I think the coca cola looks really cool, i think it’s better than pepsi, i also too like pepsi new logos. Pepsi’s logo looks more sophisticated now.
I wish there was more of a connection between the circle and the text. What used to be one logo now seems like two. The curve in the letter E ads a bit of personality, to make it not just a word typed out in a new font, but it doesn’t do much as far as tying the two elements together. Maybe the new campaign was rushed? It still needs work.
I don’t like the new Pepsi logo, either. It makes me feel like I’m buying “diet” or a “zero-calorie” brand when I’m not.
aka: It’s missing something.
The wave in the letter e reminds of the wave form in the past round symbol. But they designed that new symbol with another wave form, truly different.
There should not be any bridge between both styles. If you want to change your logo, please do it for once/entirely/clearly, and do not mix it with little cues from your past logos.
The new logo misses the mark. Great analysis and evolution of these two brands. Perhaps take a cue from the circle and make it more playful and 3D-ish like a soda bubble coming out of the round Ps and E. On its own, it doesn’t have enough identity without the brand name.
I personally love the original 1930’s design. That would have been a really cool direction to have moved in if they had reused that one and turned the whole typical futuristic fizzy drinks style on its head.
I think it is harsh to say that the new logo does not work, but I do see where some of the opinions are coming from.
I personally like the old Pepsi logo . . . it actually gives the image of soft drinks much more than the new one. Though the concept is really interesting, the message is not clear at all; there’s still something missing . . . I still see the wave but not the smile at all! Therefore, Coca Cola is really cool :-) very clear, simple, eye-catching n still looking modern!
P.S. = very nice article, thank u
At first I thought that this logo was only a temporary thing, but now I realize that it’s not, and I wonder, WHY? Surely a corporation like Pepsi has a plan. This logo has been bothering me since I noticed it. It’s almost like it was created for humans who will be drinking it on the moon — designed for astronauts living in a calm, carefree, peaceful world. Definitely not Earth! Does Pepsi know something we don’t? I’m sure they do. So who am I to question a company like Pepsi anyway? It looks ugly to me at this moment in time, but I’m sure that in the very near future, we wouldn’t recognize it any other way!
When I first saw the Pepsi new logo I went to Google to see what’s going on, and I ended up here.
I think your article was a very pleasant reading and your analysis pretty good.
I must say that this new logo looks actual for sure, but maybe not like a soft-drink logo. It looks like a cleaning product or something. Maybe the problem that the designer had was to make something fresh but keep the old style. But what I really dislike in this logo is the type; maybe this circle — kinda post-modern ying yang — works with a different kind of sans-serif type. Maybe something that follows the movement created by the white line inside of the circle would set those lines free.
Well, keep it up with your articles.
thanks for a very nice article.
i do like the new pepsi logo, and i don’t think they are trying to sell me a diet/thin/light/soft soda . . .
the message for me: it’s something that the world needs . . . and it’s calm!!
Having both a love of design and a love of cola, I find this thread interesting. Quickly, a comment was made above basically stating that we are looking at this from a graphic-design standpoint, and that the average consumer doesn’t recognize or isn’t savvy enough to notice the change. I beg to differ, as any idiot can tell when their favorite product has been re-branded.
A post above by Dirk Dallas in February, 2009, contained a link to a 27-page pdf file explaining the new Pepsi logo. I’ve also read that this new logo “campaign” cost over $1 billion.
When I read the pdf file, I can’t help but laugh at how ridiculous it all is. While it is well put together, explains artistic elements and the history of the Pepsi logo . . . it’s more of a desperate attempt by an ad agency to convince the decision makers at Pepsi to go with their design (the new design) for all of the reasons explained in the document. If in fact the file is legitimate, Pepsi executives are suckers.
Personally, the logo from the 70s and 80s cannot be beat. The recent, limited-time Pepsi Throwback can contained this logo, and it was appealing, even nostalgic . . . bringing back memories for my generation that grew up with the logo. I loved it, and it’s unfortunate that it was a limited-time product.
The redesigned logo of 1989 and the subsequent changes are in my own opinion mistakes, and Pepsi seems to be desperately finding its brand image again, since Coca-Cola nearly lost its lead in the 80s with the entire “New Coke” fiasco.
They’ve confused more people now than ever with both the new billion-dollar logo next to the logo from the 70s and 80s on Pepsi Throwback. I don’t know what is going on at corporate, but someone needs to step down, and the marketing team needs to regroup . . . not to mention find out why they spent over one billion dollars on this, which could’ve been used for something much greater.
No, far too bland — no dynamism.
My big peeve with the new can design concerns only the round logo. If they were to keep the simplified and modern typeface, but merely use the original circle design, I think it would look much better. I find myself buying Pepsi Throwback (you know, the formula that uses cane/beet sugar instead of corn syrup), just to see the classic logo. What I don’t understand is why they continue to use the old logo for a few of the varieties such as Pepsi One and Cherry Pepsi. So much for consistency.
Let’s e-mail Pepsi and tell them to change the logo back and just beg. Please, we gotta do that! I can’t stand the logo!
I personally think that Pepsi should go back to their script logo from the 40s/50s, with their new globe design or some variation between the new globe and the traditional globe. The rounded, abc tv logo-style lettering they’re using now has almost no style. I liked the original throwback design with the glowing blue Pepsi script logo . . . but there wasn’t enough contrast. Perhaps having the script in white on a 90- degree angle with a blue background would work nicely.
When I first saw the new logo, I thought it was a cheap version or something along those lines.
Here’s my two cents about the logo.
From a design point of view, yes, maybe they’ve simplified their logo to the point that it might have lost its original identity. With the trend in creating simple and “web2.0” style of logos, Pepsi rode the bandwagon and has probably become one of those companies who might have not thought thoroughly in deciding on the new logo.
The Pepsi font, for example, has been changed from bold and all caps to a lowercased thin typeface. In my opinion, they should have retained the old typeface instead of completely changing it.
In a consumer’s point of view, though — and I mean those in the C, D, E classes here in my country — I’ve noticed that they found the new logo “nice,” and it somehow was the reason why they buy the product.
In the end, it’s all about the consumers. Yes, designers and patrons will get turned off, but if it works for the consumers, and they still buy the product, then it wouldn’t really matter for the company if a few people dislike the logo.
Actually, the serrated split bottle cap logo was not introduced until the beginning of 1963, though it was most likely designed sometime in late 1962. The prior logo (the slanted bottle cap with single-dot script logo that was introduced in 1951) was actually used in Pepsi-Cola ads all the way through 1962.
Now I remember where I saw this logo before: Pepsi-Cola Philippines soda bottle crown top
It’s a smiley face, guys — it’s technology, it’s the future, it’s Pepsi jumping on the bandwagon on the social networking hype.
I am a lover of Pepsi. It really makes me happy when I drink a Pepsi, but the first time I saw the new logo on a can, I was really surprised. I thought it was not original; I was really confused, but it was true!
I don’t like the new Pepsi logo; it’s really weak, and when I see it I have not a good sense of what I will be drinking. I think Pepsi will not win the game; they should return to the past age and their previous logos. Their last logo was better and stronger than their new logo. That was more PEPSI.
I haven’t liked the logo from the minute I laid eyes on it. And speaking of eyes, I don’t see a smile at all. I see an angry, scowling, evil eye. Similar to the old Wise Potato Chips “owl eye.” Not really the positive message I’m sure they were hoping to convey.
Pingback: Design pepsi | Selfbuildusa
Pingback: Why Looking Good is Good for Business - Canyon Communications
Pingback: POP CULTURE10 Logos That Mean Way More Than « Brand Tale