Reader Glenn Kramer writes: “When I last went grocery shopping, I had the fortune of spotting boxes of the new Diet Pepsi logo side by side with the old design. I happen to love the new look. The sans-serif geometric font with the smiley e, paired with the new Pepsi circle, looks forward-thinking to me. I like the change, even if it’s hard to tell that the Pepsi circle is supposed to be reminiscent of a smile or smirk.
“However, when I posted the photo to Typophile’s Web site, it seems like everyone so far pretty much hates the new look. I wanted to know your take on it. I’m attaching the photo that I took at the grocery store. It’s interesting to see the old and new next to each other for easy comparison.”
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Thanks for the photo and your question. This is a big makeover. Pepsi says it will spend $1.2 billion (that’s a b) over the next three years to re-brand its carbonated soft drinks plus its Gatorade and Tropicana lines. Considering the fantastic number of cans, bottles, Web and print ads, point-of-purchase displays, vending machines, billboards, sportswear, stadiums, on and on—worldwide—that must be changed over, well, the scale is mind-boggling.
So does the design boggle you? I’ll give you my observations next week, but this week I’d like to hear from our readers.
A couple of points before you write.
One, don’t go with your knee-jerk reaction, good or bad. Let it simmer awhile. What you know and like (or not) about Pepsi is attached not to the new logo but the old one.
Two, try to be objective. Focus on this design, not what else it may look like. Almost every image looks a little like something else. Ask, “Do I like this look? Would I reach for it? Would I be happy with it?”
Three, try to articulate the reasons for your impressions. (You’re Before & After readers; you can do this.) Keep in mind that we’re interested in design here, not business, marketing, strategic planning, what-were-they-thinking?, none of that. Just, “Do I like this and why?” To get you started, you might look at our Gestalt theory: Equilibrium (article 0676) preview, (which is free), and Simplify, the back page editorial of print issue 32 (which is not).
Also, the can in Glenn’s shot is one in a series of five, all of which can be seen on Pepsi’s site; note how the logo changes from can to can.
Your turn.
(To leave a comment, click on “### Comments” below the print-issue images, then scroll to the bottom.)
For more on logo design, we recommend the following print issues:
Fun! I had a can in my hand when I noticed the new branding.
Liked the zero shape, slightly different than the logo shape.
Liked the clean uncluttered side of the can. We’ve seen so much flashy, blinky, transitioning, water-dropletted backgrounds lately. The smooth neutral background was calming.
I noted the logo change, like a pie chart with a line chart inside, was at odds, not echoed, with the “e” in Pepsi in the old logo shape.
Lastly, just my style preference, I have no any appreciation for all lowercase letters. Makes me want to get out a red pen to mark corrections.
I don’t think the “e” in the new design is supposed to be reminiscent of a smile or smirk, I suspect it’s a nod to the former circle logo, although it that’s their intent, I think it may be a bit too subtle for their average consumer.
The new design looks more bubbly and carbonated, so that can come across as being refreshing. I can’t see what they’re going for with the change in the circle logo, though. It looks a bit like the various sports team logos, so maybe they will be tying in the Gatorade logo in with it, too?
The new design is wonderful. I had to go to the Pepsi site though because I wasn’t sure whether the little circle to the left of the logo (your photo of the cases in the store) was part of the logo. That would have ruined it. It’s interesting too that the Pepsi site uses their logo to emulate the Obama campaign logo (www.pepsi.com) Their brand is changing, as is our country, and they look alike, and that will attract customers.
It’s definately cleaner and PLAINER. That is a relief from all the 3-D stuff that has been around, but it almost looks like an “el cheapo brand cola” type of rip off. I don’t like it, my students HATE it. There is such a thing as simple complexity but this is simply plain.
Change is often not easy to accept at first look. I am OK with the type face and I expect I’ll grow to like it. The logo, no, I thing the asymmetry makes it a totally different concept. If you’ve ever looked at how the Shell logo evolved you’d see an underlying consistency.
The type color also bothers me – is ir beige, brown or gold. I susepct between brown and beige which is a typical recession color, and the absence of swaths of color say “reduce printing costs”.
I love it! My taste runs to streamlined and minimalist and the new logo looks modern and clean. I love the quirkiness of the skewed slash through the circle. It’s not your mother’s Pepsi logo…
I think they’re tying to hitch their wagon to Obama….it’s too much like his campaign logo. So it loses credibility for me.
It looks like a hybrid of the Mac look and the Obama logo.
I love everything about the new design with the exception of the logo itself. I think the logo looks like someone couldn’t get a decent grasp on their bezier curves. I love the modern, sans serif font that is very European and edgy. What I find interesting is that the “e” mimics the curves of the original logo, which would have been a lovely way to tie the two together. I really can’t understand why they botched the crescent design so poorly. Everything else about the new can design, the font, the clean uncluttered look is phenomenal, but the logo really ruins it.
One of my designers and I were talking about the apparent strategy differences between the Pepsi and Coke brand identities.
Coke: tradition, Norman Rockwell, timeless
Pepsi: pushing forward, young, design-focused
Coke designs have been pretty consistent over time, and given their huge brand equity they can’t afford to deviate.
If you look back at Pepsi designs over the past 20-30 years or so (http://www.psfk.com/2008/10/pic-evolution-of-the-pepsi-logo.html), you see that with each design, they seem to be pushing the design envelope for that time into a more cutting-edge and futuristic direction. So my conclusion is Pepsi’s brand revolves around regular change. As a designer, I like this, since it gives their design folks more freedom to push their design into new directions.
I like the new look except for the ball. Why did they mess with that? It looks like the designer didn’t know how to work the Pen tool in Illustrator! The red, white, and blue ball is the primary connection to Pepsi’s long and unblemished past; I would have left it just as it was.
That being said, I like the new typeface a lot. But I bet we’ll start seeing that E all over the place. It won’t look fresh for long.
I certainly noticed the new look of Pepsi. Maybe I should call it pepsi to match their branding – ha ha.
What struck me the most is that the circle changes from one flavor to the next. The circle on a can of standard pepsi is different from that on a can of pepsi max.
The fun in this for me is seeing the new designs as my grocery store sells and restocks all the flavors… pepsi, diet pepsi, wild cherry pepsi, pepsi one, pepsi max, and more.
Most importantly (I imagine) is that I saw it on the shelf and bought it. I already drink pepsi max, so maybe it isn’t a huge success for them. Still – it didn’t influence me to not* buy it.
*Recently, I decided I wanted a 12-pack of Diet Mountain Dew. On my very next trip to the grocery store, I went to the shelf and discovered Diet Mtn Dew. The change was so drastic I thought this might be a competitor doing a spoof to fool me. Fortunately for Mtn Dew, there was an old box handy that allowed me to compare the fine print. Close call for them.
I like the new logo. Love the white space, how clean it looks. I do like the carry over of the old logo in the “e”. What I like the most is that as you look at the two boxes you will just end up focusing on the new one. Big logo and unless you are from another planet you already know what it is. This is carried over into the other beverages. The logo circle is changed for each one so it – by itself without text – will be identifiable.
I work in the marketing department of a major consumer packaged goods company and we’ve been staring at this (mostly incredulously) for a while…our Creative Director likes to give us these as exercises. ;)
One…it shares shapes with an existing brand that is fairly familiar to people: Girl Scouts of America. It evoked that for some of us.
Two…Pepsi has gone through alot of public effort to be “edgy”…the “hip” soda versus Coke. This logo softens that image.
Three…the design shares many traits with generic store-brand products. A Pepsi Product, Mtn. Dew, also was redesigned and reminded us of the old logo for Safeway’s Mtn. Breeze (a ‘Dew competitor). My wife also observed this, and she’s not in marketing or design in any form (i.e. “average consumer”).
Now, while the logo seems just plain aweful, the product differentiation is better. Pepsi, Pepsi Max, and the other varieties are much easier to identify (per MrsK, it’s less cluttered, which is a “brand” improvement, but we’re speaking of the “logo” here).
I think the logo itself follows good principals (round logo + round typography, etc.), but overall execution lacks the proper feel for Pepsi’s self-proclaimed younger demographic.
The problem is separating “brand” from just the “logo” since a good logo on lousy branding is just as bad as a lousy logo on good branding. We’ve done it before, and it’s a costly mistake.
Not a Pepsi drinker myself, so to be honest, the old label means very little to me either, but the first word that popped into my head when I saw the new one as shown in your pic was Weak.
I agree with Mrs K. the lower case lettering is particularly irritating in the name Pepsi, I can handle it in the word diet.
There is a distinct lack of movement in the new label, almost as if the emphasis was on the bubbles but nothing else. Definitely aimed at the teenage market, hence the lower case, almost text message, style.
I think that what this label conjures, with it’s clean, almost pure, pale background, is the ‘innocence’ of kicking back on the sofa with a soft drink in one hand and a remote in the other. Perhaps not the best message in this age of the passive, overweight lifestyle, but then again, it’s not exactly a health drink. Oh, but then again, it is caffeine free!
hmmmm…..makes my design equilibrium lean to the right…too heavy on the left. As I tell my clients…make things in your design look like they are from the same family, and they like each other…..
I find the parallels between the new Pepsi logo and the Obama logo quite compelling.
Does anyone else spot that similarity?
OK, I took my time to think about it. I went and looked at the bottle labels. I still find it horrible.
I don’t mind the font face so much (I personally like a minimalist style and lowercase), but the composition is unbalanced, the graphic element doesn’t stand for anything (any reason behind white stroke distortion?) and is very flat and the overall effect lacks force.
The same can be said about the bottle labels – they’re plain at best. Would love to see you guys retouching this to make it cook. Because for the time being it is anything but.
The new logo looks a bit more organic that it’s predecessor. I like that the logo type is mimics the circular shape of the logo better with it’s curves. The font is considerably lighter (text weight) than the previous version – his will make the actually logo much more prominent. I like the new design better than the old.
I wish we could compare the packaging apples to apples – this is a photo of Diet Pepsi and Caffeine Free Diet Pepsi. I’d be interested in seeing the direct translation.
Looks like the new diet pepsi was designed to appeal to women. I like the look but it certainly doesn’t feel “Pepsi” to me.
Ah, it smells of change! I love the clean, open look.
However, messing with the wave in the ball, should have produced a more logical progression. This looks like half of a wave, (half of a dynamic ribbon device maybe?) It doesn’t seem to make visual sense.
Overall, I applaud the risk taken by a “mega brand” with so much to lose. I would have to see more of the range to make my mind up.
Well, the Pepsi logo really doesn’t make me reach for the product any more or less that the one did. From purely and design point of view, I like they font the designer chose to support the logo. However, the logo doesn’t appeal to me at all. I asked several of my younger friends (12, 16, 18 and 21) what they thought and they just shrugged with a no-big-deal attitude. The logo lacks the wow-factor here. Here’s a question I’ve had for years. Why does Pepsi find it necessary to change their logo every few years and Coke can keep their same familiar logo for decades? Do they change it for change sake? I wonder.
I would give this logo a 5 on a scale of 10.
The first thing I noticed is that in this particular picture, we are not comparing the same product with different packages. The packaging on the left is Diet Pepsi; the package on the right is Caffeine Free Diet Pepsi.
It looks like there is a new box of DP on the right floor area with a silver background, but I can’t be sure. Something to keep in mind.
With all that being said, I find the neutral background much more soothing. Not going to make me drink soda anymore than the old one did, but it’s not so frantic looking. The lowercase letters remind me of the old Diet Pepsi logo from long ago (mid- to late 70’s?). Anyone else pick up on that?
The brand got a healthy dose of Ockham’s Razor, which I think is a good mantra for graphic design in general.
Gone are the gradients, strokes, overlapping elements, all caps vs all lowercase, background images…
Clean, simple, and it should age well… I like it.
But soda is still devil juice!
OK, I’m over 60, and old folks don’t like change…not necessarily true. I don’t like the new look because it looks too pharmaceutical. Too clean and no fun. I keep looking for the lawyers’ disclaimer at the bottom.
The floating circle and unreadable copy to left of the logo is visually distracting (I’d move it elsewhere). Finally, the logo ‘smile’ is definitely a smirk, and makes me miss the symmetry of the last one.
I think the new Pepsi logo has a lot going for it.
It has continuity with the previous logo in the overall shape and colors, and it has a fresh new look that helps modernize the logo as well.
I especially like what they did with the right portion of the white swash; by varying the stroke width and curving it upward, it has excitement and ends on a positive note. The old logo was boringly uniform and it turned downward, which in the world of logo and package design, is a not ideal.
I also liked the new type face they chose; it’s less dominant, so the eye is drawn to the logo first without competing with the type.
I like the clean look. The font makes me think of something refreshing.
Someone mentioned that they disliked the beige color for the text, but I want to point out that is for a caffeine-free diet pepsi. You’ve probably noticed in the past both Coke and Pepsi use a brown color somewhere in the packaging when it’s caffeine-free. If you notice, right below the stack is a regular diet pepsi box that uses a silver background with blue text.
I find it interesting that you want impressions of the design and “not business, marketing, strategic planning.” Seems like you have to consider business, marketing, and strategic planning when critiquing a design – otherwise it would be considered “fine art” or “design for design’s sake.” You have to consider the design in context of target audience, product differentiation, brand history, etc…to “judge” the success of the design.
To me, it is an overt attempt to ride the Obama wave. I’m not a Pepsi fan (prefer the other one) but this predisposes me to like Pepsi more than I used to.
Re: design–it is definitely cleaner but seems very derivative to me.
I wonder if any logo will be able to use a circle with two colors in it in the next 4 or 8 or more years without being compared to the Obama logo? If I had to guess, I’d say this has been in development for quite some time, so it’s probably unlikely they were using that for inspiration!
The other question that boggles my mind — can this possibly be worth $1.2 billion? I know some of those advertising costs would have occurred anyway, but that’s a ridiculous amount of money.
That said, I like that companies are willing to change things up a bit, do some refreshing with their logo. I agree with several others, the type treatment is nice — clean, but I’m not sure about the wavy circle — the off-balance look just rubs me the wrong way.
Rebranding is done both to attract new customers and to reinforce the value of the brand for existing customers.
As someone who prefers Coke to Pepsi, I fall into the former category. I find the new look to be lighter in feeling, which is a good thing.
However, the style of the lettering seems to fit more with those of us who grew up in the 1970’s than those who were born in the 1980’s. Does this signify a change in Pepsi’s direction? They used to position the brand for the younger crowd, and the new look seems targeted more towards the boomer generation.
The use of warm gray on the type is a positive change, but I don’t really understand the changes to the shape inside the circle logo. I don’t suppose it does any harm, but it now feels oddly close to the Coke styling, causing this brand image to lose some of its distinctiveness. Perhaps that was intentional, but I can’t understand the reason behind it.
For regular, diet and caffiene-free Pepsi the round, thin letter forms look bubbly and light. The upward swoop in the logo, expanding towards the top in front of the text, possibly in conjuction with the “wiggle” in the “e” seems to animate the text somehow. The overall effect makes a positive statement about refreshment to me. If I were pressed to drink a cola, the new image would make me try Pepsi of over Coke. For Pepsi Max I liked they way they designed the “x”. It suggests a muscle-man, feet astride, arms apart and raised in a classic pose of showing off one’s muscle.
I first saw the new logo incoporated into their intro ad campaign plastered, seemingly, all over San Francisco (inside the underground stations, on the sides of buses, and on billboards) the first week of January. The logo as the “o” in lots of different words like “HOPE” and “GOOD DAY” and “HOORAY”. There was no text identifying it with Pepsi or any particular product.
It immediately brought to mind the logo for a certain very successful political campaign but I quickly realized it wasn’t that and then I thought it looked like the Pepsi logo. When I got close enough to see the web address “refresheverything.com” I knew I had guessed correctly. I was intrigued enough to remember and check out the website which, takes you to a site that lets you upload and watch video messages to the current president so it seems that my first impression of the ad campaign was not coincidental.
I really hated this when I first saw it on the Internet many weeks ago.
But when I actually saw the cartons on the store shelves this week I thought it was beautiful. It’s so clean and modern and minimalist.
Maybe you need to see them all stacked up in person to appreciate how nice this looks?
No problem with the typeface shape or case, but the color is anemic. It makes no bold statement to contrast or balance the screaming red and blue logo. The quiet, sparse design is in many ways preferable to the original with the outlines, colors, caps, italics and the visual noise of the bar code and the ingredients listings and other tiny type.
Logo appears to be an evolution away from the original, but not so far as to be unrecognizable or unconnected to it; don’t really care what it calls to the mind. The thin circle around the new logo, and the circle to the left appear to repeat the shape of the font, and white space is always nice, but:
1. Logo is the strongest item and pulls the eye right in, but has no great link to the text which identifies the product.
2. Text is too delicate; faint color cannot compete with the powerful tones of the logo.
3. Elements appear to be floating, disconnected, in space. It needs a strong color or some dynamic element/shape in the background to link the foreground items.
4. (I repeat myself) The overall feeling conveyed is very quiet (possibly desirable as it’s non-caffeinated?); it whispers the product name, but seems an odd contrast to the screaming red and blue beachball. The font were better rendered in a color echoing the logo and strong enough to balance it and link to it.
The logo circle itself looks good, but the new typeface has a very retro look next to the modern circle design. Not sure what that’s all about.
But you’ve got to wonder – Coke has had basically the same logo for over 100 years (since 1885) and is the most valuable brand on Earth at $67 billion. Maybe Pepsi should focus on consistency instead. I wrote an article on this that might be helpful for any designers out there wanting to promote the value of consistent branding to your peeps: http://orioncreativegroup.com/articles/branding-strategy-0109.php
Keep up the good work, Before & After!
I liked the look of the new design at first sight, because it is so much quieter and cleaner and more dynamic at the same time without being so overly sportive. The logo reminds me of a friendly smiling face (the red part being the upper head and the blue part being the chin with the white curve resembling a broad sideways smile). The typeface looks much more modern and the all-lower-case theme mirrors modern times where eMail rules and the Caps key seems to have gotten lost on most keyboards. Yes, I like changing brandings, companies should be rewarded for their brave moves. This is a good one!
Well, it certainly doesn’t look dated in the same way the old look does. But it doesn’t seem contemporary to me either. It seems old already, and somehow generic, inert. There’s nothing about it that signals what it is. It could be any product, anywhere.
OK – I know you said to focus on THIS logo and not what it LOOKS like, but I can’t help it… it looks to me like someone’s fat belly peeking out of their shirt… rotated more horizontally — imagine Homer Simpson’s belly!
So, having said that, I like it! But, I don’t like the font for Diet Pepsi… ugh… too 70’s.
I consider the new look a significant improvement over the previous dated branding. However, Pepsi is somewhat behind the curve.
We were asked to evaluate this logo, rather than compare it, yet I think no evaluation would be complete without a few words on how this design fits into visual trends.
After all, this century is almost a decade old now, and for that entire time, geometric sans solutions have been the fashion. It’s a web-driven trend, fueled by the fact that these sans fonts generally display better at low resolutions.
So although this look is contemporary (in a retro sort of way – a very similar typographic trend was popular in the late 60’s and early 70’s), I’m going to go on record as predicting this trend will run its course in a few more years and all the geometric, hyper-simplified-font-based identities which have cropped up in the past decade, including Pepsi’s new look (and incidentally, my own design business logo), will look dated before their time.
I actually saw the Tropicana Orange juice change first… I’m not a cola drinker…
There was something odd about the orange juice design, my sister and I are both designers so we stopped in the grocery aisle to have a quick chat. There was something about the look that said it was a generic (Bloom grocery) orange juice.
It was also too simplified as a look.
I have noticed a HUGE change in the wants of clients lately, more for a simple, clean look (thank you APPLE for starting that design style by the way!) and a less is more strategy.
The font used by the Pepsi logo is something I feel like I have seen alot recently. Almost a sans serif rounded hybrid. It’s got the curves of a serif but the clean lines of a sans…
Final thoughts… Its a clean, new change after such a retro look, but I think they took the look a little sparse and a little spacey…
I do like the slight nod to the previous logo circle in the “e”, it’s not totally obvious but I like those kind of elements that are only noticed by few.
Also… why change the circle?… the white swoop inside the circle is just too classic to change. They could have simplified the design without changing the overall look and feel.
The idea of the circle changing with the different products is nice. The type and look is clean, but here it feels empty, like something is missing. The impression is of a generic, except with colored ink.
Besides that empty feeling it also seems mellow, two impressions I’m surprised Pepsi is trying to give.
BTW, it’s highly unlikely this design has anything to do with riding the Obama wave. The design was made public several months ago, which means it was almost certainly in process long before our new president was anything close the the presumed winner, and probably before the Obama campaign identity.
I don’t know why, but this re-design reminds me of a local milk bottler with a similar sans serif clean design. I like how the letters get thicker as you go from “skim” milk to “whole” milk.
http://www.schroedermilk.com/products/schroeder_milk.cfm
Softening the upper right corners of the two Ps is what really jumps out at me. The curving of the letters provides a feeling of the soda running down my throat easily in comparison to the sharp, blocky letters of the previous look.
A coworker drinks many cans of the soda a day, so I was exposed to it as background noise at first, but repetitively over the past week. It really jumped out at me today as a very different look; contemporary and eye pleasing. I wouldn’t call it original; in fact, I’d call it a long overdue makeover.
And yeah, it makes me feel like voting…
I know we’re supposed to be discussing the Pepsi logo, but since John mentioned Pepsico’s redesign of Tropicana, I wonder if anyone has noticed THAT! Check out this link to see old and new together.
http://www.tropicana.com/juice_finder/detail/64oz/index.html#
I was planning to discuss this in my blog but would love to read some opinions here. I do not drink OJ, but my boyfriend and his kids do. The old carton packaging featured a realistic orange on its face, and at the top of each carton, a solid block of color with superimposed text indicated the variety of OJ. These cartons were very easy to distinguish one from another, and they stood out from those of other companies. The new cartons, in my opinion, have taken a big backward step. My biggest complaint about the new design is that now, the various types of juice are more difficult to distinguish and it takes me much longer to find the variety my boyfriend likes. This was my kneejerk reaction at the grocery store, and while I like the new type better I’m not sure the update is successful.
I don’t like the Pepsi cans or the new box design either. It looks unfinished like someone couldn’t come up with a complete design so gave up and left it like this. So plain! It stands out even more next to the stack of older boxes with all the overly busy, text-choked design.
It also gives me a kind of creepy feeling, like nothing could be in that can made for human beings to consume.
Didn’t like it when I first saw it and the more I see the re-branding campaign, the more I dislike it.
Honestly? Love the circle, don’t see how the type relates to it at all. I love clean and simple, and I love the font, but the circle and the type seem totally out of proportion in my opinion. The gold color doesn’t work for me either.
It’s got Obama written all over it.
I don’t like it at all. It’s not visually appealing and it doesn’t give me the idea of a soft drink. If you glance at it you get the impression of a box of sanitised tissues. I don’t mean that it has to be bubbly and so on, I just don’t think it will survive it’s competition’s look – Coke! With Coke, you get a far better idea of ‘soda drink’ and it’s visually more attractive. This new look Pepsi has don’t say much and I would have done a few things WAY differently. Looking forward to see what their ads and POS. material will look like…
Two points of brilliance in this: 1) the white band has now become a grin, a la Hitchhiker’s Guide sort of grin. Brilliant, because it’s revealing a new aspect of the old white band. 2) the crossbar of the “e” is another nod to the old. Third brilliance (I lied earlier): simple geometric sans-serif, placed with no interference.
Doesn’t mean I don’t still like Coke better, but this logo redesign is a winner.
Is it a $3B as in B winner? Dunno.
Although I hate to think about all the things that could be done with the billions of dollars to make this world a better place… but I guess this money flows into economy anyway, no?
It really is a modern fresh look. The circle logo seems weird at first, but when you look at it, the wave really is dynamic. It looks like fluid flowing into a mouth or so. Once I noticed that, it makes me feel thirsty, really.
The text part seems to me very promising. Here in Belgium, Europe, I haven’t seen any promotion on the new logo and style yet. But I guess the fresh creative font opens up opportunities for attractive poster and display designs. And that’s what it’s about: attraction.
Good work Pepsi. You have an “A”.
How about you, Coca-Cola Company? Not done your homework? Too busy still with Santa?
Less is more – well done.
My initial reaction is that it is weaker than the original branding, with more reliance on the Pepsi circle than a combination of both image and text. Whilst the circle is reasonably well recognised it is not yet a Nike swish. I am assuming that this is exactly the place Pepsi is trying to get to though as it offers up many benefits to the Pepsi marketing team.
I think the text is a good choice but needs to be slightly bolder, leaving them the option of reducing that boldness as they progress in strengthening the logo image.
I hate the new logo. Technically it’s simple, but with its excessive round logo, soft pastel-esque colo(u)rs, and round Pepsi font (it’s all very soft soft soft), I am unfortunately reminded of feminine hygiene products/products aimed at women only. Bring back the old logo.
I just checked the web site. I do like the series of logos. One thing though is that I have been living in Germany for a few years, and was not aware of their new product “Mist”.
“Mist” in german means “dung”, and it’s used as a curse word (instead of sh**).
I guess they will not be releasing the product under that name here in Europe! ;-)
It amazes me (maybe because I speak 4 languages fluently) how often this happens –
for example the jeep “Pajero” which is also used as a curse word in spanish (at least in the Caribbean). Maybe this could also be an interesting theme…
The whole things looks much more “designed”, rather than having evolved organically. Not really such an issue, where it not for my feeling that the new logo is so bland. It may be supposed to be a smile, but I’m afraid it just looks like a collection of curves to me – no emotion there at all. Looks more like a petrol station logo.
Personally, I was initially indifferent. On reflection it’s clean and refreshing. I too like the font.
I didn’t really grasp the necessity to change but as my 18 year counter assistant squealed “wow, cool” as she came over. I may not be its targeted audience.
My first impression, looking at the photo, was negative. The evolution seemed like passing from a toothpase packaging to a cigarette pack design…
But discovering the different designs on the Papsi website, I grew to like the japanese look of the new cans…
My first impression was of a “weak” logo. But I understood it better when I saw the other versions.
I like the idea of creating the light/regular/bold versions for a logo (as with fonts).
The global look is very zen and modern.
But will it stand the test of time ?
Looks like a box of medicine.
Does anyone else see a wave in the circle shapes? Especially when you go to the Pepsi website and watch the transition from the old circle to the new one? It’s like a big roller coming up on the right side of the circle and almost, but not quite, curling over. Maybe it’s deliberate, like saying Pepsi’s the “wave” of the future. Don’t care for the “e” though. Why bother if it’s only a joke a few people are going to get? I’d like it if the font were stronger or bolder. And speaking of simple redesigns, a couple of our local grocery store chains have just implemented new store packaging, going for simpler, lots of white space, san serif fonts. It’s like everyone wants to look like Apple all of a sudden. And Apple doesn’t sell groceries.
Most important is how the children / teens are responding…I have a 14 and 16…both had YUCK, MOM is this the same Tropicana – are you sure??? I really wonder why top brands mess with a good thing sometimes…the new circle on the Pepsi logo seems a bit too ‘wavy’ to secure brand loyalty and trust the way the standard always did…mind you we are COKE girls to the core…the New Coke was certainly a bust at our house as well!!
rhonda, amanda & lexi
Circle logo should have stayed the same. new fonts, cleaner background are great, refreshingly simple and not cluttered.
On the bigger picture as a business owner I am glad they did it. Spending 3 billion dollars is money for various suppliers in their chain and is exactly one of the elements our economy needs.
Pepsi has a ‘habit’ of re-branding…to the tune of half a dozen changes over the last 2 decades. Is that good? Are they constantly chasing Big Red? It seems to come around every other Super Bowl.
Is it in violation of principles of brand penetration and continuity? Are they diluting their market share? Can they remain iconic and recognizable in a grocery store nanosecond or when passing at 65 miles an hour?
I can tell you this…I was the managing director of the firm that has people onsite at Pepsi’s design center…It does create non-stop media and design work…and in today’s economy, that’s a very good thing.
So…regardless of the impact or market share it may or may not be achieving…hats off to Pepsi for keeping the flow going.
Don’t stand still…
Purely with design in mind, it has elements that have changed the old-fashioned to a more modern look through simplicity and clean lines. I’m not convinced, however, that it looks anything more than just another brand utilizing a slightly modified sans-serif and open space to look more ‘modern’. i.e. what’s inspiring in this design?
Pepsi is an icon, and with all long-standing icons there are emotion attached. With these old emotions aside and a fresh eye on magnetism – it doesn’t grab me.
It’s the starkness of the can. The areas of solid or graduated colour. I see the can and think of a battery – not fizzily bubbly fun in my mouth!
Overall I hate the new design. It is a lot cleaner than the old one though. Personally, I never took to the droplets on the old background either. My criticism here is the shape of the new logo. It gives me the impression that any two year old could have come up with that. It’s flat and unimaginative. I imagine that whoever came up with this was testing a theory: If they threw crap design at the wall, it would stick and consumers would love it no matter what. Well guess what, I don’t.
I think that Pepsi should take a look at Coke’s logo. They have gone through several redesigns but never messed with the recognizable, successful logo… much. I can still easily recognize the coke logo after all these years but the new Pepsi logo feels like a distant memory of what it was.
The only thing that I think they have done right is the simplicity of the design. How many times can you clutter a can or package with ribbons, water droplets and whatever else they could think of. Cleaner design is generally better in my opinion.
Additionally, I concur with Beth’s comments.
My first impression of the design is that it reminds me of a very “generic” brand. If you place one or two cases of the new Pepsi among the store brand sodas, one might have trouble locating the Pepsi, even with it’s red & blue logo. The orginal design focuses on a younger market whereas the newer design would be attractive to 30-50 year old range with it’s “Mod” look. I guess it all depends on what market Pepsi is trying to go after these days. Personal opinion: I don’t like it.
I like that the brand is very sleek and elegant looking, I just don’t think it fits the soft drink very well. From the billboard and tv spots, they are using bright colors big think fonts and the horrible redesign of the dot/swoosh pepsi logo. The thin type for branding is visually going to get them lost in the sea of brands at places like stadiums, Times square, etc.
You may also notice, the new pepsi swoosh changes based on the beverage. The white stripe for Pepsi Max is a lot thicker than diet pepsi, etc. For all of them, it kind of looks like the Obama logo upside down.
I’m reading all these post that say its “modern” or it’s “aimed at teenagers, because it looks like a text message.” I think the opposite. I think it looks really retro. The Kabel-type font (i say Kabel-type, because it isn’t kabel, but it looks like it. I like to make up adjectives.) is highly reminiscent of design from the 60s. It was during this time period that pepsi saw a great rise in distribution. They were marketing to “a new generation.” They claimed Coke was your parents drink, this is a drink for your generation. “Your in the pepsi generation” was their slogan for a time.
I think with this package, they are trying to tap into the boomer generation that started drink Pepsi during that time period. Also, retro style packaging has recently seen a resurgence in popularity. Pepsi is just getting on the bandwagon.
Now for my personal thoughts: I think it’s too stark. I like simple, but it does feel heavy on one side. And while the almost WHITE background will stand out on the shelves, I find it weird, a little too out of step.
I like the logo ball very much. Although I didn’t quite “get” the wink inference at first glance, once you mentioned it, it stuck. I won’t forget now. The main improvement is that the logo says something different than what it used to. The old logo looked just like those red, white and blue rubber balls I used to play with as a kid. That was in the 70s, so that’s the decade where the logo sat for me.
The only comment I have is with the rest of the packaging. I don’t like the taupe with the logo. It’s too “this year, what I’m painting my walls”. The font is great and good go with lower case, but those colors pull down the excitement of the red and blue. There seems to be two fighting messages: 1) bright, cute, fun and 2) soccer mom, let’s paint the house posh and “this year”.
They definitely don’t compliment each other and look like two different companies. Hope that changes.
Like any major change it is hard to get used to. I keep thinking I’ve picked up the wrong brand or accidentially picked the diet.
All in all, I like it. I like the clean look. In a beverage I want to be refreshed, this logo with no extra frills, makes me think refreshing. On a much bigger scale, I think in times when everything seems dirty (the environment, politics, society) people want something clean and refreshing.
I love the new Pepsi logo. It’s very clean and modern and I feel naturally drawn to that design style. The sans serif font and use of all small letters are very now and I think attractive to the audience they are targeting. The three-colour circle reminds me of those balls we all had when we were kids, which for me, gives me a warm fuzzy feel.
I still like Coke’s look better, but I think this is a great improvement on Pepsi’s old look. Aside from agreeing with many of the comments already mentioned, I want to acknowledge that this design looks, somehow, “healthier” than the previous look. Despite the round shapes in the font and logo, it is streamlined, cleaner, purer-looking — all things that help fight against the recent concerns about obesity and hfcs and refocus the concept on refreshment and innocuous fun. That said, if I liked Pepsi already, I might have trouble feeling like this was still “my” brand.
The thing that bothers me about the new design of the circle is that it looks like a struggle with the pen tool gone bad. The shapes on the new logo are different on each type of Pepsi. For some reason, this bugs me.
I noticed this logo on the New Year’s Eve Times Square TV coverage…everywhere. Hey, I thought…is that a new Obama logo? Gas company? Insurance? Ocean Spray going patriotic? Figured it out during a commercial break. Needless to say, I don’t think it’s worth sinking $3B.
1. Font…some may think it’s fresh–I think it’s 70’s, and all lower-case is just a variable in a designer’s toolbox. I would use it to whisper or understate something…lend it some humility…sodas don’t really fit that category.
2. Changing the logo from can to can? The original is a non-logo, and it just gets worse. Looks like logos look when your clients try to apply them in Publisher and scale them wrong or put them in the wrong colors. Why would you change your mark from product to product unless it truly stood out? It’s a “swoosh in a circle”!
3. The warm red and dark blue colors have been “liquefied” in the past with a brighter blue can that tends to communicate thirst-quenching. When they are on white or gold, I am not thinking “cold, sparkly, satisfying beverage” as much as I’m thinking “warm, flat, maybe water…or possibly beer”.
4. The “O” looks like a place for a value sticker to be added.
5. OK, I admit it–I’m a Coke fan…but still…
Soda is not a health product. The trend for minimalist packaging started with healthy products and in some cases generic products. Publix did an excellent job branding their generic items in white boxes with simple designs. The type has a retro feel. Overall I do not get a good feeling when I look at the box/branding. I would have gone with a super friendly look, I would want this product to be your best friend because as the consumer learns more and more about the consequences of diet and non diet soda this new white box does not look like it will come to my rescue nor does it look like it cares about my insides. Oh, the famous circle looks likes he is either constipated or winking. But, I agree, the new circle does make the old circle look dated.
I neither like or dislike the new design but I must say that the new look gives the feeling of a light beverage. It’s simple and clean – adirect reflection of what the company hopes to convey to potential consumers like me who have never tried the product.
I would be more likely to pick up the newly designed package over the old design as it just looks more “refreshing”.
This is a very interesting subject that I always have a hard time grasping — trying to put myself on somebody else’s shoes to see what effect a design might have on them.
It’s hard to draw from experience since I never care about re-designs, re-packaging, etc. of an existing product unless it means a change on the taste, color, formula of the product itself. For example, I’ll never try again caffeine free Pepsi regardless how updated, fancy, bubbly, etc. they make it sound or look. I just don’t like how it tastes.
So as I designer, I can came up with a lot of adjectives to describe the new design, as a consumer, I just don’t give a damn.
I like the new look. It’s clean and modern. They used one of my favorite fonts. (or facsimile)
My only thought; if you understand smash-able brands, could you still tell it is a Pepsi product if it were in little pieces?
It is way too feminine. It will flop.
So I should be upfront and honest and say that I don’t drink Pepsi, never have and most likely never will… purely because I don’t like the taste. So my thoughts are purely based on the logo.
I first saw the new logo on a tv commercial, I couldn’t figure out what it was supposed to be. I knew the colors and I was leaning towards Pepsi, but then I was also thinking maybe it was for an airline, or a sports team. So I spent most of the commercial trying to figure out WHAT brand it was then actually listening to or watching what they were trying to sell. And after I found out it WAS Pepsi, I was kind of let down. I loved their logo, it was instantly recognizable and clean, and I really liked their last campaign of different bottle and can designs… always fun and had an artistic flair.
I later noticed their new boxing and logo type seems to be a nod toward the new “going green” bandwagon everyone is jumping on.
The beige’s and browns almost make it seem like the once bright, colorful, edgy, rebelious adolescent has taken out the piercings, covered the tattoos and donned a pair of khakis and loafers. The brand itself has grown up and is becoming more self aware, but maybe that was their intention, to grow up with their now 30-something market.
The only thing that sparks youth and fun back into it is the typface. The all lowercase and rounded, almost bubbly, letters seem to be giving a smirk back to it’s youth.
All in all I think they had a good thing going. And I will miss their once racey and edgy commercials… I mean Bob Dole getting a jones for Britney Spears?… who else could pull that off?
I really like the new look. The ancient one, on the photo, looks like an old fashioned chewing-gum brand… The sans serif lettershape is really clear and clean, it evokes freshness and good health. The circle’s new geometry is moving because it is unbalanced. This is an energic, actual design leading to tomorrow !
I find this new logo very pleasing. Would I reach for it? yes. It is simple, clean, and dynamic.
I really enjoy the slight variations for each Pepsi product, and the way they use the new logo in the ad campaigns is fun and sparked my curiosity. I like many others thought of the Obama logo, especially when change was mentioned in one of the ads.
The color of the packaging (boxes in photo) is nice as well, the neutral background pops the logo and also gives a slight sense of “environmental friendliness” even if it isn’t there.
An attempt at a super model look, which it may achieve. But from a marketing standpoint, they better hope that billion dollar figure doesn’t get out — that will look horribly wasteful in an economy that’s suffering (unless they can spin it as job-creation!). OK, sorry … you wanted design comments: 1) mistake to change the ball 2) font choice more childish than sophisticated 3) idea of taking a minimalist approach is a good one 4) Pepsi changes its look a lot … this could say fun, or desperate, depending on perspective.
From a logo design perspective, the new packaging design belies a nod to Swiss minimalism:
Focus on spatial and form balance:
— Repeating circle form in mark, logo font and “0” calorie marker
— Repeating letter-height spacing between elements
— Font-colors are uniform
— Interesting use of “wave” in lower case “e”
Strong visual hierarchy:
— Font sizes are cascaded at 50%
— Mark is now 4x the lower case em
Strong color architecture:
— Neutral background allows fonts to easily stand out
— Saturated colors are reserved for the mark only
From a message standpoint, the redesigned logo and package conveys a modern, sophisticated appearance. The strong mark is eye-catching, but is offset by the minimalistic surrounding elements. If the idea is to portray a calm, relaxing and sophisticated image, the new logo is right on (I could see this next to a Mac Powerbook). If, on the other hand, the idea is to convey a sense of vitality and youthful energy, the new design may be a bit too balanced.
In summary, I think it is well-designed. The bigger question in my mind is this: What is the “new message” of the “next-generation”?
Love the font. The ‘e’ is absolutely brilliant! However, I don’t understand what they are doing with the ball. I’m sorry it looks like it was out of the 50’s. Why would they switch from a semi 3D looking ball to a flat one? It just feels like they are going backwards.
First I have to confess I’m not a Pepsi fan (but I won’t digress). Though it may go a bit to explain my negative reaction.
For me the type face feels very generic, understated and like they’re trying too hard. It’s as if they wanted to be the ‘posh’ soft drink with this design. How does this packaging and design emphasize their bold slogans they tend to take ‘Gotta Have It’ ‘Generation Next’ ‘Pepsi Now!’ – strong energetic statements… and bland packaging.
Sorry, for their money I think they missed the mark badly. This new look is for something softer, almost feminine. If they introduced some kind of healthy, enviro friendly brand – then I’d buy into the look.
Just my two bits. A bold brand goes soft.
Yes, maybe Pepsi is pushing towards a younger and more modern look and feel but it lacks simple complexity and strength. Looks too airy and boring. Even though I prefer Pepsi than Coke, by comparison Coke seems to have a more traditional feel that gives me the confidence that they haven’t compromised on something important – like the taste perhaps.
I personally like the new look. My first impression was the font. I really like it. There is something to be said for the simple elegance of this sans-serif font. The overall look is appealing to many demographics were as something flashy might just appeal to a younger crowd.
The “e” got my attention almost immediately. Not really sure I like the look of the new “circle”. I think it would have worked just as well leaving that be.
Overall I think this is a job well done. It’s nice to see different packaging coming out. The timing is perfect as well. The country is going through a dramatic change in leadership at the same time as Pepsi, a well established brand, is going through a major transformation.
I never knew, or got, the old round logo being a smile, its curved shape being more ambivalent than a full curved smile would be. I think the new round logo is a nod to the way a beverage looks when being poured into a glass such as you would see “slo-mo” in a beer commercial, glass tilted to the side, liquid sloshing in, foamy top. Also really reminds me of The Wave by Hokusai. My “knee-jerk” reaction in the store was negative and “1970’s” and “Tab” but since you’ve asked me to slow down, I can’t really say I don’t like everything about it. Much cleaner, classier and in the case of this Diet box, actually looks like it would be ‘better’ for you. Don’t mind all lowercase at all, but don’t love the font. Never even noticed the ‘e’ until mentioned. If they were going to add the waviness to it to have a connection with the long-existing wave, why have the wave opposite what the old logo was (left=up, right=down vs. left=down, right=up)? Seems to me a $1.2 billion makeover should result in $1.2 billion in new revenue and I can’t see anyone switching because of this.
The first impression I got from the new logo was that it looked quite similar to the Obama campaign logo. I consider this not a good thing for Pepsi because the branding is now melding with another memorable design, resulting in a confusion in the viewer’s mind.
I wonder if they actually surveyed the public on this logo and variations.
Coca Cola, on the other hand, is smart to keep their classic logo–one of the most recognizable in the world.
BTW, I don’t drink either product.
The new Pepsi logo looks as though they had the same marketing as Obama’s election campaign. If they were striving for uniqueness, its not happening. A very poor use of money.
I like it. I think it supports the product — diet soda — looks lightweight. I like it’s implicity which I believe helps it stand out among the other brands.
Which ever came first – that look and feel now belongs to the Obama camp.
I really like the typography…. I find it quite attractive and fresh.
I do like the new logo in terms of the looks of it. The sans-serif typeface, the clean look, the slight twig in the circle logo which gives a more contemporary look. Definitely feel younger and appealing.
However, taking away the blue color has caused it to lose the refreshing feel of a chill, cool drink that used to have. And having beige colour as a major part of the design, makes it feel like a packaging for skinny coffee instead of diet cola.
However, having said that, I like it as design itself.
I like the new look. Im not too crazy about the font of it, but it really works well. I also am not a fan of how crazy of backgrounds and gradients they were using on the cans. It was so distracting, but boring. These are updated, and simple to find so you never make a mistake of picking up the wrong one.
The sierra mist one is the only one I sort of am not fond of yet. The tree background and the mist logo being so blurred with outer glow its not as clear as the others.
Pepsi’s sales have been slacking compared to Coca cola, so they needed to try to do something. I think they did pretty well.
I agree with Matt – when I first saw the new logo I thought it looked too similar to Obama’s campaign logo. I do like the lettering, much more modern than the old.
I like the can design, being very simple with a flood of color for the background, but do NOT like the logo. Especially the fact there are three versions of it–the bigger the white area, the more calories? The diet logo is the best of all three, the max logo becomes grotesque. Which will they choose for general branding, i.e. in stadiums, on machines? That could become a branding problem. And did the old logo represent a smile? I never got that association.
I really did not like the new design when I first saw it. I, too, thought it looked like a generic cola brand.
However, after taking time to absorb the overall aesthetic, I’ve come to like it quite a bit. I do have an issue with the actual logo. The curve is too unbalanced and not closely remeniscent of the old logo. It was a poor attempt to update. A cleaner version of the old logo would have sufficed. I can’t stand that the circle is slightly different for each brand. I understand product differentiation, but I’m not going to look at the logo on it’s own and say, “That’s Pepsi Max because the white area is a quarter of an inch larger!” Coming from a company that has slightly different logos for each brand of business, I shun this method knowing how irritating it is to have multiple logos.
I like the font, I like the colors. I will say I did not even notice the little curve in the “e” until I read it here.
Overall it’s clean and fresh and I’ve learned to like it. Not perfect execution, but a decent attempt.
The new Pepsi design is a “refreshingly different” departure from the old brand look & feel. The new look is clean, cool, and modern — it “almost” makes me want to start drinking Pepsi.
Pepsi obviously wants to set themselves apart with this new urban, edgy look — well done!
I am not very fond of the new logo, however, I think the old one did need to be simplified.
The new logo’s lack of balance bothers me, especially as seen in the photo you have published. The can designs are better balanced (as seen on the pepsi website) the weight of the font is supported by the weight of the outline of the circle, so it unifies them better, but I find it somewhat boring.
Speaking of the circle logo… it seems to me the change in the white area represents the change in caffeine from can to can (just my guess) but the shape is odd. I also don’t like that they did not carry the blue and red logo on the max can, changing the blue area to black is puzzling. I think it would have worked with just a black background.
One other thought… are they trying to capture the tea drinkers with the “calming” design? I am not sure it represents what soda pop really is…. refreshing, invigorating and full of energy.
Not the most impressive re-design
Let’s take the trademark first. It looks to me like a head tilted back to take a drink in laughter. It’s a nice upgrade. The big mistake is to change the smile from large to small in relation to the calories. It signals diminishing enjoyment, not what they intended. The design should be consistent wherever it is used. This will confuse the market and opens the door for too many interpretations.
Now the logotype: The crossbar on the ‘e’ is a brilliant homage to the old logo. It will be appreciated by designers more than the public. Here comes the big but – BUT, never, ever diminish the importance of your brand with all lower case. epsi will pack up nicely with a capital ‘P’ and make a better design. Is the plan to use ‘pepsi” in copy from now on?
I agree with most of your readers critiques that the trademark and logo do not work together. I would goose up the weight of the type so it can compete more forcefully. My favorite part of all this is the minimalist website. That really works to present the line coherently.
As an award-winning advertising agency owner for 35 years, the most prevelant samples I reviewed of student portfolios was a Coca Cola campaign. Coke and Pepsi are classic competitors in the global marketing wars. You asked me to review the new Pepsi design without regard to anything but design however, you can’t ignore at least, the goal of positioning of the brand, which is still, after all these years, to be ahead of Coke. I think they missed that mark. We’ll see.
I do not favor the new logo. This is a discussion I had on December 3, 2008 actually. It looks like someone just threw it together, not really knowing what they were doing, and not thinking about it much, yet, in the same fashion, it was thought out in great depth. I do, though, like the fact that it is more contemporary looking, but the design itself, not so much. The typeface is also a good contemporary choice, which complements the logo itself. I think they had good ideas, but poor design.
I like the simplicity of the new design and the emphasis on the logo which will help in cross cultural marketing. The different size circle segments for different products is logical as well. The proof will be not in what marketing “experts” think about the logo but how consumers react. In my family, the wife prefers coke no matter what the can looks like. The son, pepsi, for taste reasons not packaging.
I’m a big fan of Pepsi and many of its products.
However, I must say that personally I hate what they did with the identifier. Whereas, I love the new type.
I do like how clean and uncluttered the new look is. It comes across as light and airy. Although the subtle imagery used with the Sierra Mist brand creeps me out. I feel like an axe murderer is going to jump out and get me.
I’m getting old!
I remember when Calder made the change in the Coke logo (1970’s?). It was simply a magnified swash taken fro the original Coca Cola label. The new Pepsi logo looks like a similar style of change. Simply taking some logo elements and using them to rebrand.
It is so classy to see a minimalist & elegantly simple design. I don’t think the Bezier curves are a mistake, just unfamiliar to us. Maybe Pepsi is trying to grow up with this design. Still a great product!
I find it interesting how Pepsi spent the last 15 years trying to own “blue” as a color against a very prominent “red” brand and now they have abandoned the color completely. I find the design modern, but the white packaging with be very difficult to sustain through the supply chain. Overall, a great award winning piece but not very practical for the long term. A very short sighted solution.
“Clever-clever” or too designer-ly. The old design may be a little obnoxious, but it did it’s job shouting, “Here I am!” In the new design, the product name suffers the most because it doesn’t stand out at all. At first glance, all you see is the Pepsi logo. I do like the lack of clutter, so maybe simple color changes to make the type stand out would help it work for me.
Changing one’s logo is a VERY BIG deal even in slight and should not be rushed into with abandon. If Pepsi understands this, then I have to question the considerable face lift it’s giving to their already established branding. The Pepsi logo is definitely one that has been under constant change and this constant reinventing of itself suggests an unstable appointment and uncertainty of who they are. From everything I understand of marketing, this is not a good position to be in. In fact, it’s “dangerous” and extremely expensive.
This time Pepsi has addressed a slightly different view of their logo per product. And while an interesting idea, I believe it fails due to it continuing to demonstrate an enigmatic view of the company.
Like some of the previous posts, I too am not a fan of all lower-case type. IF CAPITALIZING EVERYTHING COMES ACROSS AS SHOUTING, then how does all lower-case type come across? If the name is presented in “hush tones” than where is the security and pride in the product? And if the company isn’t secure enough in the product, then why should we buy into it?
It is my belief that Pepsi has again failed. Sure there’s considerable conversation to be had now, but let the dust settle and let’s see if Pepsi has brought itself into a better light for having made the change. I suspect it will be another hard lesson for Pepsi as it has not yet learned from it’s previous mistakes. And as the old adage goes, …are condemned to repeat it.
I like the typeface, but they should have kept the original logo/circle. The new one just doesn’t work.
The happy, lighthearted font is a nice reference to the 60s. In contrast to many here, I like the all lower case use. I think it furthers the feel-good effect they’re trying for. And the quiet packaging is a total relief: I don’t drink soda, but I recall standing in the soda aisle trying to find the Pepsi when the kids were coming for a visit – not a problem with this packaging. I did immediately think of the Obama logo when I first saw the Pepsi
logos, but that’s a good thing!
Love it.
The blue is perfect, very modern.
The font is daring for this type of product. We’re used to much gaudier fonts. It makes me curious about what such a modern beverage could taste like.
The logo works for me, although I don’t understand why the white stripe varies across the flavours. The color should have been enough.
I had never realized that their Pepsi Max brand put the emphasis on the Max.
looks vaguely familiar… like a certain presidential candidate’s logo.
My husband doesn’t like the new logo, but I think it’s OK. What I think is crazy is spending a billion dollars on re-branding your campaign. Yes, I understand advertising costs money, but in the days we live in it seems like a waste. And there are so many causes that are so much more important than the Pepsi logo. I think the money would have been better spent if the company had invested it in children in the foster care system or some worthy cause and used the partnership to generate advertising. But that’s just my opinion.
I love the clean new look, but when I saw it in the store, I wasn’t sure if that was the diet pepsi or some new flavor of Pepsi. I will learn to identify it, but for those of us who don’t see a lot of advertising, it will take awhile for product identification.
Nice. But importantly, I think it shows how dated the old look is. The new logo is light and refreshing which I guess is the correlation they were trying to achieve.
If the new logo can create this much interest both for and against, then that’s got to be a lot better than a whole bunch of ‘ok’s’.
I am not a fan of the new Pepsi design.
I do like the typography, but not for branding/packaging. The old design was very colorful and bold (as are many other soda packages). I think this new design could be easily overlooked.
The new logo doesn’t do it for me either. It’s not too much different, and I agree, too similar to something we’ve all seen a lot of lately. It just seems like … why bother?
The new design is definitely crisp and new. I don’t like for one single reason: No capitalization!
You can call me old fashioned out of step; but I pains me to see the lack of proper grammar and punctuation in advertising. Why is everything in lower case letters? Even proper names?
I don’t like either of these looks really. the new logo/typeface/coloring do take the fun right out of the product. It’s not a political campaign – its a fun loving soft drink. I think Pepsi is smart to keep up their cutting edge design philosophy, but they need to realize that the look of the can actually does influence people’s preception of the taste of the sugar water inside – this does not make my mouth water.
Also, if you want to talk disaster, check out the new Tropicana look – more generic than Target brand orange juice. Why don’t they just make their product invisible!
Looks like a change for the sake of change to me. (Now all they need do is come out with a “New Pepsi” flavor). But the question is not, subjectively, do we like the new design; it’s, will the $1.2 billion change translate into more sales? I think not. It went from bold to wimpy, off balance, in my opinion, and gives me a reason to further discount an already-2nd-place-to-Coke product. I think it looks weaker. Looks like they’re throwing in the towel.
Love it, from an Australian perspective the circular logo looks too much like a petrol station sign, and I agree with other posts way over the dripping water swoopy backrounds!so the font and the “cleanness” of the design is very appealing and different.
Does no one else think the logo looks like a man (or woman) bending over? Like your friendly neighborhood plumber (if we’re playing stereotypes here). Diet has a smaller gap, regular is mid and MAX is the largest gap. I find it to be a poorly thought out design.
Having said that, I do enjoy the type. The designer did choose a nice typeface. It fits the overall aesthetics of the logo as well, I just wish that wasn’t the main focus.
I must be getting old … I side with all those who are wondering why going from an almost 3D looking sphere to a flat and ‘boring’ one?
What’s with the typeface too??
The old logo made a statement on the can this on goes almost un-noticed
A logo change is good from time to time, but for the better not for the worse …
Go the old logo! :D
The new design has a lightness and openness that supports the product, mainly through the choice of type and the spatial relationship of type to symbol. The circle logo has a cheeky smile from the angle presented and the opening of the white between the orange and blue.
I think it suits a new diet conscious product.
Overall I am not a fan at all of the new logo. I definitely enjoy the new cleanliness. That is a major plus. I feel that tampering with such a recognizable mark is kind of crime though. The type is more readable, yes. But the mark is flimsy and forgettable at best. I vote for the old logo, chunky type and all.
My first impression of the new design (from the photo you posted) was that it was cleaner, fresher, lighter and more contemporary than the old design.
I then went to Pepsi’s website and took a more detailed look. From a designer’s perspective I found that there were individual elements of the new design that I really like but in terms of the wider branding there were things that I really, really hate.
What I really like:
The old typestyle was more of a display typeface, it was heavier and more prominent – competing with and overshadowing the circular logo. The new typeface is less imposing, more minimalist, which gives the circular logo more breathing space and allows it to become the dominant focal point.
The old typestyle had angled, more boxy, letterforms which were at odds with the circular logo. The new typestyle has softer lines with large rounded counters in the letterforms which compliment and create more unity between the type and the logo.
The old look had background images or designs on the can. Having the background a single color or a single color with a black/white gradient creates more negative space. This gives a cleaner, fresher look and again allows the circular logo to stand out.
All of the above elements in the new design allow the circular Pepsi logo (master brand logo) to stand out which reinforces and adds impact to the Pepsi brand. To me this fulfills a key function and says GOOD DESIGN.
On the cans I also like that the positioning of the vertical type and the circular logo suggest a letter “P” (for Pepsi) with the vertical type (e.g. the word “pepsi”) acting like a descender in the letter “P” and the circular logo acting like a bowl/counter.
HOWEVER,
What I really, really hate:
Having made the logo (the master brand) the focal point they then go and change this from product to product — Take a look at the different proportions of red, white and blue in the logo on the Regular Pepsi cans and the Diet Pepsi cans. Then on the Pepsi Max can not only do the logo proportions change again but the colors also change to red, white and black.
As a designer, I hold to the principle that (unless you are deliberately trying to design something completely radical and off the wall) “form should always follow function”. In this case I feel that the designer has thrown this rule out the window and I really, really hate that they have messed about with the master brand / logo (especially as they have otherwise done such a good job in making this a strong focal point). To me this creates an inconsistency which weakens the master brand and diminishes function.
In addition to the logo changing from product to product both the colors of the cans and colors of the typeface change from product to product. The can for Diet Pepsi is silver while the can for Caffeine Free Diet Pepsi is white; the typeface on the Diet Pepsi can is blue while the typeface on the Caffeine Free Diet Pepsi can is gold —- if they kept one of these elements consistent across the product range (e.g. all diet products were in a silver can, all caffeine free products had a gold typeface) then they would achieve product differentiation without the need to mess around with the Pepsi logo.
It looks like a packet of dull tastesless low fat insipid low protein biscuits to me. Replace the word ‘Tesco’ for Pepsi . . . sorry, Pepsi for Tesco (see what I mean?) and you’ll see what I mean. As a consumer, it just does nothing for my taste buds and it tells me it will do nothing for me. I do not feel I will be, or feel any better-off for buying it. As a shopper I’d pass it by in the aisle without any second thought. If that is the object of the exercise, you get 10 out of 10. Sorry chaps, throw more cash at it or watch your sales crumble.
At first I didn’t like the new logo at all. I don’t take well to change. But I think that the font and color choices for the diet pepsi give a calm easy going feeling. It looks clean and natural to me and that works for a diet drink. The logo on a regular pepsi can in the bold red, white and blue colors gives me a feeling of action, excitement and energy. When I looked back on all the pepsi changes I liked where they are going. But I also think it says a lot that Coke has been able to be more consistent with their design.
I do not like the new Pepsi Identity. I think it looks very nice esthetically on its own, but I think it is too far of a jump from the previous brand. If I saw the logo by itself with out the logotype I would not see it as a direct evolution of the brand.
I have to admit that the first time I laid eyes on the new can something was a little unsettling about it. By the time I finished the drink it came to me. The flat color of the logo against the flat color of the background is too minimal in my opinion. Maybe they could have used the 3-D effects on the old cans to help bring more depth to the logo itself. These cans appear to be unfinished, in a slightly generic sort of way.
New designs take time to get used to. The smile, or curve, in the “e” is clever and subtle. While I enjoy the simplicity of the new look, I cannot help but feel it’s not quite finished.
As my college professor used to say: It’s a good start.
I like the new design because I think it’s happy, clean and modern. I think it captures this season of hope and change we’re experiencing in the US.
It’s interesting though, in hard times, I’ve heard it said that people flock to things that are familiar, old and comfortable. I wonder if it’s a bit of a risk.
This is a huge change! Overall I think it is positive, much cleaner, a lot more contemporary, I like it. But it might take a while for people to sink in as the change is quite drastic…
Why do large American corporations feel the need to change their icons? Longevity is what people go to – the nostalgia of a brand is incredibly important. This trendier logo will be tired in a year. Spend the billions on making a real difference. Now that’s a thought – the bank of Pepsi a lending institution!
First off I need to say that I really don’t like the conflicting bezier curves. Visually I would like it more if the original curve had been kept intact but the red and blue were shifted so the waves were “out of sync.” This way conceptually it could be read as the wave of the future & the wave of their past are passing, giving a new look yet retaining their original elements. That said, I am obviously over thinking this and it has been weighing on my mind far too long.
Regarding the new logotype I believe it is refreshing, clean, modern and ties in far better with the geometry of their logo. Yet, it is overshadowed by the logo, and tends to recall the 1980’s generic brands that just said “soda” or “diet soda.”
My first impression was that the logo reminded me of the Girls Scouts logo. The big difference is that the curves in the Girls Scouts logo actually represent something in a neatly stylized form. The new Pepsi logo doesn’t represent anything to me—it simply looks, as others have stated, to be a design that was poorly executed with a curves or path tool. I can’t figure out what the design is trying to say; it leaves me cold. The type face, however is attractive.
My other criticism is with the Sierra Mist design. I get the connection between morning fog, soft light, etc. but does the typeface have to be blurred? I think a lemon-lime, caffeine-free soda brand would strive to be thought of as clean, crisp and refreshing. Testing my vision with a design that looks out of focus does not make me think clean and crisp. It merely makes me think I need new glasses!
Great comments … Hope you don’t mind me quoting some of this in the next DTG … Logos topic!
Interesting though, I’ve already found several almost identical logos in past tomes of the Trademark Registry… more later
As a child, I heard the “you’re in the Pepsi generation” jingle. I think Pepsi’s design changes in the intervening years have done little more than keep pace with the sensibilities of that same generation as it aged…. till now.
I especially like the curvy lines inside the circle–free and upward-moving, they evoke effervescence along with a spectrum of less literal positive associations.
Lower case type seems right for this. (As a professional editor and writer, my take is that capitalization rules apply to prose–chunks of text with subjects and verbs, where a period is proper at the end. Choices for labels are design choices, not matters of grammatical compliance or non-compliance.)
I experience a distinct negative ruffle at the … snarky? … “e.” I can’t really defend my reaction or even explain it, I’m just noting its existence.
The color differentiations work very well for me in expressing the differences in the product line. The open circle takes a second to read as a zero, but then it makes an excellent icon for absence as a selling point.
The entire effect “reads” for me as “premium product”–certainly NOT “generic”–and “young, fresh, alive.” I predict it will do very well for Pepsi.
Brilliant. Every design scheme for cola this side of the century has been prefaced on the idea that generating excitement about a product means overstimulating the senses. Bold, often noxiously busy designs overwhelm grocers’ shelves and are dizzying when placed side by side. In a cluttered setting, products won’t stand out by being louder: “volume” is an exercise in more of the same; in degree and one-upping, not distinguishing.
The same is true of billboards, advertisements, print and other media. I don’t need more inputs, more stimulus, more excitement; life is filled with it. Give me refinement; give me contrast.
By simplifying, Pepsi stands out. The new design is calming, which makes it more refreshing, not less. And refreshment is what I want from a beverage.
The new brand is very modern and stylish, but will it keep this character over time? Will it not look outdated in a few years? I feel that riding on the wave of the latest trends will force Pepsi to do another large brand re-launch once the general design paradigma changes. Compare this to Coke, which basically did not change its brand for decades – less change effort, larger market presence. I would have gone for a less flashy, more timeless design..
It’s the first time I see the new logo.
Am not a Pepsi fan and the new design drives me back me from buying Pepsi!
The old one has a certain punch and character. The new circle seems to be on a stage of unfinished work. It somehow annoys me! They could have kept the same white wave but do a thinner one. The changes might have been the typeface and the colour and the positioning (the circle was too close with the typeface). The typeface was definitely too bold. (Now it’s definitely too light!) May be for diet, it works!
Finally, they should have kept the general look and revamped it but not do a radical change. On a shelf, it might somehow be eclipsed by its competitors.
Hope I haven’t been too critical!!
That doesn’t mean I don’t like change!
Change is only wonderful when we say WOW!
Anyway I might also be wrong…
The font choice is great – clean, open, fresh – like bubbles. However, I believe the overall space the text takes up is slightly too small and should extend to the same vertical height as the logo. It needs to be bolder and have more oomph!
The logo itself is totally bland. It does not relate to the text and there is little linking it to it. The placement seems too far away from the logo though this is probably because of the disproportionate heights of logo and text.
The colour choice of the text also puzzles me. It is so dull for a lively soft drink. Is it beige or gold ?
If I saw this logo amongst soft drinks, I would think orange drink, not Pepsi. If I saw the logo elsewhere, it certainly wouldn’t make me think of softdrinks.
Whatsmore, the white stripe in the old logo was a smile/a refreshing wave/a beachball . The new one looses this imagery.
OK, a logo should be instantly recognizable and it should be memorable – and this will probably fit the bill on this score. However, this logo could be used for any number of products. It’s like Pavlov’s salivating dog. We have to learn to associate it with Pepsi. It doesn’t tell me about Pepsi or what Pepsi is about.
So as a name tag, no doubt it will work – but it certainly does absolutely nothing for me beyond this.
I don’t like it. While I prefer the more minimalist look, this doesn’t work for me. A little sterile and doesn’t associate with Pepsi at first glance. Something about it made me feel like I was looking at a knock off logo in a discount store. The font works but the font color doesn’t. The circle with the white stripe has a very ying/yang appearance. as if that is what they were going for.
I dont like the old logo (seems dated)..but the new one doesnt stand out as much as the old one. Maybe because its too simple or the word Pepsi is too small compared to the big circle. My eye is drawn to the big circle with the new branding..and for me…that circle doesnt really bring pepsi to mind.
I’m not a fan. The new logo is jarring in terms of proportion and geometry of what I assume is the “smile” — and I didn’t get that it was a smile at all until it was explained to me. I prefer logos that don’t require breathless explanation from an overexcited marketing team. And I really don’t see the Obama similarity everyone harps on — the Obama logo is geometrically sound, has reassuring colors and gradients that evoke an earlier, happier time; retro in many ways.
This Pepsi logo has none of those things.
This is not to say I was a fan of the previous identity, which was dated pretty much as soon as it appeared. Some combo of the previous logo minus the 3D and the new type would work better for me; let the product variants be differentiated by color rather than the width of the logo swoosh.
The question should be; “Has the new logo motivated the consumer?” As designers we can go on all day long about our thoughts. What I want to know is how has this affected the consumers, new, on-the-fence, loyalists – are they buying more? Has purchases gone down? I would love to be in the creative reviews and listen/read the research.
From a functional usability perspective I think the text is too subtle for a crowded grocery shelf. And the stroke shape has a lot of competition for attention as well. It is interesting that they stuck with the colors but not the stroke. It brings to mind the “Cola Wars” and opinions that the former mark was also a reaction to Coke. I think this rebrand might be a reaction to a shrinking share of a shrinking cola market. When I first heard of the cost of the rebrand, I thought they would go for a real change. This is a bit disappointing for such an established identity. Does anyone here think that Coke would modify its swish? Why not? Perhaps because the brand stoke needs no font to say Coke. That is worth more than 2 Bil…Did the Pepsi stroke have so little value? Like Don’s post: I would love to be a fly-on-the-wall during creative review and consumer in-store research time.
It reminds me of someone trying to be hip, but not quite getting it. It lacks an exceptional personality, something I would expect from a major brand. It is, however, fresh and clean … almost feminine in feeling — not sure if that is a good thing.
Even Jon Stewart of Comedy Central [or his writers, at least] made note of the Obama logo similarity on a recent episode of The Daily Show.
I’m usually happy when a company makes a branding move that brings them into the modern era. I think this rebrand does that. However, as a whole, I find it boring. I don’t HATE it, but it doesn’t do anything for me. Its got a “professional” appearance now that doesn’t make me want to drink a carbonated beverage. When I think soda, I think about something more fun than this brand supports.
Also, on a side note, the rebrand of Tropicana has the impact on me and others I was travelling with of making the product seem more “instititutional.” I don’t think that’s what they were going for.
It looks bland, sterile, and wimpy – three things I don’t want associated with my soft drink.
Brand consistency is good but it looks like they gave these cans the company branch business card treatment.
…and I’m a life-long Pepsi guy.
I like the design:
-metallic looking colors
-skinny looking serif (for getting you skinny)
-logo & letters have a matching roundedness to them
I agree with James Ricks and others but would also add:
simple yet balanced overall design of elements and color (equilibrium)
contrast in color and images (letters & logo)
background is neutral which brings out the colors and the black
cirucular logo contains large areas of colors and makes it a very strong focus point; the lettering is black and thin (contrast)
logo is on one side and the lettering on the other side (proximity & alignment)
strong alignment of image and words
With a circular image on one side and a wall of words stacked flush left immediately to its right a strong alignment is created. There is enough words in various sizes stacked to make a nice, deep visual alignment.
logo image has a white askewed line that widens and leads up to the wording in the design (direction)
the circular shape of logo is repeated in the roundness of the chosen font (repetition)
visual hierarchy: largest object is the logo, followed by the name (pepsi0, type (diet), kind (caffeine free)
minimalist look but “roundedness” of lettering gives a youthful look
These are some of my reasons for liking the design.
the lines, the curves, the open white space, huh!
Both look like the branding on a Toothpaste.
In reading Uno’s post, it comes to mind that perhaps the logo was overworked — excellent technically, but lacking in the ‘sizzle’.
First reaction is that the new symbol looks nautical and is reminiscent of a sail on a boat. I guess that’s fine if you are Pepsi drinking sailor.
I think its great to use a fresh, mod typeface but its a bit spindly and too weak to call attention to its product.
The swoosh in the E irks me because it recalls the old symbol, if you are going to create a new brand for your product leave the defining characteristics such as the swoosh behind. Plus no one is going to think that is a smile.
The old application fuses symbol and type together to communicate the brand. However, the type in the old logo completely dominates the symbol. The roles should have been reversed. Visually there is no relationship between the symbol and the type in the new logo but they did shift the hierarchy (bravo to them but its not good enough).
How about that pesky zero on the packaging? It is a nice shape but its a total hot spot and my eye is drawn there every time.
The upside….the new design has taken the loud and gaudy Pepsi to simple and sophisticated but it is on the verge of clinical and no one wants that when drinking a soda.
I saw the Pepsi logo when we were preparing for Inauguration week and I felt that they were creating their own interpretation of President Obama’s logo because of the similarity. I thought they created this logo temporarily to honor the President.
I can’t express how much I dislike this new logo and typeface.
It is utterly sans élan. It is dull, lifeless and devoid of feeling. I don’t see the ‘smile’ there, except perhaps if I squint, and tilt my head slightly, and I shouldn’t have to.
It feels colorless and bland, and doesn’t convey any of the youth and playfulness that the Pepsi brand has always championed.
I’m also not a fan of the huge, bright yellow billboards and signs I’ve been seeing. Primary colors, sure, I get it. But I don’t want it. It’s insulting to the eye, frankly, and I feel a little annoyed every time I see them. They’re not sunny and bright, they’re irritating. The whole fiasco reminds me of an episode of Queer Eye, wherein the guy and his new wife decorated their home in black leather and chrome (or steel) because they thought it was “modern”. Unfortunately, it turned out to be harsh, barren and hollow – and somewhat disturbing. I feel the same way about this.
My impression of the entire campaign is that some kid just got out of school and landed his dream job because his uncle recommended him. I don’t see what the artist/designer was going for at all.
I only see flat, lifeless lack of energy on a bright yellow poster.
PepsiCo, please, try again.
Frankly, I can’t stand this new logo. Why mess with a good thing? Notice Coke isn’t reinventing themselves, they are keeping their traditional look and losing the shadows and faux wetness, as I like to call it, but yet they are staying true to their brand and remain recognizable throughout the world. And Mountain Dew’s logo? TRY AGAIN. Same with the Sierra Mist, oh my that just makes me think of camping…and trust me, that’s not a good thing!
When I first tripped across it in the store I got a bit confused… where was my diet Pepsi? It’s pretty drastically different. I know a lot of brands might change over slowly, element by element. They just sprung it on us bam.
I like the new look; sure it’s nice, it’s fresh. But seriously, to spend $3 billion over the next three years in these tough economic times just to “update a look?” That really makes me feel kind of ill. What a total waste. Look? good. Timing? bad.
Both look flat! Not a good look for a refreshing drink.
Love the new look. The old brand is heavy, industrial and does not say “diet” in any way, shape or form. The new logo is fresh, hip, airy and fun, yet still recognizable as Pepsi.
Love the type face and simplicity. Its refreshing to see simplicity and even more refreshing to promote it on such a brand. I do agree with others that the circular logo itself is pretty odd and bland. Keeping some sort of shading and losing the outline would really work well on such an uncluttered product and separate it from an “airline” feel. Just my 2 cents worth.
Probably Pepsi had to do something to differentiate their original logo from a political “Elect Me” button. Also, the newer logo has some action in it that the old logo lacked.
That said, a logo is more of an identifying mark and when used as much as Pepsi (etc.) will use the logo, it will have ample exposure to provide identification.