Rivals Pepsi and Coca-Cola have explored dozens of logos and logotype variants for over 125 years. The graphic below is a mere snapshot of some of my favorites. Coke’s approach was that of refining whereas Pepsi’s approaches sometimes completely abandoned their heritage as in their logo fiasco in their 2014 rollout by Arnell Group. The 27-page design manifesto was riddled with esoteric, mind-numbing language. The advertising community mocked this failure as “breathtaking.”
Of course I’m biased to Pepsi as my family heritage is from areas of North and South Carolina. I grew up with this not-too-sweet soda elixir. When I finally got around to trying Coke I didn’t care for it as it tasted much sweeter than Pepsi. I ended up spending nearly half of my career in Atlanta. I hope no one ever questions my love for Pepsi. I worked on a design project for World of Coke while in Atlanta. The Coca-Colo logo still has a legibility issue though. To me it reads as “Coca-Gola.” Wink ;-)
2024 update! I had the pleasure of seeing the new Pepsi logo in the wild while at lunch today on January 19, 2024. The new identity was designed by PepsiCo’s in-house Design and Innovation Team. This mindful approach delivers a direct nod to their design roots incorporating the red and blue waves while stepping boldly into the future with a unique twist on the brand’s hand-styled typography. I’m still trying to embrace the newly styled Ps, and the E needs something. It doesn’t relate to the other letters.
“Unapologetically current and undeniably Pepsi.”
— Mauro Porcini, SVP and Chief Design Officer at PepsiCo