Companies like Nokia and Burberry have undergone dramatic rebranding efforts in 2023. Pepsi has updated its logo for the first time since 2008, and it’s back to the future
The company’s first significant revamp in 15 years, was unveiled today. The kinks in the company’s original yin-yang “globe” logo have been ironed out, and the wordmark (now a strong, upper-case sans serif) sits smack dab in the centre of the logo. It may bring back some fond memories for soda drinkers of a certain age, particularly those from the 1990s
The term “Pepsi” originally appeared in the white negative space of the logo, where it remained from 1962 until 1991. The new design returns the name to that location.
Yet, the new brand isn’t only a homage to the past. This redesign isn’t a carbon replica of the old one; instead, the emphasis is placed on the reduction of sugar by using large, dark types.
Black, the same colour as Pepsi Zero Sugar, slices through the red, white, and blue palette to unite the brand, to distance Pepsi from its relationship with sugar. The wordmark is black, as is the contour of the globe and the digital pattern that spreads out from the logo and animates to any backdrop rhythm, which the Pepsi design team calls the “pulse.”
Pepsi is thinking about sugar. PepsiCo’s revenue is on the rise, but that’s mostly attributable to price hikes rather than new markets. However, Pepsi has declared war on sugar as customers strive to reduce their sugar intake; 30% of Gen Z members in particular say they don’t eat any sugar at all.
The company also said that regular Pepsi will have 57% less sugar. To reformulate this product such that it contains less sugar while yet maintaining the fantastic flavour customers anticipate,” the firm claims to have been “trying to do just that.”
The addition of black gave Pepsi’s images far more impact, helping the company stand out in the oversaturated online spaces where many brands compete for attention. The blue in Pepsi cans has deepened in tone as well. The new “electric blue” colour is darker than previous Pepsi blues and almost purple.
Pepsi is constantly reflective of the next generation of customers and the times in which they live. Looking back, it’s clear that each iteration of the Pepsi logo has represented the spirit of its time. Glitzy, garish 2000s were widely embraced in 1998. Millennials’ preferred palette of flat, subdued colours became mainstream around 2008. In the year 2023, the internet has transformed culture into a vibrant, digital animation that combines many elements
Is there a growing tendency to incorporate elements of the past into modern logo designs? Customers seem to like what Burberry has done.
With its new brand design, Pepsi pays tribute to its rich history while also embracing its big future. This rebranding is more interesting since it includes two trends that have received a lot of attention in the industry. The former is a strong desire to return to simpler times, while the latter is a constant need to adapt to changing cultural norms.
Nostalgia may be a potent emotional reaction during turbulent times because of the association between social upheaval and a desire for the familiar. It’s hardly shocking that some of the most successful rebrandings of late borrow concepts from supposedly “simpler” eras.
https://www.fastcompany.com/90870915/pepsis-new-logo-is-a-subliminal-war-on-sugar
https://www.creativebloq.com/news/new-pepsi-logo
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2023/03/28/new-pepsi-logo-cans/11535642002/
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There's a missing historic logo, from the early '70s to 1987 they used something similar to the 1987-97 one but with "PEPSI" in a less stylized font (and a "PEPSI-COLA" variant appeared frequently).