I like that they've finally moved away from the gradients that plauged us for such a long time in "new logos". I swear half the companies of the past ten years when they made a new logo all it was was the old one but with some gradient or 3D effect. This is a nice evolution of the logo, and the font goes well with it.

«El futuro es una línea tan fina que apenas nos damos cuenta de pintarla nosotros mismos». (La Luz Oscura, por Javier Guerrero)

Holy manoly, they are both so bad. a little wave going through the e? Please stop the nonsense, please. they have also destroyed the red-blue circle.
HUGA!

Is it just me, or does the lowercase "e" look like it's belching?

How appropriate.

The old Pepsi logo has been the only link with the west for some of us Eastern block kids, so it carries a certain sentimental value. Now, I guess I can finally switch to Coke.
_____________________________________________
Personal Art and Design Portal of Ivan Gulkov
www.ivangdesign.com

I'm sure the designer chose that font because the wave in the little "e" is reminiscent of the wave in the PEPSI circle. I think the logo relates perfectly with the typeface. It was a great choice in my opinion.

Scott, I also thought the "e" is belching.

I think the new packaging looks like it was made for either one of these:
(a) slim cigarettes aimed at an aging but style-conscious female audience.
(b) female hygiene products.

I think it sucks.

If that's supposed to be a smiley face, where are the eyes?

As the old saying goes, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

As mentioned earlier, I'm happy it doesn't have yet another gradient.

For a grade: D-

I feel like it was a bold attempt, but was poorly executed. It seems to be throwing away a lot of the brand's historical connection. The Mountain Dew and Sierra Mist revamps are also bad, but slightly better than the various Pepsi labels.

I love the new sans-serif geometric typeface in all lower case. I think it’s forward-thinking.

It was when Herbert Bayer did it in 1925.

It was VERY forward thinking in the 1920s...Arts & Crafts movement was in high gear.

Hmm, six years. I think I see exactly what they're working up to.

Even with the odd zero and the bulge, it's newer and, therefore, better.

I wish the circle had been left as it was, now it looks like some airline logo. The overall change is not bad, pretty nice and clean. The e would work better with the old circle.

Hi Mili, thank you for posting that great image of the various Pepsi can designs. It shows the subtle differences in the logo.

A belch, a smirk and an odd wavy feeling...sounds like a very successful logo for a ridiculous drink like Pepsi.

Looks a bit like the old Diet Pepsi logo. Pepsi and lame design have always gone hand in hand except around 1990 when they had the "UH HUH!" and the stripe theme cans going on. Obviously, the swoosh mimics the Coke swoosh. Pepsi has never had a good logo/can design. From the old wanna-be Coke style logo, to the 1960-1980s motor oil look to the 1990s techno . . . motor oil look.

I like the new version of pepsi

mostly the font and the clean design

the logo seems... a little bit weird

i think it needs to be rotated some how

Typodermic: how did you place the image directly into the thread, rather than a link? Do you just copy and paste into the text? That was a good find, by the way. I remember those old cans.

Does the new logo remind anyone else of a lot of logos that disappeared between 1985 and 1995?

I can understand the desire to simplify the very over-the-top packaging and ad campaigns. But rather than produce a contemporary design informed by modernism the designers just went with more blatant anachronism.

...how did you place the image directly into the thread, rather than a link? Do you just copy and paste into the text?

Hey, Glenn. Just beneath the comment box where you insert text, there is a link that reads "Insert image". If you can't see it, you may need to upgrade to a newer version of the Flash Player.

You'll find more info on posting images here.

At first I thought 'oh god, this is lame' but then I thought hey, they got rid of the gradient, and got rid of some outline/shadow type BS.. I think It's a clear improvement from the last one..

grade: solid B.

- Scott Sullivan

Ah, I really like it now that I see how it was designed to change a bit depending on the exact type. Still a tad bland, but any logo for worldwide companies these days almost has to be, iconic but bland.

«El futuro es una línea tan fina que apenas nos damos cuenta de pintarla nosotros mismos». (La Luz Oscura, por Javier Guerrero)

I don't think getting rid of the gradients automatically makes the new identity an improvement.

Personally, I think pretty much everything of the new logo(s) is poorly executed. The smile concept of the logo doesn't really work; it hardly resembles a smile. The only nice element I can see in these is that the logo changes for the different types of cola.

Then the typography... it just looks slightly off. It tries too hard to fit with the logo. But the waving crossbar of the 'e' is over the top. It's just one element too many in my opinion. The letters themselves also became strangely geometrical because they tried to fit it to the logo.

Underconsideration's 'Best & Worst of 2008' placed it on no. 1 of the Worst section, rightfully so in my opinion. More posts about Pepsi on Underconsideration here and here.

It seems they are trying to follow Coca Cola again by going back to a more classic, retro look. Where Coca Cola succeeds, Pepsi fails.

Well, I also dislike the new graphic mark. It looks like a monster's evil smirk. But the new wordmark is nice with futuristic tinge while the old one reveals a whiff of old industrialness (It's better appropriate for a heavy machine manufacturer,say, like Caterpillar. )
Grade: B

Coca-Cola rules.

I'm amazed that no one has mentioned the obvious influence of the Obama logo yet, not to mention the timing of the release of the new Pepsi logo. It's discussed a bit in this thread, but I think the overall impression the two give from a distance shows a great deal of similarity.

http://typographyshop.com
http://kinggroupmedia.com

I wish the circle had been left as it was, now it looks like some airline logo.

But it's arguably a move away from this:

look, gradients being gone DOES make the design better, and a huge multinational corporation is not going to completely ditch all of the money they've invested in their brand. Pepsi made a genuine effort to improve their design, and THEY DID IMPROVE THEIR DESIGN.

- Scott Sullivan

> look, gradients being gone DOES make the design better

"Oh, it does not have gradients! It must be a great design now!"

I’m amazed that no one has mentioned the obvious influence of the Obama logo yet…

We had that thread the week before last.

I think it's bland and boring,
It looks like a de-energised energy drink.
Theres simplistic sophistication, and there is oversimplification.

The e in DIET is a bit much (I like it on the product). I don't like the bottom curve of the swoosh on any of the "weights". Not so bad…

Grade: B-

pbc

All ideas, theories and statements are subject to change without notice.

The icon is a failure. I don't see a smirk. It is a real mistake to completely discard the equity in that graphic. They type and color looks like it would be right at home in a 70's era nightclub. I'm glad that product packaging is moving back towards a simpler, cleaner approach, but this is not appealing to me. But, if you love Pepsi, it won't make a difference I guess.

Coca-Cola wins in all its variations.

MarS

Absolutely, Drink Coke. Stop Pepsi before they can do another yawning redesign.

Cheers!

I actually think this is a reasonably successful redesign. It doesn't really appeal to me personally, because I'm not a big fan of the Bayer Bauhaus extreme roundedness, but I think it "works" in principle. Sure, it's retro, but for a classic brand that's over 100 years old, that's okay.

Cheers,

T

Not a huge fan of the mark. (The "angry eyeball" as my wife calls it.) I don't mind the typography as much, although I think the "e" is trying too hard. Can't a company just rely on good type and not try so hard to mash it into the mold of their brand? I'd probably give it a C+; maybe a B- if they could give a good explanation for the mark.

I hate the new logotypes and logo and packaging. It is cheap looking. Blech.

I appreciate the great comments so far. However, some people are not saying why they don't like it, just that "they don't."

When you see both designs next to each other, it is easier to compare the two.

It's like the wave is migrating from the symbol to the wordmark.

**

Pepsi Classic:

The new design couldn't be much more different from the old. The logotype went from ultrabold-italic-Americana to a friendly-belch type of elegance. It's not there yet, IMHO; the "e" in Pepsi is to cute and the shape of the white wave in the logomark feels unresolved. I, too, think of some kind of (carbonated) hygiene.

After seeing this interpretation I have a hard time taking it seriously. It's even more fitting when you se that the "crack" is bigger for the sugar-version. The e is just horrible.

After seeing the two logos together, I do prefer the newer one. But the image is wrong, I think the proportions of the 'smile' are all wrong. It nearly works for the Max logo, as the white is a bit more like a smile. I do like the new typeface though.

Grade: C

True genius in my opinion. They should have stuck to this.

I love type!

The "smile" of the logo has been a similar shaped wave up until this logo. Sure the logo is clean and updated look but I'm just wondering if the drastic shift in brand identity is a sign of desperation on the part of Pepsi. If you had looked at the new red/blue mark alone without the word "pepsi" would you know that it was Pepsi's logo? Brand recognition plays a big part in how I see this design change as not poorly designed but inappropriate at best.

Apparently they have a full page ad in today's NYT - with an Obama message, not seen it - but apparently all the O's and 0's are Pepsi logos.

It's (primarily) a packaging identity.
You shouldn't judge an identity by its logo.

You're right. Their internal brand standards probably stayed constant, but the packaging identity is what is in question here. It is what people recognize (or don't) when they are scanning the aisles at the grocery.

My question is, why have there been so many iterations of Pepsi's [packaging] identity including the logo? Plenty of design elements on the packaging can be changed without warping the logo. The logo, by the way, is the visual representation of a corporation and the building block of any strong identity. The changes in Pepsi's logo says to me that they are desperately trying break into some new demographic, struggling to compete, or trying find an identity that works.

This hasn't changed much in over 100 years:

I have this vintage pepsi sign on my wall. It's about 47 cm in diameter (18.5 inches), and I think it is awesome. ;)

i had a second look

i still think it is better than before

but i think it is too plain

The mark itself didn't need a redesign, but the new asymmetry feels fresh. (@mili I laughed about the airline comment, I thought the same thing). To Nick's point, this really is a new identity system, not a logo redesign. It should be considered as a whole, and is a huge improvement over where they've been. All over the place. Pepsi now has some class, in its own way, without having to copy Coca Cola's retro (classic) look.

As for the history of Pepsi-Cola, I agree it had some class back then as well. But when you're number two, you have to diferentiate and you have to try harder. Pepsi gets a high mark from my point of view on both counts.

I enjoyed discovering that the mark changes with each drink in the Pepsi line-up -- although subtly. The unity of the new Pepsi line makes the Coca Cola, Vanilla Coke, Diet Coke and Coke Zero brands seem disjointed by comparison. Consider especially how the caffeine free (gold) flavors have always been the ugly after thought of soda brands. Pepsi has made caffeine free as appealing as the rest, and if not, more appealing. (I predict a resurgence of gold and white, in part thanks to the new "white gold" milk campaign.)

The advertising release on the other hand is odd to me. The advertising features a color palette foreign to any other Pepsi material (reminds me of Comcast's new FanCast site and palette). The advertising gives no mention of Pepsi, only vague references to love, sweet, pop, xoxo, &c. It generates intrigue, I'm sure as it's intended, but as Mili said earlier it looks like an airline mark.

Image taken in the Bart station, Powell Street station, SF.

i find it appalling. That lopsided white 'mouth' going through the middle of the circle is wrong. Accompanying typeface with the 'funkay' 'e' is so substandard.

It looks all rather Oriental to me with its circular form and vertical type set. I wonder if the design is aimed at capturing a certain audience. Personally I'm not a great fan of this design and of the actual drink itself. I like to think that I'm influenced by design, if something looks good on the shelf and captures my attention I will pick I up and give it a go. This certainly doesn't do that to me.

Sorry Pesi but its a pile of Pepsi Poo Poo to put it politely... (say that after a few whiskeys and pepsi . . oops I mean whiskey and cokes!)

Beach-Ball Cola. Great. Now why did Pepsi need a new branding again?

ChrisL

> Now why did Pepsi need a new branding again?

Because it had gradients, of course!

i think it is not that bad, i even like the weird 'e' it's a nice twist to break the boringness, but it looks so un-cola-like

Un-cola? Wasn't that 7-Up?

no that means more like a can of asprins than a can of cola

I've heard of product re-call for faulty products. But product re-call for faulty design. . . . surly not.

probably not, but i think it sends out the wrong emotion

Oh dear... I'm certainly not the alpha and omega of design taste, but I'm afraid it's elicited the same reaction as the one I had when I saw the 2012 olympics logo. I'm sure it's well executed, and the designer is now happy to have been paid, and to have the kudos of this work to his name, but I think it's just too generic, and typical of the neon curves that are so prevalent, and perhaps soon to go out of fashion (hopefully - I'm sick of them)... No doubt this is design by committee - it's too damned bland to have been one persons's vision. Looks like a supermarket own brand now.

Will it alter my consumption of Pepsi? No. Hate it - and coke!

Originality is only protected by the obscurity of your inspirations

am I seeing it right - did they actually make the "smile" wider or narrower according to the types of Pepsi? That doesn't make sense to me when you are branding a product.

I think the fact that the Coca-Cola script has been around since the inception of the product says a lot about the strength of the design and the brand itself. Nevermind that you can trace the evolution of modern advertising and branding right back to the beginnings of Coca-Cola and how they marketed their product.

If anyone wants to know more about the impact of Coca-Cola and also Pepsi on the world, there's a documentary out there called "Cola Conquest" - it's really interesting.

I like it better than the new Tropicana packaging...now that is a step backwards!

http://www.underconsideration.com/brandnew/archives/pepsi_tropicana_larg...

Does the big smile on the max imply that you'll be happier if you drink that instead of diet? Or just fatter? I see a protruding belly instead of a smile.

Overall I think it looks like yet another cheap design in the stream of the won't-get-sold-outside-the-hippest-gym-of-the-week mineral/purified water upstarts.

Daniel

If its anything like the new tropicana orange juice container - what else can I say
Anthony

Totally awful. No meaning or symbolism are communicated to me... which leaves me to evaluate it on aesthetic terms only. Aesthetics: off balance, poor proportions. The blue whale-like shape is reminiscent of the old yin/yang design, which makes me feel like something awful happened to the old logo... The sans serif lower case pepsi is undoubtedly a custom hand-drawn logotype rather than an existing typeface. The e is obviously a connection to the olf yin/yang symbol, and the humanist s would never accompany the geometric p and e in a credible typeface design.

I don’t like the curves of the white stripe. The whole thing is a little to slight for soda IMO.

The best description I've heard of it is "plumber's butt"

> The best description I’ve heard of it is “plumber’s butt”

You mean like this?

This logo seems to lack any rhythmic awareness of its current components or its past incarnation. As usual, and especially with logo design -- form should not trump content.

I attached a modest design reconciliation of the image I received from Before&After

Logos establish identities, and it is a bit foolish to switch identities
without an excellent reason. But there is a phenomenon called executive fiddling
and this seems a prime example of it.

My wife who does the shopping and drinks the Pepsi will pay no attention to the logo.
She likes the taste. I don't care much one way or the other. If I were doing the buying
and the drinking I would look for the caffeine free diet drink with the lowest price.

If you have a new product trying to crack a market then obsessing over the logo makes sense.
Coke, Pepsi, Mercedes Benz and Chevrolet should stick to the tried and true.

John Culleton
Able Indexers and Typesetters

"If you have a new product trying to crack a market"

Teehee!

Except for the blue, it's starting to look more and more like a Coke logo. Be careful Pepsi... I heard Coca-Cola has lawyers.

The Pepsi packaging changes have a more "generic" look and feel--especially on the Tropicana OJ. At the supermarket, despite the fact that I prefer Tropicana over Minute Maid, I did not "see" it in the refrigerated case--and tried "Simply Orange" as a result. I am a Diet Pepsi drinker, and ditching the turquoise color makes finding the brand on the shelves a bit more time consuming.
The scary thing about all of this is how many levels of management were required to approve the design. Consider the mind boggling amount of money required to make packaging changes of this magnitude.
I agree with other posters about the Oriental leaning of the new Pepsi logos--Anime-esque perhaps....

It looks like a gas station logo

ChrisL

My first impression is that it's so boring, it looks like they're trying to be sophisticated in refining their can's design to a much more minimalist concept, but I feel that there's none of that original personality to it at all, none of the excitement or energy of the previous can, just a girly version of the pepsi logo floating flat on a can, the last thing I think the two pop giants (Coke and Pepsi) should be associated with are the words "flat" and "no energy".

zzzzzz, wake me when they've spent another 2 billion to make it all better.

On a positive note :D
The wave of the logo reminds me of a simplified version of "The Great Wave" by Hokusai (1760-1849) OR Always Maxi-pads.

http://www.andreas.com/hokusai.html

OR

Always maxi-pads
http://www.totallyfreecrap.com/Images/Mar08/always.gif

"Always Maxi-pads."

Kristen, You made my day with that comment! :-)

Maybe we should have another look at the Pepsi logo after we take a few Mydol tablets? (right now it gives me a headache :-)

ChrisL

When I saw this last year I asked a question about the way companies see there marks as a transitional reflection, upon the current. Like in the UK the channel 5 Rebrand, why? The sustainability within Graphic Design cannot be answered by Stock, ink, production areas. Instead it should be built on a foundation, where a mark is just. Not a fashion lead, trend based choice. Which is informed from a feeling or atmosphere of a time or place.

Does the Pepsi chairman's daughter do graphics in high school?

Haters.

Seriously. Look at the before and after shot of the packaging. I didn't design this, and I'm no Pepsi apologist, but this is a big improvement. If you can't see it you're only looking at the mark and you're missing the point.

Haha...man this thread is long! I think that for starters, the new design IS an improvement over the clutter and in your face graphic they had previously.

THAT being said, I'm not sure if it really suits the personality of the brand, and what they're trying to portray.

On a personal note, the smile(and it's variations) is the cheesiest thing I've ever heard, most people aren't going to look at the size of the smile(white) to see which kind of pepsi it is, they will read the type. They should have stuck to one version of the logo and left it.

Which brings me to the type. I agree the "e" is a bit much. And the font choice could be better...

Overall rating: B

At first glance I thought it was some kind of weird generic pepsi rip off. It took me a moment to figure out what was going on. Unfortunately, things like this are not really designed. The designer's intent generally does not survive committees and focus groups - both serving the lowest common denominator.

Good try though. E for effort.

Okay I'm not sorry for giving my honest opinion, and dude please, I'm not a hater.
People in the design industry have to grow a backbone and be able to take harsh criticism and be able to explain the concept behind the rebrand. Either way hate it or love it they're getting some good publicity for the change in look, and I've heard way worse than my critique. That said I do think the new can is very cute and pretty, I'm sure they must have some strategy to try and attract more females to the brand so they gentled the design up, gave the type some sexy new curves, and voila!

Now if you'll excuse me I think I'm going to join ChrisL for a mydol break.

Joe,

Give them time to clutter it up with crap as usual! This always happens with packaging. The first use done by the design consultant is clean because it comes with the contract. After a while though, the in-house guys get pressured by various corporate suits to add a myriad of crap and, wah-lah! congested traffic jam of doo-doo as usual takes the front stage.

Now excuse me, I am off to my Mydol break with Kristen :-)

ChrisL

"If you can’t see it you’re only looking at the mark"

I believe the thread is titled "what do you think of the logo..."

Admittedly, the packaging is quite nice. But it would be just as nice with the old globe. And the old globe had history, recognition, balance etc.

Ultimately there is no way to assess its success or failure. I'm sure they have pumped millions into the marketing for the new mark, so the causes of any sales increase they achieve will be obfuscated by their advertising spend. However, if sales don't increase, then THERES a clear signal!

i HATE the new look -- not because it's all that much worse than the previous logo (though it is), but because it doesn't make any sense. the only interesting thing going on is the little wave in the "e," that references the pepsi circle with a wave. but then they changed the circle, so now the "e" doesn't reference anything! did two different people design this - one doing the type and one doing the circle mark - but without speaking to each other?

I'm starting to like the new look, it is very clean and fresh, but the logo really should have changed with it... The changing of the swoosh?? Does this mean that they actually have 5 logos?

Apparently yes. If that doesn't equal branding disaster I'm not sure what else does. I'm not against the design of the new can or the logo..I think it's alright, but the multiple logo idea is just pointless.