… And this is the second time I’ve posted about their recent branding fail (see October 24th, 2008). I felt it was necessary to bring it up again given the fact that half of Philadelphia has been plastered with their heinous new icon inserted cleverly within words like “POP, JOY, HOPE, AND VROOOOOM”
It looks like the work of a college freshman who scribbled on a vellum pad hours before the final critique.
Artist Lawrence Yang sees this whenever he looks at the new logo, and he’s right, you’ll never see it the same way again.
I hate what it stands for, because the ads don’t make me want to drink Pepsi. There is no new recipe, nothing tastes different about it, and it certainly isn’t any healthier (it’s still liquid sugar, like any other soda) so why the fuck would they try to convince me that the brand stands for a revitalization of the product?!
I’m just glad I’m not alone in this regard, that there is a world of people out there who don’t quite understand what drove such a classic image into the dirt.
Let’s take a look at the evolution of their logo through the years (courtesy of Abduzeedo)
Now, I wholeheartedly agree that Branding is Not a Science, but I personally feel compelled to share my opinion that the new Pepsi look does not do justice to their legacy as one of the most cherished brands of all time.
@CecilyK on twitter and I think the new logo is a riff off the Obama campaign logo. What do you think?
Oh yeah, and thanks. Now I can’t see it any other way but a fat slob. Not a pepsi fan but… yeah.
I know you’ll probably kill me for saying this, but I like the design. I read all the criticisms and I feel guilty for not hating it. I get what you and everyone else are saying about why change it if it’s not broken, but I still can’t find it within myself to hate it.
Maybe it’s because I do drink pepsi from time to time. I really don’t know.
@Dustin, it could definately have been a lot worse, and you know what…they did succeed in the advertising department.
They’ve successfully made Pepsi a topic of conversation again – so I guess that’s cool
I still don’t like the new logo though.
@PurpleCar you may be interested in reading this, regarding the relationship between the new logo and the Obama campaign
http://www.landor.com/index.cfm?do=thinking.blog&post_id=18264#top
I agree that it is a total play on Obama’s campaign. They are even using one word lingo similar to “hope” and I found myself frustrated as I viewed an entire wall at around 20th and Market. I’m hoping the younger generations realize the scam and just boycott.
Agreed! The new logo is totally weird! :S
Agreed; the new logo sucks. It simply looks like the old logo, except broken, or deflated. LAME. It doesn’t seem intelligent enough to be a tip of the hat to the Obama campaign. Besides; the Obama logo is effective, memorable, and dynamic. The new Pepsi logo is none of these things, except perhaps memorable because it sucks so bad.