Before delving into the history of the Pepsi logo, let’s first understand how the business began.
A pharmacist named Caleb D. Bradham from North Carolina invented the original formula for Pepsi-Cola in 1893. Bradham had a soda fountain in his pharmacy where he served drinks made from this formula to customers, naming the popular beverage “Brad’s Drink.” It was a concoction of water, sugar, lemon oil, caramel, nutmeg, kola nut, and other additives. As the drink gained popularity, Bradham wanted a more appealing name for it, so he eventually named it Pepsi-Cola.
He registered this title in the summer of 1903. Soon, the soda syrup could be found in pharmacies and stores across North Carolina. The brand expanded, and by 1910, it had franchised in 24 states. Today, Pepsi-Cola is one of the most famous beverage brands known worldwide for its refreshing taste. Its logo has played a significant role in the success of the company. The Pepsi logo is one of the most recognized logos globally. However, it cannot be said that the logo became popular or recognizable solely due to the beverage’s popularity; the packaging design of Pepsi has also contributed significantly to its success.
The design of the Pepsi logo is attractive, simple, and immediately recognizable, aiding in capturing people’s attention. It can be said that the logo design has greatly contributed to turning Pepsi into the iconic beverage brand it is today. People can instantly associate themselves with the company by seeing its customized logo.
Colors, shapes, fonts, and brand symbols created by a logo designer or an online logo maker play a significant role in attracting customers. Several logo changes began when the company founder, Caleb D. Bradham, initiated a design later to become famous. This design remained as the company’s identity until the 1940s.
The current Pepsi logo is now a simple circular design without the company name. This simplified version of the logo looks excellent in all advertising campaigns, such as T-shirt designs, websites, mobile apps, and more.
The current Pepsi logo features a smiling circle in three thicknesses. The thinnest smile is for Pepsi Diet, a thicker one for regular Pepsi, and the widest for Pepsi Max.
The design of the Pepsi logo has remained unchanged from 2008 to today. The contemporary Pepsi logo has a design that evokes a smiling face. It preserves its uniqueness through a combination of colors, shapes, and its traditional font style. The circular shape of the logo has a rotation in the center, separating the upper disk from the lower. Designers changed the middle white space to give the logo a smiling face.
The current Pepsi logo uses blue and red, as these colors contrast.
The white strip in the center adds contrast to create an irresistibly appealing look. The word “Pepsi” next to the logo is now written in lowercase letters. The latest Pepsi logo has a patriotic color palette from the 1940s, a minimalist design approach from the 1960s and 70s, and script-like curves from the original appearance of logos.
In 2008, Pepsi, as part of its global strategies, embarked on rebranding when the company began to modify its brand name. The company aimed to connect the new logo with consumers who had undergone significant changes since 1993. Despite the alterations, the Pepsi logo retained its uniqueness in shape, colors, and font style, becoming renowned for its distinctive identity. Since its establishment in 1898, Pepsi has witnessed considerable technological advancements in the world. However, Pepsi did not allow excessive interference and being overly influenced by technologies. The company understood that its customers were not pleased with the drastic transformation of the Pepsi logo. Therefore, the Pepsi logo has continuously evolved over the years to keep up with contemporary preferences and to delight today’s audience. The company redesigned the logo according to the current messaging and trends, moving from classic lettering to incorporating various design elements, ultimately transforming it into a simple, spherical logo.
