PepsiCo was founded 60 years ago when the Pepsi and Lay’s companies joined forces to create a one-stop snack shop. Today, the company produces more than 500 products, everything from bottled water, juices, and energy/sports drinks to cereals, cookies, and even baby food. Since the merger in 1965, PepsiCo has leaned heavily on the Pepsi identity.
In its first parent-brand makeover in 25 years, PepsiCo has introduced a very different design. A lowercase letter “p” becomes the hero, replacing the Pepsi beach ball and/or globe. The “p” reverses out of a mini-cornucopia of shapes: gold, grain-like forms to suggest its connection to agriculture; a blue droplet to represent water or hydration; a light green leaf to represent “winning with pep” (“pep” is apparently an internal acronym for “positive impact for people and planet”); and a dark green smile/bowl at the base to contain everything.
The wordmark is now lowercase as well—to suggest approachability, of course. Using a script is somewhat reminiscent of the original Pepsi-Cola script, but that’s about the only look-back that the new design offers. In a lock-up with the logo and strapline—“Food. Drinks. Smiles.”—there is a lot going on.
Overall, it’s a big jump away from anything “Pepsi,” and as such, it needs a lot of explanation for the standard consumer to understand. But does the everyday shopper in search of a snack and a drink need to understand the parent logo? The new branding seems like it may be more important for internal use, perhaps a move toward creating a more democratic atmosphere for the thousands of employees who aren’t involved with cola drinks at all.
