Pepsi's redesign exercise takes the Gen-Z challenge head on

Hot on the heels of the calamitous 'I Love NY' rebrand comes another Brandbook: a new logo for Pepsi.

- BEN SCHOTT

Naturally, there are differences: Whereas "I Love NY' became a landmark-as evocative and beloved as the Chrysler BuildingPepsi's logo remains a trademark, and as trade shifts, these marks evolve. Indeed, many consumers can age themselves by their childhood Pepsi logo.

Of course, how brands evolve is everything. Inevitably Pepsi's new in-house design, the first in 14 years, "pays homage to the brand's rich heritage while taking a big leap toward the future"-as most big-brand rebrands do, or claim to. But of Pepsi's various novelties, four stand out:

One, the reincorporation of 'Pepsi' into the logo's heart. This is a decisive rejection of the 2008 rebrand, where the wordmark floated free from the icon, positioning Pepsi as a 'hero brand' recognizable without text. While this tech-inspired look tended to the bland, it did allow for clever blending campaigns, like the cheeky fast-food hijack from 2021. To my eye, the typography of Pepsi's new wordmark is a little awkward: The 'P' is too squat, the 'E' is too thick, and the top of the 'T' is oddly slanted. That said, it's bold and punchy, and will stand out more starkly on digital and social platforms, which is more than half the battle nowadays.