Deck the Halls with…Cans of Pepsi!

Some Santa Coke cans we see every year.

We’ve all seen them – Christmas themed Coca Cola cans. The brand’s classic red colour fits with the holiday theme…and of course, the fact that Coke pretty much created the image of the fat man in red, as we know him today ensures that special packaging will be distributed every holiday season.

However, why can’t Pepsi get in on the fun? In the past, Pepsi has released Christmas cans featuring winter images like a snowman, reindeer and penguins. They even tried their own version Mr. Claus that looked very amateur at best. It must’ve been tough incorporating the image of Santa in a way that doesn’t totally rip off Coke’s creation while at the same time sticking to imagery that is familiar to society.

We know that Pepsi has since moved away from all that clip art style packaging and is now going for a more clean and modern look (as seen in the current Pepsi Lime packaging). So, here are some ideas I put together.

Some old school Winter Holiday themed Pepsi cans – that’s Santa on the top left…I think?

We know that Pepsi has since moved away from all that clip art style packaging and is now going for a more clean and modern look (as seen in the current Pepsi Lime packaging). So, here are some ideas I put together.

Pepsi – Jolly

diet Pepsi – Ho Ho (Ho)?

It is based on past special releases Pepsi put out for St. Valentine’s Day (LOVE, XOXO) and Halloween (BOO). Here, the designs stayed clean and simple and used the new round Pepsi logo in place for the letter ‘O’ in the themed words used.

The Christmas words that I could come up with were ‘JOLLY’ and ‘HO HO HO’. Unfortunately, for the diet Pepsi design, having six characters in the phrase crammed everything up so it is left as ‘HO HO’. Hopefully, the basic message comes across (?). Perhaps, if cans are stacked up on each other, it will communicate the popular saying more clearly. Are there any other short Christmas words that contain the letter ‘O’? Let me know!

Happy Holidays!

rft3 – the Pop Element blog

Going for the Gold – Coke Style!

It’s ironic how the official sponsor of an international sporting event is a product that athletes should probably stay away from to keep healthy! Regardless, it’s winter time and before the year comes to an end, it would be nice to look back at the Olympic Coca-Cola cans for the 2010 Winter Games that took place in Vancouver and Whistler this past February. Canada and U.S.A. had different distributions of Olympic can designs from Coke in their respective country. Ironically, although the events took place on Canadian grounds, it was the American designs that were most visually appealing!

The U.S. cans come in a set of four. The first three show a white silhouette of a sport – figure skating, speed skating and snow boarding. The arrangement of each can cleverly portrays the figure performing their activity along the solid white version of the classic Coca-Cola swirl. The white snow adds to the winter theme and nicely gives the figures motion. The use of empty space goes great with the current modern branding of the Coke cans.

The U.S.A. 2010 Winter Olympic Games cans.

The final can of the set is a wonderful piece – and worthy of a gold medal of its own! It shows the famous Coca-Cola bottle through the form of a rock statue, similar to that of the inuksuk from the official Vancouver Games logo. Above are the Olympic rings – all in white. All in all, it is a very creative approach and the symmetry gives it a clean, aesthetically pleasing look.

Ok – time to see what we got up north! The Canadian set of three also includes white silhouettes of athletes – each involved in either hockey, skiing and or snowboarding. However, the figures are much larger compared to the U.S. designs. Additionally, the official Vancouver 2010 Games and Coca-Cola logo are placed underneath inside an outline of white blocks – to portray smooth angled rocks. Where the American Coke set illustrates elegance, the cans released in Canada demonstrate the style of elementary school clip art.

The Canadian 2010 Winter Olympic set - with the "Carry the Flame" design in the background.

Things just seem too crammed together – especially where sections of the figures come too close to the logos underneath. The added text, in both English and French, underneath adds to the already over-packed arrangement.

But when the Canada won the gold medal in men and women’s hockey, justice was served in the special-release gold Coca-Cola can – a version of the hockey silhouette design.

Here are gold Coca Cola cans congratulating the Canadian Olympic Hockey Teams. And behind is a gold Pepsi can congratulating it for being...free of caffeine!?

Now, it’s definitely still crammed, however, the overall look is slightly improved by the gold colour. It just shines and gives the sense of prestige. Usually regular Coke will stick to its traditional red so to see it replaced with gold just makes it so unique. Also, the hockey player is moved a bit higher creating more space for all that logo and text stuff underneath. Here, the text is all white this time, making it bold and easier to read.The U.S. cans still win for its elegance but the gold Coke is still a very nice addition to the Canadian set.

Until next time – keep an eye out for a Pop Element!

rft3

– So, which designs do you prefer – Canada or U.S.A.? Let me know!

Lime My Pepsi Up!

We don’t get as wide a variety of pop (soda) flavours in Canada compared to our wonderful friends below in the U.S. That is why, in 2010, it was a pleasant surprise to see the comeback of Pepsi Lime along with diet Pepsi Lime! They made their return after taking a hiatus for a couple of years. It is more than welcome as the drinks, with the exception of Diet Coke with Lime, are actually the only other colas currently available up here that include a special added flavour. And of course, the new drink brings forth a new can design!

Pepsi Lime and diet Pepsi Lime cans in Canada. Those were the nicest limes I could find in my fridge 🙂

The arrangements clearly communicate the flavour of their drink while sticking to the current Pepsi brand. They are simple and very sleek. The green colour on the top is bright enough to portray an appetizing lime taste with the cola. The slight clash of the green and blue on the regular Pepsi with Lime really pops out! In fact, a difference in the green shade can be seen in the American Diet Pepsi Lime cans.

diet Pepsi Lime cans from the States.

Here, the green is just a tad darker. I wish it could be made a bit brighter to stand out – and show how proud it is to be limey! Do you agree?

Well, going back to the designs of the first cans, the use of clean, organized dots to transition from green to the colour below creates a modern look. It works great with today’s Pepsi branding and the difference from the past designs is highly noticeable.

Back in the day, they looked like this.

In the mid-2000s, Pepsi’s designs involved more…stuff! There was a lot more action going on. It is safe to say that they were going for more pictures and fun compared to the elegance of the current Pepsi look.

All in all, the Pepsi Lime and diet Pepsi Lime cans look great. And until Pepsi or Coke decide to bring back cola with that yummy lemon touch, these drinks are a great way to satisfy your citrus needs in soda pop!

Until next time,

rft3

– Do you call it pop or soda? Let me know!

Pop Can Wall – Introduction!

Here is a wide shot of some shelves on my wall.

Back in the day I used to collect all types and flavours but I ran out of room! So I now stick to the main brands. This blog discusses branding, design, and marketing for soft drink beverages.