PepsiCo Brand Updates

I do love a journey, especially a branding one. In recent years PepsiCo has revisited several of its best-known drinks brands, looking back at their design history while giving them a fresh identity for today.

Pepsi

Pepsi celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2023 with its first major logo update in 14 years. The redesign draws on earlier versions of the identity, bringing the Pepsi name back inside the familiar globe and giving the whole thing a definite retro feel.

I particularly like the way it looks backwards without simply recreating an old logo. The stronger type, black detailing and bolder colour palette make it feel familiar but much more confident.

Mountain Dew

Mountain Dew has also gone back to its roots. After years as ‘MTN DEW’, the full name has returned, making a much clearer connection with mountains, the great outdoors and adventure.

Illustration has been brought into the wider identity, with landscapes and richer natural colours giving it a very different character. There is plenty of nostalgia here too, but it feels warmer and more approachable than the sharper identity it replaces.

7UP

The early 7UP logos are great fun to look back through too. The latest identity keeps the familiar green at its heart, but adds brighter citrus colours and a much stronger sense of movement.

I think the idea of ‘UP’ comes through particularly well. Tilting the logo gives it a natural lift, while the brighter green and citrus colours make the whole identity feel fresher. Nicely done.

Looking back to move forward

What I like about all three is that none of them tries to forget what came before. Instead, each redesign picks up recognisable parts of the brand’s history and reworks them for a new generation. There is plenty of nostalgia, but not nostalgia for its own sake.

It is a useful reminder that refreshing a well-known identity does not always mean stripping everything away and starting again. Sometimes the strongest ideas are already there in the history of the brand.

Sources and further reading: 7UP logo history, 7UP redesign, Mountain Dew redesign and Pepsi redesign.