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As the dawn of the 1950s heralded a new era of prosperity in post-war America, Pepsi-Cola unveiled its Pepsi 10A can design.
Emblazoned with the company's signature globe logo in an age when canned sodas were becoming commonplace refreshments in the refrigerators and picnic baskets of the archetypal nuclear family.
This straightforward can set the stage for decades of design evolution to come, as the brand kept pace with changing trends and consumer taste over the latter half of the 20th century.
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As the youth counterculture movement of the late 1960s rejected the conformity of previous generations, Pepsi-Cola responded in kind by rolling out its bold, all-caps Pepsi9a1 can in 1967.
Shouting the Pepsi name in an assertive, rectangular serif font that resonated with the anti-establishment energy of the era and preceded iconic slogans like “the choice of a new generation”.
As the carefree optimism of the early 1970s gave way to economic uncertainty and cultural malaise later in the decade, Pepsi-Cola's 1973 white-backed can reflected the sterile, minimalist aesthetic that permeated graphic design trends.
With an almost dystopian off-kilter globe presaging the growing disillusionment of the American dream in the late 1970s—a time when people sought comfort and stability in the familiar, as symbolized by Pepsi reverting to trademark red accents by 1978.
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As the 1980s gave way to the 1990s and the Cold War drew to a close, Pepsi looked to usher in stability and global connection.
Synchronizing the globe and logotype on its cans to match its primary brand mark in a unified vision signaling a one world economy and the dawn of the internet age that would increase cultural exchange as never before.
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As the 1990s brought fragmentation, angst and constant change, Pepsi’s logo transformed as well.
The globe and name were separated in 1991, with the bold vertical logotype signaling the brand’s determination to dominate the coming age.
Then the introduction of a cool blue background in 1995 connected it to the surge of alternative music and X-Games culture that prized rebellion over tradition.
This restless decade led Pepsi’s aesthetic from minimalist to in-your-face, chasing of-the-moment street credibility.
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As the internet boom of the late 1990s fused commerce and culture into the non-stop spectacle of the dot-com era, Pepsi amplified its branding to match the larger-than-life tenor of the times.
Inverting its color scheme in 1997 to make its logotype pop from a red backdrop for maximum impact, then enlarging the logo in 1998 to ensure brand visibility amid the constant sensory barrage of websites, web banners and animation.
Pepsi adopted the "bigger is better" mantra that pervaded marketing messages flooding the airwaves and browsers of millennial consumers.
As the 2000s saw generation X settle into adulthood amidst wartime uncertainty, Pepsi’s 2003 redesign spoke to shattered perspectives.
Rotating its entire logo instead of just the globe, the asymmetrical graphical shift evoking a loss of balance and confidence, while the dual branding versions symbolized the splintering of American culture into red/blue binaries.
Though the soda giant projected solidity and consistency as an established brand, its aesthetics revealed the national mood of doubt and division permeating the period.
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As the late 2000s financial crisis radically contracted the economy after a decade of overindulgence, Pepsi followed suit by reducing the scale of its logo in 2008 to mirror falling fortunes and bank balances.
Its smaller globe and condensed logotype reflecting a necessary downsizing and prudence after the go-go optimism of previous eras.
This restraint and simplicity prepared the brand for future growth post-recession.
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As the markets and national mood bottomed out in 2009 giving way to the slow recovery of the early 2010s, Pepsi unveiled a smiling globe and bubbly lower case logotype against a deep blue backdrop, reflecting a measured optimism tempered with perhaps a bit of forced cheer.
A reassuring if slightly overcompensating positivity similar to the internet's proliferation of cute animal memes and uplifting viral content that gained traction as the public looked for silver linings during a still painful economic rebuild.
The branding said the only way forward was up.
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As recovery took hold in the mid-2010s, Pepsi’s logo echoed America getting back to business.
A bold, vertical logotype anchored a sturdy centered globe in 2014, exuding a gravity and seasoned resilience similar to the Patriot’s formidable franchise Tom Brady, himself logo-like in fame and recognition.
Appropriately, a 2017 NFL promotion brought further masculine energy via a football field backdrop, aligning the brand with America’s most lucrative and watched game as the nation found its economic and confidences strides again.
Pepsi captured the zeitgeist of an indomitable power returning to form.
As the 2020s witness upheaval giving way to rebirth and reinvention out of tumult, Pepsi returns to its contemporary look, having tapped the past to reaffirm its present.
Reminders of heritage now backdrop a minimalist globe and crisp uppercase logotype ready to embrace whatever comes next in the endless cycle of crisis and renewal.
With clear-eyed flexibility carrying lessons forward and shedding baggage behind, the lean branding stands poised to adapt and evolve however the crosscurrents of the future may shift.
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