Pepsi Logo: History, Meaning, and Glorious Evolution

Pepsi has a long and interesting history, starting as “Brad’s Drink” in 1893 and evolving through multiple iterations to become the Pepsi we know today. The original Pepsi logo was designed by Caleb Bradham, the inventor of the soft drink. The logo was a simple cursive script on a bottle cap with the word “Pepsi” in the center. As the company grew, so did the logo, eventually becoming a more elaborate script with a red, white, and blue color scheme.

Let's examine how the Pepsi logo changed from its original design in 1898 to the version that the public now recognizes and loves.

Pepsi Logo Evolution Over 100 Years

The evolution of the Pepsi logo over 120 years; from 1898 to 2014. Have a look at all of the changes that this famous soft drink has undergone in its more than a century of existence. From flat, unappealing shapes, to 3D and glossy logos, Pepsi’s journey through time is truly interesting.

1898

The 1898 Pepsi logo was the first logo used by the company. It featured a simple design with the word "Pepsi" in a serif font. The word "Cola" was also included in the logo, but it was much smaller than the word "Pepsi".

1905

This version of the logo was one of the first times that the company started using a more modern sans-serif typeface. The letters were less blocky than they had been in previous versions, the fonts became thicker and spikes gradually withdrew.

1906

The Pepsi logo design underwent another version in 1906 that reduced the wordmark's size and made the "P" and "C" somewhat taller than the other letters. To incorporate a call-to-action into the design, the word "drink" was placed on the top banner of capital C.

1940

The letters in the logo language started to display considerably more even spacing over time, softening and making the words appear less crazy. By 1940, the emblem had been simplified to a brief banner with elegant text. The letters were clean-cut and more thinned out from the version in 1906, where the font gave off a little bit of a carnival vibe. With the letter "P," the lines from the letter "C" now have flourishes that draw attention to the remainder of the word.

1950

In 1950, the Pepsi logo was revamped in terms of color and concept. the word "Pepsi-Cola" was the drawn on bottle cap in red color against a white background. This particular logo was very clean and sleek, and it is still recognizable today.

1962

In 1962, the Pepsi logo had a red, white, and blue color scheme. The top part of the logo was in white and the bottom part was in blue. The word "Pepsi" was written in black. the word “Cola” was removed from the Logo.

1973

Pepsi has always been a trendsetter in the world of soft drinks. In the early 70s, Pepsi led the way by redesigning their logo to a more modern look. the cap’s ridge was removed from the logo and the Logo was drawn on a color background. The typography stayed the same as in the previous version of the logo, but it was scaled down to fit inside the globe's border. It then turned blue. This Pepsi new logo was very popular with young people and soon became an icon.

1980

Pepsi's logo in the 1980s was a red, white, and blue circle with the word "Pepsi" in the center. The word "Pepsi" was written in a script font, and the color was in blue. This logo was used until 1991.

1991

Pepsi underwent a drastic logo update in 1991. The wordmark and the globe were maintained, but for the first time ever, they were divided. The word "Pepsi," now italicized, stretched across the top of the logo in blue as the globe moved to the bottom right of the design.

1998

Pepsi changed the way they used their logo's colors in 1998. The logo had changed from blue letters on a white backdrop to blue with the word "Pepsi" in white.

2003

In 2003, the Pepsi logo was tweaked again, making it look a bit more modern with a 3D design. The wordmark and the globe were both outlined in light blue to make them stand out against the background and the background gradient was adjusted to make the lower left corner the light source rather than the globe.

2006

In 2006, a small update to the Pepsi logo added enticing raindrops to cover the wavy globe that represented the beverage. The font remained bold and slanted forward as it did in the 2003 revision.

2008

Arnell Group redesigned this radical logo update in 2008 for more than $1 million. Pepsi needed a makeover and had the foresight to go for something simpler given the growing trend of online stores and digital brand presence. The rebranding was heralded as a success and was implemented across the world.

2014

Pepsi stood by its choice to rebrand and in 2014, tweaked the logo slightly, removing the blue outline around the globe, and increasing the amount of white space on the outside of the circle. The result was a much cleaner logo got immense popularity among younger generations.

Things You Probably Didn't Know About Pepsi Brand

1. Who founded Pepsi?

   Pepsi was founded in 1898 by Caleb D. Bradham. He was a pharmacist in North Carolina.

2. What was the original brand for Pepsi? Pepsi was first introduced as Brad's Drink by Caleb D. Bradham. This popular beverage was crafted using sugar, caramel, water, lemon, and other additives.

3. What Does The Pepsi logo mean? The design of the Pepsi logo represents the earth's geodynamics, magnetic field, and gravitational field.

4. How did Pepsi get its name? Pepsi was originally introduced as "Brad's Drink" in 1893 by Caleb Bradham, who made it at his drugstore where the drink was sold. It was later renamed Pepsi-Cola in 1898 after the Greek word for "digestion" which Bradham believed helped with digestion.

5. What was the original brand for Pepsi? The original brand for Pepsi was Brad's Drink, which was made in New Bern, North Carolina, in 1893 by Caleb Bradham. It was renamed Pepsi-Cola in 1898.

6. What does Pepsi stand for? The name "Pepsi" refers to the original brand of this carbonated beverage, "Pepsi-Cola."

7. When did Pepsi come out?

   Caleb D. Bradham invented the original Pepsi-Cola in 1893 as Brad's Drink in New Bern, North Carolina.