The Diet Pepsi brand, known as Pepsi Light in some countries, is a sugar-free alternative to Pepsi-Cola, employing artificial sweeteners like aspartame. Introduced initially as Patio Diet Cola in 1963, it was rebranded as Diet Pepsi in 1964, becoming the first diet cola to achieve national distribution in the United States. This article explores the history of Diet Pepsi can designs, reflecting the brand's adaptation to changing times and consumer preferences.
Early Years: 1950-1967
While Diet Pepsi wasn't introduced until the 1960s, understanding the design context of the era is crucial. The 1950s in post-war America saw Pepsi-Cola unveil its Pepsi 10A can design. Emblazoned with the company's signature globe logo, this straightforward can design reflected the post-war conformity of the time. Canned sodas were becoming commonplace refreshments in the refrigerators and picnic baskets of the archetypal nuclear family. This initial design set the stage for the decades of design evolution to come, as the brand kept pace with changing trends and consumer tastes over the latter half of the 20th century.
Embracing Counterculture: 1967-1973
As the youth counterculture movement of the late 1960s rejected the conformity of previous generations, Pepsi-Cola responded 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”.
Minimalism and Red Accents: 1973-1987
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. The 1986 label marked the return of the traditional Pepsi globe. This marks the first time the Pepsi name is moved to another area instead of inside the globe. In 2018, as part of "retro labels", Diet Pepsi's label is the current grey background with the 1986 can design.
Synchronized Design: 1987-1991
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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Fragmentation and Blue Background: 1991-1997
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. Pepsi adopted the "bigger is better" mantra that pervaded marketing messages flooding the airwaves and browsers of millennial consumers. In 1993, the logo was diagonal. Everything except the Pepsi globe is rotated, making the lines go diagonal. The background is sky blue, the "Diet" script was facelifted and the Pepsi name is tilted.
Red Backdrop and Enlarged Logo: 1997-2003
Pepsi continued to adapt its can designs as it entered the late 1990s. The cans featured a red backdrop with a prominent logotype, and in 1998, the logo was enlarged.
Shattered Perspectives: 2003-2008
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. A silver oval accompanies the Diet Pepsi logo, whose typography has the "diet" part in lowercase print, and the 2003 Pepsi name.
Downsizing: 2008-2009
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.
Optimism and Lowercase: 2009-2014
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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Return to Business: 2014-2023
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.
Heritage and Minimalism: 2023-Present
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.
Diet Pepsi: A Detailed Look
Diet Pepsi was originally test marketed in the United States under the name Patio in 1963. Following a positive reception attributed to the shifting dietary habits and preferences among Baby Boomers, the drink was launched nationally as Diet Pepsi the following year. Distribution of the product has since expanded to other countries around the world. Diet Pepsi competed primarily with The Coca-Cola Company's Tab in the 1960s and 1970s; however, The Coca-Cola Company introduced Diet Coke in 1982, which has since been the principal competing product to Diet Pepsi. In 1986, Diet Pepsi was the fourth highest selling soft drink in America with a market share of 4.3 percent, one spot under Diet Coke which had 7.1 percent. In 2000, Diet Pepsi had a marginally higher share of 4.7 percent, but placed seventh in the ranking, below Dr Pepper, Sprite, and Mountain Dew (also from PepsiCo) in fourth, while its main competitor Diet Coke remained third. As of 2010, Diet Pepsi represented a 5.3 percent share of all carbonated soft drink sales in the United States, and was ranked as the #7 soft drink brand by volume.
PepsiCo introduced two further sugar-free cola drinks during the 1990s: Pepsi Max (primarily Europe) in 1993 and then Pepsi One (for the United States) in 1998. Additional variations of Diet Pepsi/Pepsi Light have been introduced over the years since the drink's debut, wherein other flavors (such as wild cherry, vanilla, lemon, and lime) have been added to the cola. There is also a variant that has no caffeine: Caffeine-Free Diet Pepsi was the first Diet Pepsi variant and introduced by PepsiCo in 1982. Diet Pepsi Wild Cherry was launched in 1988. Both are still produced today.
Though Diet Pepsi is represented worldwide as a low- or no-calorie beverage, the ingredients comprising its makeup vary in some cases by the country of origin. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the U.K.
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When it was first introduced in 1964, Diet Pepsi was packaged in glass bottles, and was also made available in can format. The logo used in the packaging and advertisement of Diet Pepsi has changed multiple times since its original iteration. In October 2008, PepsiCo announced it would be redesigning its logo and re-branding many of its products, including Diet Pepsi. At this time the brand's blue and red Pepsi Globe logo became a series of "smiles," with the central white band arcing at different angles depending on the product. The Classic Sweetener Blend variety was distinguished by its use of the 2003-2006 wordmark along with the "smile" logo, and a light blue label background in contrast to the modern formulation's silver label. By mid-2017, packages of Classic Sweetener Blend dropped the 2003 wordmark and began using the modernized wordmark instead.
While it was initially advertised alongside Pepsi, Diet Pepsi began to be promoted independently in the late 1960s. The first television advertisement to feature Diet Pepsi as a standalone product was "Girlwatchers," which placed focus on the cosmetic aspects of the beverage. The musical jingle from this ad generated popular culture appeal to the extent that it was eventually recorded and played on the radio, and later became a Top 40 hit.
Celebrity Endorsements
Since its inception, musicians, professional athletes, actors and actresses have been featured prominently in the promotion of Diet Pepsi. In 1985, immediately following Super Bowl XIX, the game's respective quarterbacks, Joe Montana (of the San Francisco 49ers) and Dan Marino (of the Miami Dolphins), met in a hallway of what appeared to be a football stadium. In the late 1980s, Michael J. Fox appeared in commercials for Diet Pepsi, including a memorable commercial that featured him making a robot clone of himself. In that commercial, Fox's girlfriend (played by Lori Loughlin) shows up and accidentally hits Fox with the door, causing him to fall down a chute into the basement. During the early 1990s, R&B singer Ray Charles was featured in a series of Diet Pepsi ads featuring the brand's then-current tagline, "You got the right one, baby!" Supermodel Cindy Crawford became a recurring celebrity endorser for the Diet Pepsi brand at this time as well, beginning with a 1991 television ad in which she purchases a can of the drink from a vending machine on a hot summer day.
Pepsi's broader history
Pepsi’s long history starts in 1893, when a North Carolina pharmacist named Caleb Bradham mixed up a fizzy drink he called “Brad’s Drink.” Five years later he renamed it Pepsi-Cola, selling it for a nickel at his drugstore fountain. The company had its share of ups and downs - including bankruptcy in the 1920s - but it bounced back during the Great Depression with a clever offer: a 12-ounce bottle for the same five cents competitors charged for half that size. From there, the brand grew up right alongside American culture. Pepsi was a lunch-counter staple in the 1940s, a picnic and beach-day companion in the 1950s, and a familiar face in TV ads by the 1960s. Each decade brought new slogans and promises, some of which are pretty funny to look back on today. That mix of ordinary moments and eyebrow-raising claims is part of what makes Pepsi history fun to revisit.
In 1902-The instant popularity of this new drink leads Bradham to devote all of his energy to developing Pepsi-Cola into a full-fledged business. 1904-Bradham purchases a building in New Bern known as the “Bishop Factory” for $5,000 and moves all bottling and syrup operations to this location. Pepsi is sold in six-ounce bottles. 1906-Pepsi gets another logo change, the third in eight years. Pepsi bottling plants. The Pepsi trademard is registered in Canada. The federal government passes the Pure Food and Drug Act, banning substances such as arsenic, lead, barium, and uranium, from food and beverages. This forced many soft drink manufacturers, including Coca-Cola, to change their formulas. 1907-Pepsi-Cola Company continues to expand; the company’s bottling network grows to 40 franchises. Pepsi trademark is registered in Mexico. 1908-Pepsi-Cola becomes one of the first companies to modernize delivery from horse drawn carts to motor vehicles. Roy C. The Loft candy company acquires the National Pepsi-Cola Company. Charles G. 1933-By the end of the year, Guth’s new Pepsi-Cola Company is insolvent. 1934-A landmark year for Pepsi-Cola. The drink is a hit and to attract even more sales, the company begins selling its 12-ounce drink for five cents (the same cost as six ounces of competitive colas). The 12-ounce bottle debuts in Baltimore, where it is an instant success. 1938-Walter S. Mack, Jr., V.P. of Phoenix Securities Corporation is elected President of the Pepsi-Cola Company. 1950-Alfred N. Steele becomes President and CEO of Pepsi-Cola. Mr. Pepsi receives its new logo, which incorporates the “bottle cap” look. 1959-Pepsi debuts at the Moscow Fair. 1962-Pepsi receives its new logo, the sixth in Pepsi history. 1963-After climbing the Pepsi ladder from fountain syrup salesman, Donald M. 1965-Expansion outside the soft drink industry begins. 1970-Pepsi leads the way into metrics by introducing the industry’s first two-liter bottles. The campaign is “Have a Pepsi Day!” and a classic commercial, “Puppies,” becomes one of America’s best-loved ads. 1978-The company experiments with new flavors. 1982-Pepsi Free, a caffine-free cola, is introduced nationwide. 1985-After responding to years of decline, Coke loses to Pepsi in preference tests by reformulating. By the end of 1985, the New Generation campaign earns more than 58 major advertising and film-related awards. 1986-Chairman Donald M. Kendall retires and is succeeded by D. 1990-American Music Award and Grammy winner rap artist Young MC writes and performs songs exclusively for national radio ads for Pepsi. Ray Charles joins the Pepsi family by endorsing Diet Pepsi. 1991-Craig E. Pepsi introduces the first beverage bottles containing recycled polyethylene terephthalate (or PET) into the marketplace. Pepsi-Cola and Lipton Tea Partnership is formed. 1993-Brand Pepsi introduces its slogan, “Be Young. Have Fun. Pepsi introduces an innovative 24-can multipack that satisfies growing consumer demand for convenient large-size soft drink packaging. 1996-In February of this year, Pepsi makes history once again, by launching one of the most ambitious entertainment sites on the World Wide Web. 1997-In the early part of the year, Pepsi pushes into a new era with the unveiling of the GeneratioNext campaign. GeneratioNext is about everything that is young and fresh; a celebration of the creative spirit. PepsiCo.