OK. You have all seen it, the new Pepsi logo. I’m sure a number of you have also heard about the leaked PDF presentation that has been of much controversy (available for download here).

It seems to be a consensus that the new Pepsi logo is awful. Is it because change is bad, and people liked the old one? Maybe. Or is it just a poorly put together logo with a bad concept? I admit, the concept seems absolutely ridiculous, calling on inspiration ranging from 3000 BC to the present. It includes such notables as the Hindu Tradition of numerical harmony as a spatial organizer, the Parthenon, Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa and the Vitruvian Man, along with hand proportions and head rotations.

If by now you haven’t downloaded the pdf, here is the link again. I strongly encourage anyone that is interested in design, carbonated beverages, or the crazy disarray of advertising to check it out.

My Interpretation

When reading the numerous blogs associated with the new Pepsi logo, I couldn’t help but recall a line from the HBO series, Mad Men. First off, it’s a great series that shows you the world of advertising from a completely different perspective, especially to those who were not around during that time. Secondly, as mentioned in the show, advertising is not based on how appealing something is, nor how functional it is, and not even where the inspiration came from. Effective advertising is something that keeps people talking. Don Draper (from Mad Men) and his associates are discussing a Volkswagen magazine ad in Playboy, and while the majority of people are laughing at how bad it is, Don says, “Well there must be something about it. We’ve been discussing it for fifteen minutes, and this [holds up the magazine] is Playboy.”

So there you have it, Don Draper agrees that it is not about the design, the catch phrase, or anything else. It is about how effective it is. And from my point of view, the new Pepsi logo is doing exactly what it wanted to do – create buzz around the product.