Blogs and marketing sites are buzzing about a 27-page document that allegedly outlines the design process Arnell Group used to create the new Pepsi logo.
I believe in the transformative power and economic impact that good design can have in the marketplace; but this Pepsi episode is a classic example of smart people convincing themselves of their own cleverness.
Arnell associates the new logo with a smiling face. Maybe. But one could just as easily associate it with a sail or any number of other Rorschach-type interpretations.
Updating a brand mark is never easy; go too far and years of brand equity may be compromised; stay conservative and constituents may question the overall value of design. The Arnell Group has taken heat for their reported $1 million fee, as well as the hundreds of millions of dollars Pepsi needs to spend to update their graphics and signage throughout the world. In light of the cost, it is fair to ask whether the re-design will have the necessary impact on brand perceptions or Pepsi sales. So far, the conversation across the Internet has been that of derision.
"We put a lot of pressure on the category by doing something different. We captured the zeitgeist," said Peter Arnell. Maybe. But the overrought explanation supporting the redesign, outlined in the 27 page Arnell Group document, seems a little too eager to convince, and too clever by half.