How JKR designed a global identity to give Fanta back its “pop”

Coca-Cola’s global design team has collaborated with Jones Knowles Ritchie (JKR) to create Fanta’s first global identity, which features a new logo, custom typography and illustrations.

The new identity is one of many branding changes to happen in the fizzy drinks space recently, including recent updates for Pepsi and 7UP.

The Coca-Cola Company’s global vice president of design Rapha Abreu says the new branding aims to “revitalize Fanta’s brand assets and reclaim play as something that people of all ages can embrace and benefit from”.

JKR global executive creative director Lisa Smith explains that Fanta’s new primary logo has been designed to represent the drink’s reinvigorated personality.

Smith describes the new logo as “flexible and adaptable”, allowing it to exist in different settings “while still retaining brand consistency”. It features a brighter blue, while the leaf and orange circle has been removed to allow the logo to work across Fanta’s full breadth of flavours.

The brand’s new monogram was created for use as an icon and is based off the F letterform from the logo, “with slight adjustments to the pop for increased clarity and impact”, Smith adds.

Colophon Foundry created the previous headline typeface as part of a 2017 rebrand. Using this as the base, Colophon worked with JKR to customize it further, resulting in Fanta Pop. Smith says that the typography is “playful, bold and geometric”, with “letter counters” and “subtle tapering” to make it unique.

Fanta Pop Regular is used for primary messaging, while Fanta Pop Condensed is for secondary messaging. The secondary typeface, Fanta Sans, comes in two weights and “provides a great contrast to the Fanta Pop typeface while remaining friendly and flexible”, according to Smith.

She explains that the Fanta brand colours have evolved into “a richer, more unique orange and a brighter blue”, taking influence from pop culture. Each Fanta flavour also has its own colour palette, comprising a primary colour, a lighter colour and a darker colour. Smith says that the “tone-on-tone” hues add “richness and flexibility” to the palette, adding that the Green Leaf detail used across the illustrations for each flavour aim to provide “freshness and an extra touch of consistency across the variety of flavours”.

The evolved packaging system seeks to better incorporate the new, bolder colour palette. JKR “reduced the elements” to give put more emphasis on the logo, flavour illustrations and “vibrant colours”, says Smith. Fanta’s individual cans and twist PET bottle “follow suit”, whilst the multipack is “more dynamic with multiple popping elements”, she adds.

Coca-Cola and JKR commissioned Brazilian illustrator Lucas Wakamatsu to create bespoke illustrations for Fanta. Smith says he was chosen for his “distinctive illustration style” which features “bright and eye-catching colours mixed with playfully exaggerated shapes”.

Coca-Cola and JKR also worked with Gretel on the motion identity, Relative on the packaging guidelines and imagery, Tim Marsella for the lifestyle photography and Martin Wonnacott for the product photography.

The new Fanta brand identity has rolled out in-store and online.