coca cola new can design

Coca-Cola Just Made This Major Change to Its Sodas

Out with the old, in with the new.

April 17, 2021

At this point, you probably know very well what a can of Coke looks like—it's in every supermarket, every pharmacy, and every convenience store you go to, and it hasn't changed in years. So you might be in for a surprise later this year when you pass the soda fridge at your local corner store and notice that something doesn't look quite right. Coca-Cola has revealed new can designs for three of its most popular beverages, and the minimalistic new look is the company's first visual update to those products since 2016.

According Design Week, Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar will now feature a pared-back look that goes back to basics and focuses on the brand's most recognizable features—its classic logo and the signature red color. One of the biggest changes you'll notice is that the logo has been moved from the center of the cans to the top, symbolizing how "uplifting" these beverages can be.

RELATED: This Is the Biggest Mistake Coca-Cola Has Ever Made, Say Experts

The company first announced the Coca-Cola Zero Sugar redesign, which replaced the current design with multiple colors of text and a two-tone background with black text and a simple red background. Diet Coke, meanwhile, is cutting out the red stripe and the vertical white type in favor of red print against a solid silver background. The rollout of these new cans will be complete by 2022.

While the cans are getting a visual redesign, Coca-Cola's bottles may be getting an eco-friendly upgrade. In October, we got a peek at the company's prototype of a paper bottle, which would be a more sustainable alternative to the current all-plastic design. The company has been testing out the design in an online grocery store in Hungary while at the same time introducing more recyclable plastic into its bottles in the United States.

For more about the iconic soda brand's bottles, its cans, and its history, check out these 30 Coca-Cola Facts You Never Knew, and don't forget to sign up for our newsletter to get the latest restaurant news delivered straight to your inbox.

Clara Olshansky

Clara Olshansky (they/she) is a Brooklyn-based writer and comic whose web content has appeared in Food & Wine, Harper's Magazine, Men's Health, and Reductress. Read more