Coke and Coke Zero Look Alike: A Packaging Lesson

Months after Coca-Cola unveiled its new global design system, Creative Bloq reports that the redesign is still causing confusion. The complaint is a practical one: the standard Coke looks more like Coke, but so does Coke Zero, making the two easier to mix up.

What's being reported

In its follow-up, Creative Bloq says the system has made each product more clearly Coca-Cola, but also more similar to the other. We covered the original announcement in our piece on Coca-Cola's new global identity.

It's a useful reminder that consistency and differentiation have to be balanced.

Why it happens

When you strengthen a brand's shared look, you also reduce the differences between products in the range. That's what a system is supposed to do. But customers choosing quickly, in a shop or from a fridge, need to tell products apart in a glance.

The packaging lesson for any range

• A family needs a hierarchy. Decide what's shared (the brand) and what changes (the variant). The variant cue has to be strong enough to see from a distance.
• Test in real conditions. Check packs side by side, at a distance, in poor light and on a shelf next to competitors.
• Think about mistakes. Mixing up two flavours is annoying. Mixing up regular and zero-sugar can matter more for customers who have a reason to choose.
• Use more than one signal. Colour, shape, type size and position can all help. Relying on one is risky.
• Check how it looks online. Thumbnails on a website or delivery app need to work too.

What to do with your own range

1. Line up your products and squint. Can you still tell them apart?
2. Ask customers which they'd pick, and see if they get it right.
3. Make the key difference, such as flavour, strength or size, the easiest thing to see.
4. Write it into your brand guidelines, so new products follow the same logic.

When to get help

A packaging system is a strategy as much as a design. Our guide to brand architecture explains how products relate, and our packaging design team can help build a range that works on shelf and online.

Book a consultation to talk through your range.