We love them because, like other FMCG, they come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and styles – similar to soda packaging, which we’ve also covered recently in a blog just like this one.

Highlighting soda and chips packaging; we sure know how to keep you guys fed with high quality content, don’t we?

The Packaging Design Brief Template

A packaging design brief is a very valuable resource as it tells your chosen agency everything they need to know abou...

download now

Below you’ll find some of our favourite examples of chip packaging design, some that are currently out at the moment, others that are simply concepts found on the portfolios of some very talented packaging designers.

We thought we’d offer you a mixed bag in this way, as some of the other blogs we’ve read on this particular subject tend to lean on one particular side, choosing to highlight either or, instead of celebrating both.

And that’s exactly what this post is:

A celebration of expertly designed packaging; the kind that sticks with you long after you’ve finished the last chip.

Now, let’s jump right in, starting with one of the hottest packaging designs around.

Credit to Paqui

Paqui (One Chip Challenge)

We’re kicking off the list of great chip packaging designs with a personal favourite of mine, from a brand known for its viral challenges. I’m of course referring to Paqui, the infamous brand behind the One Chip Challenge.

Now, I’ve never tried one of its chips as I’m a big spicy food guy – or like torturing myself with food, generally – but I have seen the packaging designs for these chips and they are a cut above all the rest.

You see each pack comes with only one chip, so Paqui decided to box it up in what looks like a miniature coffin of sorts – one decorated in hazard symbols, flames, grim reapers, and anything else you’d associate with danger or death.

They’ve gone through a few different chip packaging designs in recent years, my favourite of which has to be the one you see above (the one soaked in red).

If you’ve seen any of the One Chip Challenge videos online, you’ll notice that barely anyone gives any attention to the packaging, and will simply throw it to one side.

I’d be keeping it if I had the stones to actually try one of these things.

Credit to Doritos

Doritos

You’d have to be living under a rock to have never tried Doritos – or at least know what they are and just how popular they are to people around the world. And that’s without mentioning just how recognisable the Doritos logo and its packaging is.

That said, I bet you haven’t seen Doritos quite like this.

What you see is the work of packaging designer Peter Pavlov, who has reimagined the limits of chip packaging design with this Transformers-like design that simply pops open whenever you’re ready to eat.

There’s multiple reasons as to why I think this is an exceptional concept, but what takes the cake for me is the fact that the triangles you see on the front are both referential and part of what helps the packaging go from one shape to another.

While cool, it’s an example of something you rarely see on supermarket shelves given how much it would cost to produce at high volume.

Still, a chip-loving, packaging design lover like me can dream, can’t I?

Credit to Popchips

Popchips

There’s a lot to appreciate with our next packaging design. Popchips – the brand known for its ‘popped not fried’ approach to potato chips – has been very creative in branding its range of products.

The most recent design is as sleek as it gets, wasting very little space on each packet, with each flavour getting its own colour and styling to help separate it from other flavours within the Popchips family.

Another great thing about this iteration of the design is that it has reduced the size on the inside and outside plastic layers, meaning it doesn’t use as much materials.

“Better for you doesn’t have to be boring and our new pack design reflects the positive, fun and colourful personality of the popchips brand.”
– Kevin McNair, KP’s Marketing Director

KP Snacks, the company behind the popular chip brand, has estimated that this change will save up to 23 tonnes of materials, the equivalent of over five million fewer packets a year.

This is part of KP’s ‘pacKPromise‘ which involves using less packaging company-wide, with the end goal of all its plastic film packaging being fully recyclable by 2025.

Sustainability goals aside, I love this packaging.

Credit to Tostitos

Tostitos

Simplicity isn’t always so bad as it might seem; just look at this Tostitos packaging design for the perfect example. Sure, the design isn’t as complex as the Doritos and Paqui ones before it, but I wouldn’t call it bad, or say anything negative about it.

I think it looks pretty good – plus, I’m a sucker for logos that reference what the brand sells. In this case, there’s a chip getting dipped between the two T letters.

Seeing such a great logo in the middle of the packet instantly puts a little smile on my face.

Maybe you feel the same?

The various coloured shapes, how everything on the packets are spread out, and the fact that they include dipping suggestions for each flavour, only add to the overall appeal of this chip packaging design.

If I could wrap up why I like this chip packaging design in one line, I’d say this:

This FMCG brand has perfected the art of the see-through packaging window.

There’s just something about seeing food in the packaging that’s so interesting to me, which more than likely has something to do with my mistrust with these brands when they say “20% bigger,” when in reality, all that’s changed is the size of the bag.

Seeing what’s inside is also confirmation that they aren’t all smashed to pieces. Anyway, I’m rambling.

We’re giving Tostitos’ chip packaging design a big thumbs up.

Credit to Kettle Chips

Kettle

Kettle Baked Chips are another popular brand that you might be familiar with? Like Popchips, Kettle cooks its chips very differently compared to other brands.

For those not up to date on how chips are made, kettle-cooked chips are done in batches, whereas regular chips are made in a continuous process.

Both are still fried in oil but they do have a different taste/texture to them.

Kettle’s branding and packaging designs definitely stand out on shelves, but the design we want to direct your attention to is another experimental concept – this time from Junpyo Kim, a creative designer from Seoul.

Kim’s packaging design is unlike anything else we’ve seen, in that we can’t say we’ve ever seen chip packets that you can open and reseal – in the same way you would face wipes and various other hygiene-based products.

Here’s Kim’s reasoning behind such an interesting design choice:

“You may have experienced sort of annoying moments when trying to enjoy a packet of potato chips.

For example, it is not easy to open the bag by grabbing each side and pulling it apart. You have to put your hand deeper in the bag as you eat, ending up with getting your hand dirty with oil and crumbs.

It is not handy to share it with someone as the open side would not accommodate two hands at the same time. This design suggests a new way of enjoying your chips by helping solve such problems.”

Credit to Terra crisps

Terra

Next up is Terra and its range of sophisticated chip packaging designs for its range of real vegetable chips.

So, what’s to love?

The first thing that stands out to me is the very striking typeface at the top; that, and the image of the chips in the centre that are lit by a spotlight of sorts.

I also love that all of the ingredients can be found towards the bottom of the packet, telling you everything you need to know about the flavour without having to look on the back for the info. The fact that there’s text underneath each ingredient also helps given how small the ingredients are.

Some vegetables look alike, so having that information on the front of the packaging certainly helps in terms of providing clarity.

Most vegetable-based chip brands tend to go for something that is super bright and evoking. What’s great about Terra is they’ve chosen to go in the complete opposite direction with something that’s a lot darker without alienating the uniqueness of what’s inside.

At Canny, when we work on packaging designs we always try to envision what the product will look like on shelves, and how easy you can spot the product when it’s surrounded by others.

Terra has no problems standing out in that regard.

Credit to Cheetos

Cheetos

It ain’t easy being cheesy, and it ain’t easy to reinvent your packaging designs multiple times without alienating your customers.

Cheetos is the master of reinvention, and has been for quite some time, and if you want evidence of that just look at how Chester Cheetah has changed his stripes over the years.

He’s gone through multiple art styles, and interpretations, and is still kicking around. The application of Chester has always entertained me in some way or another, and is often the first thing I look for whenever I see these cheesy chips out in the wild.

In previous packaging designs he’s worn hoodies, ridden bikes, played football (soccer for the Americans reading this), and even juggled.

We should point out that Chester isn’t always the focal point.

In some countries, there’s no crazy mascot on the packaging – like in the UK, for example. Instead you’ll find images of whatever’s inside, accompanied by a custom type that tells you what flavour it is.

Both chip packaging designs (with and without Chester) work very well at grabbing your attention. The logo of Cheetos is also worth highlighting when you consider the fact that it’s gone unchanged for so many years.

Sure, the placement of the logo has shifted around a bit, but it’s always angled the same way and can be found dead centre towards the top.

Are Cheetos considered chips, by the way?

Hell if I know; we’re still including them in our list of the best chip packaging designs, regardless.

Credit to Tyrrell’s

Tyrrell’s

Old meets new in wonderful ways is one of the only ways to describe the packaging designs of Tyrell’s chips – a brand that is also a part of the KP Snacks company.

What I love, love, love about these particular packaging designs is how simplistic they are. There’s no over-the-top icons or illustrations that distract you; it’s just:

• Black and white image
• Distinct colour
• Brand name
• And chip flavour

It’s so simple, and yet, so effective.

What’s also effective is how absurd the images are when they add certain ingredients into the mix. For example, in the Sweet Chilli & Red Pepper flavour, there’s an image of three firefighters all holding onto a giant red chilli.

It’s funny. It’s fun. And it helps Tyrell’s stand out from the crowd.

I don’t think the chip packaging designs would be as good if it weren’t for these inclusions. They’re almost like mini pieces of art in and of themselves; something you might display at home if they were offered as prints.

Tyrell’s, if you’re reading this, please start selling these designs as prints, because there’s a lot of us out here that would love to make a purchase!

Credit to Mara Design Studio

Popitas

If you’re a big fan of illustrative designs on your FMCG products, then you’re going to really enjoy the next chip packaging design on our list.

Popitas is another hypothetical branding/packaging design project – one that we could easily see become a reality given the quality of what we’ve seen.

There are four unique flavours of Popitas, each with its own colour and style. You have:

1. Cheddar
2. BBQ
3. Sea Salt
4. Crema Cebolla

It’s hard to pick a favourite Popitas design out of the four chosen designs, as they all have something interesting going on. That said, I’d probably have to go with the BBQ flavour due to its inviting colour scheme.

I also like the type of the word ‘BBQ’ a lot better than some of the other flavours. The red background behind it is also in the shape of a sauce packet.

It’s the little things like this that make a massive difference from a design POV.

Mara Rodríguez is the packaging designer behind Popitas, someone who has a portfolio full of unique designs if you fancy taking a look at some of her other works.

Credit to Lays

Lays

Lays, Walkers, call them what you want; they’re still one of the most popular chips out right now. Personally, I don’t really like them as far as flavour and all that goes, but that’s just my opinion.

On the packaging design side of things, the brand does an exceptional job of separating itself from the pack*

The asterix there is purposeful, as I feel like the Lays packaging design is at its best when it’s for an exclusive/limited edition run – like with the brand’s ‘Smile’ packaging series.

I love this series because it adds a vital ingredient to the packaging, that being:

A strong sense of personality.

The Smile packaging has gone through multiple iterations in the past, all showcasing various different expressions and people. I can’t say I’ve seen anything like it on a bag of chips before.

China even received an exclusive line of designs that featured various cartoons instead of people that looked pretty good too! Those are a lot more cheeky, and feature some highly creative designs too.

The basic packaging for Lays is great in a very simplistic way too, I just find these exclusive versions a lot more engaging in comparison.

Bright, Crunchy, and Pretty Sweet: The Best in Chip Packaging Design

So, what did you think of our selection? Would you purchase any of the chips mentioned above based solely on the design of the packaging?

I certainly would if I came across some of them in my travels (Paqui’s, Tyrrell’s, and Popitas come to mind as the best of the bunch). Would you agree, or do you have your own favourites in mind?

Either way, if there’s one thing we can all agree on, it’s this:

Packaging design, in general, is such an important aspect of any FMCG product.

Without a compelling or eye-catching design, your product is likely to get passed on time and time again. These days, customers are very picky about the brands they interact with, and consume on a regular basis.

Having a great tasting product is only half the battle. Which is why if you’re currently in the process of bringing a product to market, you need to ensure that your packaging design and branding is up to snuff.

These are areas that we can help you with here at Canny.

We’re a creative agency that has played its part in bringing various packaging designs to market – be it Opi Frutta, Noochy Poochy, and Shodai, to name but a few.

These brands have all gone on to find continuous success, and you can too.

So what are you waiting for?

Get in touch today and let’s create something that fully connects with your customers, through and through.

The rules are, there are no rules!

The more fun, colourful, and engaging the better, as these brands need to appeal to such a vast audience, and packaging is the way to catch the attention of consumers.

The Packaging Design Brief Template

A packaging design brief is a very valuable resource as it tells your chosen agency everything they need to know abou...

download now

The beauty of candy packaging is that it can be anything, boxes, bags, cartons, tins, or jars, and this is what makes the design process all the more fun.

With candy brands popping up left, right and centre, there is a lot of competition for brands to come up with new and exciting ideas to make their packaging stand out.

In this blog post we will be exploring some of the most popular candy brands, and finding out what makes their candy packaging designs hit that sweet spot.

So, let’s get going…

Credit to Mars Wrigley

1. M&M’s, Let M Say it For You

We are starting off with a crowd favourite, and for this design M&M’s teamed up with Spotify to bring packaging with a sprinkle of humour.

Back in 2021, candy giant M&M’s appealed to a wide audience with their campaign ‘Let M say it for you’, as each packet contained a different message suitable for several social situations.

Whether consumers wanted to say congratulations or I miss you, the brand had a witty message to match.

Each packet included an extra added bonus too, as each message was paired with a unique Spotify playlist to match the vibe. For example one packet read “Have a great day pretending to do work”, containing a link to a Spotify playlist to ‘make you feel like a boss’.

We thought this was a clever way to get consumers involved in the humorous side of everyday life, by preaching the idea of not taking things too seriously.

Linking with top music streaming platform Spotify, helps the brand to do this as it encourages people to laugh and dance, and reaches over 400 million users worldwide.

Not only this but every packet is different, the brand has used a different colour palette and font for every single message, meaning you could spend hours in the store picking out your favourite!

M&M’s have managed to cater to their wide target audience and reflect the unique feelings and personality of the individual consumer, we can see why they’re a world favourite.

Credit to Sour Patch Kids

2. Sour Patch Kids

Now onto another classic that definitely hit that packaging sweet, and sour, spot.

Sour Patch Kids are another super colourful brand, using almost neon shades of yellow and green, to mimic the sour taste we all know and love.

With these colours as the backdrop, the black outline of the logo really stands out, and the little gummy kids circle the logo as if they are taking over the packet.

This candy packaging in particular has a real sense of duality, as the gummies are targeted towards children and adults. The waving gummies appeal to both audiences, as does the logo, as each letter has been purposefully rounded on one side, and squared off on the other, creating a youthful and mature vibe all at once.

The best part of this design however was hidden for quite some time, as consumers didn’t zoom in to the edge of the packaging, which is populated with tiny sour patch kids.

This sneaky added design within the obscured border is made up of hundreds, if not thousands of lime green sour patch kids.

They’re taking over the world, not just the packaging!

Credit to Wallace Church

3. Retro Red Vines

For nearly 100 years now, Red Vines have been a movie theatre staple, and it seems hard to imagine a time where they weren’t the worlds favourite film companion.

The brand has had a slight switch up and mirrored this idea, providing us with new candy packaging that has more of a classic, retro feel.

Red Vines stayed true to their brand identity with their classic colours of a rich red and blue, but they have softened the logo, scrapping the harsher font for something smoother, with the tail of the R flowing nicely to connect the logo together.

Due to the shape of the packet and the linework around the edges, the packaging reminds us of old style cinema or theatre ticket, particularly with the addition of the small red retro label displaying the flavour ‘Original Red’.

This ribbon effect to the ticket style candy packaging is highly recognisable and memorable for the consumer, and probably the first design element that pops into our heads when we think of Red Vines.

Something that isn’t often done with candy packaging anymore, but is mouth-wateringly effective, is having a small window showing the candy inside. Red Vines have included this as part of their packaging as if to say, ‘look at me, I’m the one you want’.

Credit to Just Born, Inc

4. Hot Tamale!

Another classic that has been up and running for around 70 years is Hot Tamales, and their packaging sure is on fire!

The well-known fireball character is still there above the logo, wearing his shades, but this time is surrounded by swirling red flames, which create a lot more depth and dimension on the front of the box.

These flames stand out far more on the deeper burgundy base colour of the packaging and the box is more of a gradient of fiery colours from the deeper shades of red, to the yellow, and finally the white hot logo in the centre.

This design captures the colours of a roaring fire far better than the original packaging, and we can almost feel the heat.

To turn the heat up even more, the flavour is described as ‘fierce cinnamon’, with the wording of ‘fierce’ showing the growing heat of the candy with the varying colours from yellow, to orange, to red.

The angled font used throughout the packaging design only intensifies how hot and fiery the packaging and candy is, which further compliments the speedy fireball by matching his spicy character.

This candy packaging was a much needed update, is hot, and certainly hits that sweet spot.

Credit to ADWEEK

5. Nerds

Although they’ve partnered with Dungeons and Dragons, Nerds have somehow managed to make it lovable.

This candy packaging’s success is all down to the tiny Nerd shaped characters, every time.

For this campaign, each Nerds character is dressed ready to play the fantasy tabletop role play game, decked out with shields, helmets and we believe one has a ukulele.

This particular box of candy shows a reimagination of a Dungeons and Dragons ‘Mimic’ character, but this time presented as a chest filled with Nerds sweets, luring the little characters in.

This is so effective in promoting both the game and the candy, showing that Nerds really are that hard to resist.

The company has held onto the colourful packaging that is central to their brand, incorporating a mixture of pink, purple, green, yellow and blue letting us know, the rainbow candy is still inside.

Nerd’s have done a great job here of keeping the cuteness of the candy intact, whilst working with Dungeons and Dragons to promote exclusive content.

6. Reeses Keep it Classic

You may not have known about this one before E.T. but we guarantee you do now.

Reeses have stuck to their original brand identity since Eliot lured the worlds favourite extra-terrestrial into his house with Reeses Pieces, and that’s why they’re still a worldwide favourite.

The brand adopted orange as their colour in the world of candy packaging, and never looked back, and this paired with the classic yellow logo is so effective because it’s so simple.

You can’t tell us this isn’t an example of memorable packaging?

The outline of a peanut butter cup underlines the logo nicely, containing the words ‘2 peanut butter cups’ and the logo is then only accompanied by an image of the candy itself.

On all Reese’s packaging we see a peanut butter cup with a bite taken out, revealing the soft peanut buttery centre, leaving you wanting more.

7. Skittles, Give the Rainbow

We think this one is particularly genius.

With this limited edition candy packaging Skittles supported the LGBTQ+ community and Pride month in particular by stripping back their packaging.

The slogan for the campaign was “During Pride only one rainbow matters” scrapping their world-famous colourful packaging for a monochromatic look instead.

While the packaging design is exactly the same as the classic red packet that displays every colour of the rainbow, it looks to us like it could be a completely different brand!

The white Skittles pouch with the black logo and font stands out in a completely different way, as candy packaging is usually the one to jump off the shelves for its colour, but this provides a brilliant contrast.

As well as the packaging being completely black and white, so is the candy inside. Skittles went the extra mile with their support and made sure the individual Skittles inside the packet were white too, each displaying a small black S.

This not only expressed the company’s solidarity, but gave consumers an extra surprise as without the classic rainbow colours, it is impossible to tell which flavour is which.

Credit to Bulletproof

8. Swedish Fish

In order to remain in the hearts of consumers, Swedish fish experienced a sweet new rebrand.

This candy packaging certainly hits that sweet spot, as it is playful, colourful and timeless, in comparison to the older more vintage looking packaging.

Again, they are another example of a brand that sticks to the basic colours of red, yellow and blue which works well as the blue and yellow reminds us of a day at the beach.

Equally blue and yellow are the colours of the Swedish flag, this helps to nicely tie the culture into the candy packaging.

This paired with the classic red Swedish Fish being thrown up in the air by a crashing wave, really brings the packaging to life.

For this packaging rebrand, Swedish Fish were another example of a brand including a real example of what the candy looks like, adding a 3D look to the packet with the embossed gummy fish.

Even the logo underwent some changes during the rebrand process, with the brand using a more rounded playful font, topped off with the dot of the ‘i’ being replaced with a tiny little fish.

The new typeface has more of a flow which unsurprisingly replicates the movement of a fish, giving it a natural flow in comparison to the old serif typeface that was pretty still and flat in our opinion.

This was a much needed update for the brand in order to stay relevant and popular in the growing competitive industry.

In our eyes they pulled the rebrand off swimmingly.

Credit to Honey Mammas

9. Sweet Like Honey Mama’s

Now onto something a little different.

This next candy bar is brilliant purley because of the mixture of flavours, packaging and colours.

First of all, Honey Mama’s is on a quest to change the way consumers see indulgent food, using ingredients like raw cacao and honey, avoiding refined sugar, gluten and dairy.

This is almost mirrored in their packaging, as the candy looks like something fresh out of your local farm shop or farmers market. The circular logo contains almost all of the text, keeping the packaging neat and tidy, and the lines around each circle look a bit like rays of sunshine.

This packaging uses a range of typefaces such as script, serif, and sans serif fonts which normally would be a challenge to pull off. However this works well for Honey Mama’s as it ties the packaging in together very nicely, giving off a slightly traditional, retro look.

Not only this but the company’s logo includes a small bee illustration that is placed above the brand name on every bar, adding to the natural organic feel to the packaging.

This bar is heaven so far!

Equally, the colours used on each bar complement each other nicely, for example lilac mixed with a deeper shade of purple, or bright orange tied with a chocolate brown. This colour palette provides a nice contrast to competitor candy packaging that can quite often be loud, colourful, and sometimes in your face.

Overall, Honey Mama’s gets a like rating from us, providing packaging that is sweet like their candy.

10. Her / She

Another candy packaging example giving others a run for their money, was Hershey’s International Women’s Day campaign candy bars.

The word Hershey, funnily enough as you may have noticed, contains both the words ‘her’ and ‘she’.

Although that may have been obvious to most, what the brand did with this was totally refreshing and engaging.

Hershey invited creative, talented women who were writers, singers, poets and artists to get involved designing packaging for the candy bar.

Real examples of women’s creative work whether that was poetry, photography or illustrations, were showcased on each individual bar, celebrating the successes of women.

This packaging really hit the sweet spot for everyone as there were various different designs to choose from, and the limited edition bars sold out in a matter of days.

Interestingly each and every bar had either the word ‘her’ or ‘she’ but never the full brand name. Instead the pronouns were accompanied by either a Spotify QR code for “Her music” or fun illustrations for “She draws”.

This candy packaging was certainly an innovative way to support and promote the talent and success of women around the world, and we loved it.

11. Oreo, Sharing is Caring

Love and support seems to be the underlying theme of today’s blog post, as Oreo provided us with an example of allyship in the LGBTQ+ community.

We think this one possibly wins the award for the most positive, uplifting quotes sandwiched onto one packet, as for Pride month Oreo decided to ditch the classic blue packaging and use the rainbow for inspiration.

Plastered all over this candy packaging were quotes and affirmations such as:

“Be exactly who you are the world needs more of that”

“You can be anything, do anything, love anyone”

All written in different fonts and colours surrounding an Oreo heart, which itself was embossed with the word ‘Proud’.

This packaging reminded us of doodles and notes about love, or graffiti with the mismatch of fonts, including cursive, script and bubble lettering, in vibrant colours.

The main message of this packaging was to provide a “canvas for allies to share their words of pride”, and the brand provided a box titled “real words from proud allies, add yours:” to encourage consumers to share their support and of course, share their Oreos.

11 Examples of Candy Packaging That Hits the Sweet Spot: Review

So there we go, 11 examples of candy packaging that really do hit that sweet spot.

Sweet in terms of design, and sweet in terms of sentiment, as a lot of candy brands seem to really focus their branding on positive, and supportive messaging for important causes.

We have covered classic candy brands such as Reeses and Red Vines who mainly stick to what they know, and newer brands such as Nerds and Skittles who never fail to keep their packaging colourful and popping off the shelves.

In the ever-growing industry of candy, packaging is key to securing your loyal consumers that will come to you every time for the candy they know and love. Vibrant colours, switching fonts and getting playful with packaging ideas, are all essential to creating and maintaining your brand identity that doesn’t just appeal to the child consumer, but the adults too!

If you are struggling with packaging design or just need a bit of help discovering and securing your brand identity, get in touch with us here at Canny.

We have helped various brands, such as Kono Coffee, create packaging designs and build up their brand identity, to suit their business needs and help reach their goals. Whatever they may be.

Are there any standout examples of candy packaging that we have missed on this list? Let us know your favourites, and your not so favourites, via our social media channels.

It has become an art in its own right, and as brands continue to evolve, they start to add technology, celebrity, mystery, (and in some cases Cannabidiol or ‘CBD’), to stand out against the crowd.

The Packaging Design Brief Template

A packaging design brief is a very valuable resource as it tells your chosen agency everything they need to know abou...

download now

One trend that we’ve noticed when it comes to soda can packaging design, is a bigger move towards simplicity. Some of our old favourites, such as Coca-Cola and 7UP have been doing this (and succeeding) for years, as sometimes less is more.

In this blog post we will visit both old and new soda can packaging designs to find out what makes it ‘pop’ to the consumer.

So with that said, let’s get started with an old classic who always shows us how it’s done…

Coca cola with added AR

Whilst Coca-Cola has kept their iconic logo created back in 1941 for this one, their innovative design incorporating augmented reality AR, gives us something completely new to get our teeth into.

In 2019, the soda giant incorporated AR onto their cans and bottles, to add a little something extra to their Christmas campaign, while retaining the classic Coca-Cola red and script mark.

The Coca-Cola polar bears, which originated in the 90’s, came to life when consumers scanned their can of soda to reveal them playing in the snow.

Digital engagement manager at Coca-Cola North American said:

“We wanted to give fans a fun new way to engage with the brand and bring the magic of the polar bears to life”.

The interactive polar bears enhanced the already magical feeling Coca-Cola manage to create around Christmas time every year, with their huge red trucks and the “holidays are coming” jingle.

The AR element of the packaging was an improvement on their first round of interactive soda cans just a few months earlier, which was their first exploration with AR based marketing.

This was a big step for the brand, as this wasn’t the first time AR has been added into their packaging, and it certainly wasn’t the last, (as we will learn later in this post).

Credit to Reddit

Mug Root Beer

Finally, a root beer design with a bit of character!

Now, although Coca-Cola is no doubt number 1 worldwide when it comes to soda, Root Beer is up there as one of the most popular sodas.

Unfortunately, they all look quite similar, with one exception.

PepsiCo owned root beer brand, Mug, who rebranded years ago and never looked back. This rebrand was huge for Mug, as despite the layout of the design being practically identical, the graphics were changed to give more of a 3D effect.

Most important, was the addition of the new brand mascot “Dog” who is holding a mug of root beer, front and centre.

This packaging design is way more friendly than before, and gives the brand more of a personality compared to their 2D identity before, that was quite frankly, a bit dated.

This branding is more of a nod to the Old English beer design, bringing to mind a tankard of beer in a country pub.

Plus, that 3D foam around the edge of the box just makes us want to take a sip!

Against the majority of other root beer packaging designs, Mug is our winner.

Credit to Foodsided

Sprite, Live from the Label

Packaging that pops, and hip-hops.

Now, we know this campaign was printed onto their bottles, not their cans, but we had to include this one from Sprite.

This unique idea launched by the brand, allowed fans and consumers to scan QR codes on their bottles to gain access to a range of hip-hop concerts in the summer of 2021.

Rap artists Saweetie, Latto, and Jack Harlow were part of this campaign, attracting all of those younger Sprite drinkers, to scan and go.

Despite the bottle design remaining fairly similar, the label was stripped on the front and back to allow for the QR code to be seen.

This was the main attraction of the design, so if you didn’t turn the bottle around, your only indication of the campaign is the tiny cartoon microphone above the classic Sprite logo.
However, it’s still such a cool campaign, supporting upcoming artists, and including interactivity as part of branding and design.

Credit to Crown

Mountain Dew

A soda typically popular in the US, takes on the middle-east with this packaging.

Back in 2019, Mountain Dew released what we think is their best packaging yet.

Special edition, neon, glow in the dark cans.

The brand used fluorescent inks to create this look, accentuating the logo, and no doubt grabbing customers attention and boosting sales.

This packaging design still makes the original branding clear, however it also offers a bold, new design almost as an added extra. You get the best of both with this design, as the classic fluorescent green is still there with the unforgettable logo, yet the glow in the dark element adds a unique surprise and a bit of fun.

It’s almost as if this design is showing Mountain Dew’s alter ego, especially when we see the two versions of the can side by side.

Credit to Travel and Leisure

Poppi, Bubbles with Benefits

70’s-style cans, with a modern twist – this rebrand arrived in 2020 and is 10 times more pleasing on the eye, after the original brand ‘Mother’ received investment from Shark Tank.

The brand moved to aluminium cans, with unique, eye-catching shrink sleeve designs, appealing to a younger audience.

Poppi now uses bold and bright colours to the extreme, and each can has a different colour based on the flavour inside.

Funnily enough, their fruity graphics have more than one purpose, and equally disguise the fact that these fun soda’s are actually designed to improve your gut health.

Who’d have thought it?

Every can is infused with apple cider vinegar, but this doesn’t take away from the taste, and the brand has unique 10 flavours to choose from.

If you’re looking for a summer bev that makes your gut sing, look no further.

Poppi has our stamp of approval, but we’re not sure it trumps world favourite Coca-Cola for the soda can packaging design top spot just yet.

Credit to Amazon

Tango

If you’re a Fanta fan, then look away for this one.

Tango always seems to stick to what they know, and why not?

However, they did change it up ever so slightly for the release of their sugar-free flavours in 2019.

The iconic punctured fruit on the black can is still central to the design, but this time, it feels smarter. The brand’s aim is to get the attention of young shoppers in supermarkets by providing sugar-free soda’s, but still highlighting the edginess the brand has always had.

Now to appeal to the younger audience, we would have thought that the edginess would have been amped up! This was Tango’s opportunity to blast the fruit all over the can, and include more of their original puns such as “Nectang of the Gods” and “Centre of Tangiverse”, to get the newer generations on board.

We don’t know whether we prefer the OG designs, or the new sugar free cans.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments below!

Credit to The Official Stellenbosch Academy Blog

Sierra Mist

Sprite and 7UP, may have a run for their money with this one.

Now while Sierra Mist may have rebranded once or twice in their lifetime, we think their current soda can packaging design is one that should stick.

There is nothing better than a well-loved brand getting a refresh, and this design is just that.

Sierra Mist have kept the essence of the brand, by creating their well-known mountain range feature within the ‘M’ of the logo, and keeping their core colours of green, yellow, and white.

Whilst keeping the design true to the brand, it hasn’t completely lost the interest of Sierra Mist’s audience, but comes across softer than other lemon-lime soda’s packaging designs.

We definitely love this design from Sierra Mist, as it has a more youthful feel to it, using circular shapes, and moving away from that retro soda can design.

Credit to Cision

Pepsi goes retro

Pepsi isn’t alone when it comes to going back in time, and giving their brand a retro twist.

It is now common for popular brands to take a step back and go more traditional with their logos, rather than confusing everyone with something so fancy we can’t even make out what it says.

With a little help from popular US singer and rapper, Doja Cat, the famous Cola brand released two limited edition soda flavours in black cherry and cream soda.

The partnership was in celebration of the 50th anniversary of Grease, however let’s get into the packaging design first…

The new soda can design takes you back in time, and is really effective in attracting both older and newer generations to try out the new flavours.

Although the logo colouring remains blue, the font and style is reminiscent of the 1940’s logo -in fact it might be the exact thing! The colouring of the can is softer overall, and the brand resorted back to the name ‘Pepsi-Cola’, for one time and one time only.

Pepsi’s black cherry cola is the one we have our eyes on.

Credit to Scottish Local Retailer

What the Fanta

We couldn’t include Tango, and not mention its rival.

With their launch of 3 new flavours, Fanta added a splash of mystery to the world of soda can packaging.

This ‘What The Fanta’ campaign isn’t brand new, but the pink bottle and flavours inside certainly are.

Released earlier this year, the company encourages Fanta fanatics to taste test their new flavours and guess exactly what’s inside.

This creatively puts all of the power in the packaging, as the Fanta bottle and label design remains the same, but the question mark in place of the classic logo certainly gets our attention.

By focussing on the question mark rather than the Fanta logo, it creates intrigue and gives consumers a challenge to rise to.

What’s more is that the fluorescent pink shade of the drink is eye-catching in itself, meaning it is worthy of a place in the rankings of soda can packaging that pops!

Fanta has done a brilliant job here at meeting consumer demand for zero sugar soda, and the mystery gets everybody involved.

Credit to Game Informer

Coca-Cola Byte – Taste the Pixels

Now yes, we have already mentioned Coca-Cola, so it may seem unfair to bring them back again for round 2.

However, this one technically doesn’t count in our world, as it claims to be the first Cola flavour created in the metaverse.

You guessed it, Coca-Cola is at it again with AR.

This limited edition packaging is something out of their usual comfort zone, and takes us into the digital world of soda. So, we thought it was definitely worth a mention.

As you can see from the logo, the usual font and size is used, however the entire logo is pixelated to mimic how the drink is meant to taste. Errr like pixels…?
The packaging mimics the pixelation of video games from the 80’s, and if you look too long, the can is bordering on an optical illusion.

The most radical of design changes however, is the switch to lilac from the traditional, world-famous red Cola can.

What we understand from this release is that if you love fizz, Byte may just suit you.

Scanning this QR code will transport you to Coca-Cola’s metaverse, where you can attend a live concert, or try your hand at their Byte AR minigame.

Released in April earlier this year, the company urges you to get it while you can, before it disappears back into the metaverse.

Credit to Scottish Local Retailer

7UP

Although 7UP have moved on since their reunion with Fido Dido in 2019 to clear recyclable bottles, we think these designs were their best!

Each of the designs show the ‘King of Chill’ either wearing sunnies, laying back in relaxation, or giving the peace sign. The design is simple but so effective, as Fido Dido is still just as relatable as he was in the 90’s, and catches the attention of both old and new shopping generations.

The simplicity of the character drawing means there is no fuss, and it really does represent the feeling of freedom and relaxation, hence the campaign slogan ‘Feels Good to be Free’. This nicely links with the fact that 7UP is now completely sugar-free.

The premise behind this partnership was to encourage all fans of the brand to slow down, and appreciate the little things in life.

We don’t know about you, but we feel those vibes from the King of Chill.

Credit to Calypso

Calypso, A Taste of the Islands

Time for a US original now.

Calypso was created in the 80’s, and is still thriving on its original soda can packaging.

This brand is refreshing with its recyclable packaging that is much more suited to the world we live in today, with the majority of people trying to make more eco-friendly choices. Hence, why it’s the type of packaging new brands today are adopting.

So, Calypso hasn’t had to change a thing. Good for them!

This brand is the definition of simple yet effective, but what makes it really pop are the colours.

Interestingly, the colour of the soda is the packaging itself, as the glass bottles allow us to see the brightly coloured, funky flavours on offer such as pineapple peach limeade and tropical mango lemonade.

The only thing about this classic design that doesn’t sit right with us, is the fact that the font and bottle cap colour don’t always match each other. The bottle caps of the ‘light’ drinks are blue, and the font is white.

Whereas, for all other drinks available, the caps and font match every time!

When we see all of the bottles standing together in a line, this bugs us for some reason!

Credit to Fab News

Flawsome with Wonky Fruit

Time for a quick UK interlude now, with two soda’s, Flawsome and Dalston’s.

Perhaps you’ve never heard of these soda brands but are intrigued to find out more? Well the good news is we’ve done our research, and they’re still available to buy from a range of shops and supermarkets!

Plus they’re a good choice if typical soda isn’t really your thing as technically, they’re not an official soda, but more of a sparkling, fruity drink.

Let’s start with Flawsome shall we.

The unique selling point of this brand is saving ‘wonky fruit’ that would otherwise end up in a bin. From each can, consumers learn how many apples or cherries they have rescued from the rubbish tip.

The soda can packaging appeals to a vast audience as it is colourful and welcoming, making you feel good about your purchase. This is emphasised even further through the brand messaging as Flawsome highlights how you have helped to reduce food waste.

Credit to Dalstons

Dalstons, Soda with Soul

Tasty, accessible, and eco-friendly, the soda can packaging that has it all.

Most importantly, this is a design that’s up there for us in terms of who we think comes out on top.

Dalton’s soda can packaging is crisp, refreshing, and creative, as the colours change to match what’s inside which is a nice added touch.

What’s most interesting about this packaging design is the unique set of logos, as for each flavour, whether you’re eager for elderflower or a lover of lemon, the cans’ design changes slightly. The ‘D’ is cleverly created by one long arm with two hands crushing up the ingredients to match the flavour.

This is a great logo design and also pushes the ethics of the brand which are focused on the use of all natural ingredients. This is echoed on their website which states, ‘real fruit, nothing weird’.

With flavours such as cherryade, ginger beer, and fizzy rhubarb, there is something for everyone without that pesky added sugar.

Credit to Forbes

Recess, Stay Cool, Calm and Collected

Self-care, canned – the idea behind this soda can packaging design.

Although spring has come and gone, summer is here, and nothing says it more than this can of soda!

Recess uses colours that mirror a sunset such as blues, oranges, pinks and purples, and before you even crack one open, you’re already feeling summery.

The muted pastels of the Recess cans scream summer relaxation, and the simplistic colouring of the packaging isn’t about to distract us from kicking back and relaxing.

Even the font is relaxing!

More importantly, this packaging inspires more than just relaxation, it encourages consumers to choose Recess over their usual glass of wine or double espresso. Even though this post is about packaging designs that pop, what’s inside the can counts too…

What makes these sparkling, fruity drinks unique is not the unusual flavour combos, but the infusion of hemp extract and adaptogens.

And even better, a select few of the drinks contain ‘mood-enhancing’ magnesium, promoting the focus of the brand which is to take it slow despite outside stress.

Well, we told you it was self-care, canned.

Credit to Zesty

Ocean Spray Wave

We all know this brand for their elite cranberry juice, that in our opinion, is still unmatched.

However, Ocean Spray has moved away from what they know…

Wave, is a low calorie, caffeinated, sparkling fruit drink available in four funky flavours, with the most interesting combo being Mandarin and Blackberry.

However, the emphasis for this one is on the caffeine content, hence the slogan, ‘ride that wave of energy in your day’.

Central to each can is an almond shape, displaying that if you give this bad boy a try, you’re getting 50MG of caffeine. So, if you’re a coffee drinker, this is about half a regular cup of joe.

The soda can packaging design is pretty classic for a fruity soda, with its off-white background hosting fun, fruity graphics, and a cursive font.

Soda Can Packaging That Pops

So, there we have it, our favourite soda can packaging design, that in our opinion, definitely pops!

We’ve covered brands famous, old, and new, and the various packaging designs that they have created over the years.

Although we can’t resist the likes of Coca-Cola’s introduction of AR, or 7UP’s classic designs with Fido Dido, the younger brands bring something unique to the table, and we are undecided between Poppi and Recess as our favourites.

Having a strong brand identity is central to these packaging designs as it is clear that younger brands focus on sustainability and consumer attention, which is achieved through eye-catching colouring and recyclable packaging.

It’s important all brands wake up to this shift in focus, as consumers are becoming a lot more conscious about their purchasing designs and how they affect the environment. This not only applies to soda cans and the FMCG market, but other sectors too.

If you’re designing packaging, or need any help establishing your brand identity, get in touch with Canny.

We’ve helped various brands create packaging that jumps out in a crowded marketplace, such as vegan dog food brand, Noochy Poochy, and we can do the same for you!

Sure there is, take this Advance Packing & Marketing Services rebrand, for example.

Established in 2007, the Australian company now known as ‘The Avocado Collective’ is a specialist in the handling, transporting and packing of, you guessed it, avocados.

It’s a rich company in the sense that it promotes a collective spirit, with over 60 growers across Western Australia all working towards a common goal, that being, you guessed it, avocados.

Avocados aside we really should talk about this rebrand properly. After all, a name change isn’t the only thing thing that changed.

The brand received a complete overhaul.

Everything from the logo, to the type, to the website, it’s all been updated to make for something a lot more playful/emotive.

Let’s look at it some more, shall we?

Let’s Start With The Name

That long-winded name the brand had — Advance Packing & Marketing Services — doesn’t sound anything like a company that sells, you guessed it, avocados.

It doesn’t even sound like a company known for gathering/shipping food. Sure you have the word ‘packing’ in there, but still.

‘The Avocado Collective’ has a much better ring to it, it also highlights one of the strongest attributes of the brand, period. That being:

Their emphasis on working as a collective to serve a much larger purpose.

It works on multiple levels, it works from a brand messaging standpoint and from the outside looking in.

Ask any random stranger what they think ‘The Avocado Collective’ represents and we can all but guarantee they’ll say something fruit-based within the first few answers.

Credit to Block

The New Logo And Type

Notice anything about the logo yet?

Here’s a hint:

Look at the counters in the letters with space within, and then tell us what you see.

That’s right, the custom typeface (Gooper) has been slightly modified to, again emphasise, you guessed it, avocados.

It’s such a satisfying logo to look at too, with the Gooper typeface balanced nicely with the HK Grotesk used that sits above and below the word ‘Avocado.’

It gives me a bit of a Tony’s Chocolony sort of vibe, a FMCG brand with really bright packaging and a unique approach to marketing.

Anyway, back to The Avocado Collective.

The playful nature of the centre typeface looks lush on mock-ups of business cards, design elements, and the updated website that flaunts these changes.

Credit to Block

Avocado-ception In The Monogram

The main logo, the one that highlights the full name of the updated brand, is found on most marketing materials.

However, Block (the agency behind this rebrand) saw fit to gift The Avocado Collective with a monogram to use on boxes and stickers you’d typically find on fruit.

“From naming to brand guidelines, avocado was at the centre of it all (literally, in the case of some of our letters). Block developed an instantly recognisable identity to last decades to come.”
— Block, the designer behind this rebrand

The monogram is in the shape of, you guessed it, an avocado, only in the centre you’ll find the letter A, again, showcasing that Gooper type.

It looks perfect on the boxes used to ship the fruit, putting the likes of Del Monte to shame, at least in our opinion.

Credit to Block

A Website To Grow Alongside

Let’s talk website changes.

The Avocado Collective now have a completely new website made from scratch. And what a clean website it is too.

The colour scheme of the site is very similar to, you guessed it, an avocado, with a dark green outer background and a creamier centre.

Reds are used throughout too, which really pop against the others colours used. The logo, for example, holds the entire page together.

The Avocado Collective’s values can be found on the front page of the homepage too, complete with various imagery showing, what we assume, are people who are apart of the collective.

You get a real sense of community from the site, with emphasis on West Australia and the the standard day-to-day processes of the business.

All in all, it’s a fantastic site that doesn’t let the other parts of the rebrand down.

Advancing Into Fruit: The Avocado Collective Rebrand Explored

This is definitely one of the better rebrands we’ve seen in recent memory.

The logo/type is definitely the main highlight of the rebrand. Again, Gooper was a fantastic choice, and the little avocados within add so much flavour to a type that’s already popping off the page.

In recent weeks we’ve covered a charity rebrand, a fashion rebrand and an orange soda rebrand.

All are cool, but there’s just something about, you guessed it, avocados and The Avocado Collective brand that sets itself aside from some of the others we’ve covered up to this point.

What do you think of this rebrand? And do you agree with me that the updated logo is the best part of it all?