There’s been quite the discussion around Pepsi’s latest rebrand.

Patrick of CR Blog finds it laughable. Freddy of adgoodness thinks it’ll work. And 450+ comments on Brand New offer interesting views.

“The more I thought about how I felt about the new identity, the more ridiculous I felt about having any regard or feelings at all.

“It’s soda. Headlines declare a financial meltdown threatens the entire planet and here I am considering the choice of thin san-serif.”

— Chris Glass

I can empathise, but as Chris goes on to say, the feelings are still there, regardless of value within the grander scheme.

Image via FormFiftyFive

Image from Greg Verdino on Flickr

What strikes me most isn’t the typeface, nor the cheesy grin, but just how often the directors choose to refresh the design.

Image via Chris Glass

A seemingly never-ending battle of one-upmanship with Coca Cola that continues to cost fortunes (the latest rebrand a mere $1.2 billion over three years — from AdAge.com).

Look at these classic cans.

Familiar, distinctive, iconic. I wonder how many billions have been spent on branding between then and now.