“Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.” Scott Adams
Recently, I spotlighted three logo revamps that misfired and caused their companies to revert to their previous logos. Another logo redesign that stirred considerable controversy was the Pepsi logo introduced in 2008, eliminating a widely recognizable mark that had stood for 35 years. Many considered the new logo a mistake. Few have called it art.
Created by Peter Arnell, it still used a red, white and blue circle, but the wavy white band across the middle was transformed into a lopsided “smile.” In fact, Arnell created two other variations: a grin for Diet Pepsi and a laugh for Pepsi Max. Pepsico had enough sense to nix the grin and laugh but not enough to squash the smile. As a result, a multitude of designers have turned the “smile” into a reason to laugh.