An inside look at PepsiCo’s new visual identity with its lead designer

After 25 years, PepsiCo’s corporate visual identity was ready for a reset — not to chase trends, but to reflect a company that has fundamentally evolved. Today’s PepsiCo is connected, consumer centric, and more intentional about how it shows up in the world. The new identity needed to do more than unify a vast global portfolio; it needed to feel human, too.

Translating that story into a single corporate identity meant showcasing what PepsiCo looks like today. This is not the same company it was 25 years ago. PepsiCo now operates as One PepsiCo — a global family of food and beverage brands connected by shared values and expressed through many occasions. It’s more unified and connected than ever before.

Today, PepsiCo is 500-plus brands, including Tostitos, Gatorade, Quaker, Siete and poppi, and more than 300,000 people. The new logo reflects a portfolio built from many parts. At its center is something simple and universal: a smile, designed to feel as human and approachable as the moments PepsiCo brands show up in every day.

Marco Escalante, Brand Senior Design Director, Global Corporate, served as the lead designer behind PepsiCo’s new corporate visual identity, unveiled in October 2025. He reflects on the responsibility of helping shape a brand identity at a global scale and the insight that sparked the rebrand — from the early sketches to the launch seen around the world.

In this Q&A, Marco, a 2026 PepsiCo Chairman’s Award winner, shares how the identity was designed to be approachable, timeless, and grounded in the power of a smile.

What core insight sparked the need for a rebrand?

We’re in different times. We’re not the same company we were 25 years ago — we are One PepsiCo. The identity needed to reflect that approachability. And we have a portfolio that draws a smile — from a comforting bowl of Quaker oatmeal to your first half marathon with Gatorade, to Sabritas and Walkers. All of it is connected to a smile.

How do you begin sketching a logo?

It was a big journey. We are so diverse and multi-faceted that it was impossible to describe with one element. At the heart of our logo is the letter “P,” a nod to our heritage. But it doesn’t stand on its own. It’s shaped by the forms around it — symbols that represent our values: consumer centricity, sustainability, and great taste. The “P” reveals itself when all those elements come together, a reminder that our purpose takes shape through connection. The color palette is drawn from the real world: the soil that grows our food to our drinks, and the vibrant tones that reflect our focus on people and the planet. We also have a new custom typeface with lowercase letters, which feels more approachable. If you remove any of the pieces, the “P” disappears. It's about the food with grains, the droplet with the drinks, and sustainability in the leaf — all carried by a big smile. It's the sum of the parts, and that's what makes us unique as a company.

There was a moment where you turned the switch on, and this identity was nearly everywhere. What was that like?

It’s impossible to forget. Everything started at three in the morning. We had to launch social media exactly on time. It felt like an ignition, like a rocket moving up. I was at the Design Center [in New York City] when they unveiled the new sign at headquarters... I got emotional, to be honest. That's when I understood all the time, the multiple sketches — everything was real. I only represent a very talented group of people, creative people. Our partners in marketing, in comms, in HR, and more all came together in that moment.

You worked on both logo identities for PepsiCo, the previous one, 25 years ago, and today's logo. What were the biggest differences in the approach?

I was 24 years younger, working for an agency, and maybe I was not at that time 100% clear of the caliber of the project I was working on. I was a senior designer back then. I only wanted to design, period.

In those years, dot-com exploded, and the internet exploded. There was a very specific graphic style in those days, too. It was about globality. And globality was a very fundamental part of that identity. The type wordmark in that identity is very heavy. It's in all caps. But now, the typography is all lower-case, with gestures of calligraphy. It's very human… and there's nothing more honest and human than a smile.

How do you ensure that a brand identity like this one remains timeless, yet still feels fresh and fit for the long-term?

The most successful identities in design history are not necessarily following a trend. You need to find an idea that can sustain time as much as we can… we want authenticity; we want something realistic. We want to stay with this identity. We just wanted to follow and solve a communication challenge problem. And I think we delivered. And I'm very, very happy for that.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.