Brand Book
Coca-Cola
The pause that refreshes
Identity
Palette
Coca-Cola Red
#F40009
primary
Pure White
#FFFFFF
background
Black
#000000
neutral
Typography
headline
TCCC Unity
Weights: 700, 900
body
TCCC Unity
Weights: 400, 700
Voice
Coca-Cola speaks in declarative present-tense celebrations, treating joy as immediate fact rather than aspiration. The voice is exclamatory without being shouty, using simple imperatives and sentence fragments that assume happiness is already here—'Open happiness,' never 'discover your moment.' Capital letters for emphasis feel like stadium announcements; lowercase feels like an invitation written on a note passed across the table.
- “Experience the official Coca‑Cola® site to find your favorite drink and discover new products, promos & offers, and more.”
- “YOU COULD WIN BIG THIS SEASON”
- “Have you downloaded yet? The +one app brings the universe of Coca‑Cola® into the palm of your hand. Start earning rewards today!”
Do
- Use present tense declaratives
- Deploy ALL CAPS for prize moments
- Speak directly: 'You could win'
- Treat joy as fact, not goal
- Keep sentences under ten words
Don’t
- Never use journey language
- Avoid 'discover' or 'explore'
- No aspirational future tense
- Never apologize or hedge
- Don't whisper—broadcast
Positioning
TaglineThe pause that refreshes
MissionWe exist to refresh the world and make a difference — creating moments of optimism and happiness through our brands and actions.
Market positionmass-market
DifferentiationCoca-Cola is not a beverage choice but owned infrastructure — the red geometric constant present at every human gathering, from stadium to corner store, competing not with PepsiCo on taste but owning the ritual moment itself. Where competitors sell drinks, Coca-Cola punctuates celebration, making the opening hiss the sound of togetherness across a century of unbroken continuity.
Audience
The universal gatherer—someone who shows up to moments big and small, from backyard cookouts to stadium bleachers, treating celebration as a baseline human right rather than something earned. Not a demographic segment but a behavioural constant: the person who punctuates ordinary time with small rituals of shared refreshment.
Essence
Since 1886, Coca-Cola has been the red ribbon flowing through ordinary moments, turning them into rituals of connection. Born in an Atlanta pharmacy and now present in every corner of the globe, it remains the same formula, the same script, the same promise—that happiness is not something you earn but something you open, share, and enjoy together. The brand has never changed what it is, only where it shows up, making it the most democratic celebration on earth.
effervescentgenerousunchangingcelebratorydemocraticwarm
Values
- Optimism
- We believe happiness is not earned — it's the default human state, and we exist to bring people back to it.
- Universality
- Every person, every place, every moment — no one is excluded from the ritual of refreshment.
- Continuity
- The same red, the same script, the same taste — we don't chase trends because we are the constant.
- Togetherness
- A Coca-Cola is never meant for one — it's the carbonated handshake that turns strangers into sharers.
- Simplicity
- No apologies, no explanations, no complexity — just the uncomplicated pleasure of an ice-cold drink.
- Celebration
- Every open is an occasion — we make the ordinary moment feel like it matters, because it does.
Logos
primary
primary (web mirror)
secondary
secondary (web mirror)
wordmark
The Ribbon Constant
Visual direction
Style
Mediumphotography
AestheticHigh-chroma, high-key photography with Kodachrome saturation and geometric clarity — products always appear in social contexts with multiple subjects, brilliant light bouncing off glass and ice, zero atmospheric softness. Frames are crowded with gestural abundance: clinking bottles, reaching hands, condensation catching hard light, the red acting as a visual anchor in every environment from car interiors to stadium crowds to Halloween promotions.
Look
Lightinghigh-key sunlight, brilliant colour separation, zero atmospheric haze, maximum chroma with sharp highlights on wet glass and red lacquer surfaces
Opticsedge-to-edge sharpness, 1950s Leica clarity, corner-to-corner focus, no bokeh or soft-focus, geometric confidence
Texturescondensation trails on cold glass, glossy red lacquer, ice cube facets, effervescent carbonation bubbles, smooth bottle curves
Surface qualitygleaming wet glass, reflective metal caps, beading moisture, high-gloss enamel red, pristine label stock
Feel
Moodbright midday celebration, group laughter, fizzing abundance
Energyhigh intensity, kinetic, congregational
Paceeffervescent, immediate, spontaneous
Moodboard
Shooting recipes
- Diner counter fizz and reach — 35mm, f/8, deep focus across counter depth, mid-height eye-level framing, hard overhead diner fluorescents plus noon window side-light, maximum chroma separation, brilliant highlights on wet glass
- Condensation bead extreme detail — 100mm macro, f/5.6, shallow plane of focus on bottle shoulder, tight crop excluding environment, single hard summer sun source from upper right, creating brilliant specular highlights on individual water beads and red lacquer beneath
- Stadium crowd red anchor — 50mm, f/11, corner-to-corner sharpness across crowd depth, waist-height perspective looking up slightly, brilliant afternoon stadium sun from above left, zero haze, maximum colour separation between red products and crowd neutrals
- Ice cube geometric interruption — 85mm, f/8, front-focused clarity on ice geometry with carbonation visible through, low three-quarter angle, hard directional light from back right creating brilliant edge highlights on ice facets and bubbles, zero diffusion
- Corner store vending machine glow — 28mm, f/5.6, deep focus from foreground product to background interior, chest-height straight-on perspective, mixed sources — red vending machine interior glow plus cool fluorescent store light plus warm late afternoon through window, creating colour temperature contrast
- Kitchen table family pour — 40mm, f/6.3, focus on pouring action with table setting sharp to mid-depth, overhead three-quarter angle looking down, warm kitchen pendant light overhead plus natural window light from left, creating soft shadows under bottles and hands, high-key but warmer than outdoor recipes
Cast
Characters
The Soda Jerk
White paper hat, red bow tie, crisp shirt with rolled sleeves. Works the marble counter with practiced efficiency, pulling levers and mixing fizz. Knows every regular's order, slides glasses across polished surfaces with a knowing smile.
The Family at the Table
Multi-generational, passing plates and bottles. Mom pours into red plastic tumblers, Dad deals out pizza slices, kids argue over who gets the last can. The meal isn't complete without the familiar sound of caps twisting open.
The Truck Driver
Worn cap, flannel shirt, calloused hands that dwarf the bottle. Pulls into roadside stops at dusk, buys a cold one from the humming vending machine. Leans against the truck bumper, takes the first sip, exhales the miles away.
The Stadium Vendor
Branded cap, logo-covered vest, tray suspended from shoulder straps. Climbs bleacher steps with rhythmic calls of "Ice cold Coke!" Hands cups down rows of outstretched hands, never missing a beat of the game.
The Corner Store Kid
Baseball cap backwards, sneakers scuffed, coins jingling in pocket. Knows the exact path from school to the red cooler, slides the glass door open with reverence. The purchase is ritual, the first cold sip is freedom.
The Diner Waitress
Uniform dress, comfortable shoes, order pad tucked in apron pocket. Moves through red vinyl booths with a coffee pot in one hand and a Coke pitcher in the other. Her "You doin' okay, hon?" punctuates every meal, every reunion.
Locations
Drive-In Movie Theater
Cars parked in rows at dusk, speakers hooked on windows, families and couples settling in with snacks from the concession stand. The glow of the screen lights up bottles and cups on dashboards. Coca-Cola is part of the ritual—picked up before the feature, sipped through double features, marking summer nights and first dates.
Corner Store
The neighborhood fixture with a screen door that slaps shut, wooden floors, and a cooler near the register. Kids bring change for a cold bottle after school, grab it by the neck from the ice, and the shopkeeper barely looks up. It's transactional but familiar—Coca-Cola as currency of childhood independence and small-town routine.
Kitchen Table
The center of the home where family gathers after work and school, where dinner happens and homework sprawls. A bottle or can sits at each place setting, condensation pooling on the laminate. Not fancy, not planned—just there, like salt and pepper, marking the everyday togetherness of ordinary American life.
American Diner
Red vinyl booths, chrome-edged counters, and checkerboard floors where refills come automatically. The waitress knows your order, the jukebox plays in the corner, and the booth by the window is always the best seat. This is where Coca-Cola lives as the default drink, the constant companion to burgers and fries, served in thick glass tumblers with ice that clinks.
Baseball Stadium
Sun-bleached bleachers, the crack of the bat, vendors climbing stairs with trays of cups. Summer heat makes every cold drink essential, and the ritual of the seventh-inning stretch includes a Coke in a wax-coated cup. The crowd shares the same moment, the same beverage, the same American pastime stretching back generations.
Products
Contour Bottle
The glass bottle with its distinctive curved silhouette, narrow waist, and ribbed texture, designed to be recognizable even in the dark or by touch alone. Typically 8 oz or larger formats, the bottle sweats condensation in summer heat and catches light through its green-tinted glass, making carbonation visible as tiny bubbles rising along the fluted sides.
Fountain Glass
The clear tumbler filled with Coca-Cola over crushed or cubed ice, served at diners, restaurants, and soda fountains. Often branded with the red disc logo or script, the glass shows the dark liquid and ice in layers, delivered with a straw and sometimes a lemon wedge, creating the ritualized experience of fountain service.
Red Cooler
The metal or plastic ice chest in signature Coca-Cola red, present at picnics, tailgates, and family gatherings. Emblazoned with the white script logo, it holds bottles or cans submerged in ice water, functioning as both refrigeration and brand beacon at outdoor communal events.
Six-Pack Carrier
The cardboard or plastic holder that groups six bottles or cans together, featuring the Coca-Cola branding on its panels. Die-cut for easy carrying, it transforms individual servings into a portable bundle for refrigerators, converting retail purchase into household inventory.
Coca-Cola Cherry
Coca-Cola Cherry — the red can with a pink/cherry accent band and cherry illustration.
Diet Coke
Diet Coke in its silver can with the red Diet Coke wordmark; slim, clean, silver-first livery.
Coca-Cola Classic
The original Coca-Cola in the red contour can and glass contour bottle; white Spencerian script wordmark and the dynamic ribbon on Coke Red.
Coca-Cola Zero Sugar
Coca-Cola Zero Sugar in the black can with red accents and the white script wordmark.
Vending Machine
The upright refrigerated unit in lobbies, gas stations, and public spaces, painted red with the white Coca-Cola logo. It hums constantly, illuminated from within, dispensing cold bottles or cans at the push of a button or pull of a handle, turning every corridor and waiting room into a point of sale.
Commemorative Can
Special aluminum cans released for holidays, sporting events, anniversaries, or cultural moments, featuring unique graphics while maintaining the red and white color foundation. These become artifacts of specific times — Olympic editions, Christmas polar bears, local team celebrations — turning everyday consumption into memorabilia.
Applications
