Branding Studio

Schweppes Turns 243 Years Into A Design Asset

Most brands spend years trying to build a story.

Schweppes had 243 years of one. Their only challenge was making people notice it.

This is why, their latest redesign by JKR doubles down on the one thing competitors can't copy: history.

Every element of the redesign points back to the brand's heritage.

The updated wordmark takes cues from historical typography. The fountain emblem references the Great Exhibition of 1851. The distinctive yellow becomes even more ownable. Even Clive the leopard, a character that's been part of Schweppes advertising since 1999, makes a comeback.

But the smartest part is the fact that they all tell the same story.

Rather than treating heritage as something to mention in a paragraph on the website, Schweppes has built it directly into the brand system.

What DZINR Thinks

The biggest lesson here is that great branding starts with identifying what only you can own. Schweppes is basically reminding people that it's the original. As designers, that shows that sometimes the most powerful brand strategy is just finding a better way to tell an existing story.

This redesign works because it doesn't borrow credibility from trends. It borrows credibility from 243 years of history. In a category crowded with new entrants, Schweppes has chosen to make its heritage more visible, memorable and relevant. And that's exactly what good design should do.