Arnell Group followed-up the Pepsi rebranding with the disastrous Tropicana rebranding.<p>Reportedly, they paid Arnell $35M for the Tropicana rebrand. It made their product look like a generic store brand. Upon rollout, they reportedly lost as much as $20M a month. They reverted it soon after.[1]<p>Arnell's explanation for the failure was similarly whacky.[2]<p>Two years later, Arnell Group's parent company, Omnicom, fired Peter Arnell. Though that might have been for misconduct that had Newsweek comparing him to Harvey Weinstein way back in 2009.[3]<p>[1]: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090226235602/http://industry.bnet.com/advertising/10001000/in-blow-to-arnell-tropicana-drops-package-redesign" rel="nofollow">https://web.archive.org/web/20090226235602/http://industry.b...</a><p>[2]: <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/arnells-explanation-of-failed-tropicana-design-resembles-his-nonsensical-pepsi-document/" rel="nofollow">https://www.cbsnews.com/news/arnells-explanation-of-failed-t...</a><p>[3]: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120113061332/http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2009/03/27/mad-man.print.html" rel="nofollow">https://web.archive.org/web/20120113061332/http://www.thedai...</a>
This is certainly an extreme example, but I feel that most designers believe (and their management expects) in these sorts of design decision justifications. Designers need to sell their designs, and a large majority of the time there isn't enough actual thought to justify anything; it's just preference, or at the end of the day, there are lots of good enough solutions.<p>There is a significant problem in the design of performative work that provides little to no value. So much time is spent on "process" and "workshops" that yield nothing, yet design management rewards it. I've informally polled peers of designers, and the common view is that, depending on the designer, only 20-60% of what they do is of any actual value. I think the state of the design market reflects this. Designers need to engage in serious introspection and figure out which parts of their work are valuable and which are not. The industry has been discussing "proving our value" and "getting a seat at the table" for years. If we've been working on this for 15+ years but haven't achieved it, I think that shows something about the actual value design provides.<p>Source: I've worked as a product designer for 10+ years.
It seems pretty likely this was an intentional leak meant as a viral outrage based advertising campaign. The content is not just ridiculous but also underdeveloped for someone who actually believed it. And since I'm now reading it here on HN I suppose it worked.
The original design (PDF) document is linked in the article.[0]<p>[0] - <a href="https://www.goldennumber.net/wp-content/uploads/pepsi-arnell-021109.pdf" rel="nofollow">https://www.goldennumber.net/wp-content/uploads/pepsi-arnell...</a>
From the linked "best logos of all time" article:<p>"The best logos are those that have truly stood the test of time. As well as being distinct and memorable, often with hidden meanings and messages ..."<p>The pepsi universe and energy fields stuff is obviously wack, but most people are blissfully unaware of the depth of meaning, connotations, references, messaging, etc, in many logos, emblems, and even design 'dna', all around them.
A friend was at some sort of marketing conference when the logo redesign happened. They commented to a colleague that it looked like the logo redesign had just happened on a whim. Someone working for Pepsi marketing happened to overhear them and replied that that's exactly what had happened.
Peter Arnell was the incompetent man who not only concocted the Pepsi logo, he also almost destroyed Tropicana. <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/arnells-explanation-of-failed-tropicana-design-resembles-his-nonsensical-pepsi-document/" rel="nofollow">https://www.cbsnews.com/news/arnells-explanation-of-failed-t...</a><p>The man ought to be inducted into the Dunning-Kruger Hall of Fame.
All that effort/bullshit, ruined by a few scribbles: <a href="https://clipartcraft.com/images/pepsi-logo-fat-man.png" rel="nofollow">https://clipartcraft.com/images/pepsi-logo-fat-man.png</a>