10/03/2026
REINVENTING SHELF PRESENCE THROUGH BOLD PACKAGING DESIGN.
How Fanta twisted convention to stand out in a crowded beverage market.
The Challenge: Standing Out in a Saturated Market
A few years ago, Fanta, one of the largest brands under The Coca‑Cola Company faced a growing challenge common in the food and beverage industry: differentiation. In supermarket aisles filled with dozens of soft drink options, catching the consumer’s eye has become increasingly difficult. At the same time, the global soda industry has been under pressure as consumers shift toward healthier alternatives such as flavored waters, teas, and low-sugar beverages.
For a brand with more than 80 years of history, remaining relevant required more than just a simple label update, the challenge demanded bold rethinking of the entire brand experience.
The Strategy:
To address this challenge, Fanta unveiled the biggest redesign in its history, introducing a fresh visual identity, a new recipe with one-third less sugar, and most importantly, a unique asymmetrical bottle developed by Drink Works. The project took nearly two years of development, with designers producing hundreds of prototypes before arriving at the final form. The result was a revolutionary spiral bottle that twists the plastic structure, creating a distinctive and eye-catching silhouette on the shelf. The design intentionally broke traditional packaging rules by abandoning symmetry, an idea that initially faced skepticism within the industry.
The Risk:
Many critics questioned whether a bottle that wasn’t symmetrical would succeed in the marketplace. Despite the skepticism, the brand continued refining the concept, believing that breaking visual conventions would ultimately make the product more memorable.
The persistence paid off. By prioritizing distinctive shape, functionality, and visual personality, the new design positioned the product as dynamic, youthful, and energetic; qualities closely tied to the brand’s identity.
The Insight:
Today’s consumers look for packaging that reflects functionality, creativity, and lifestyle relevance. According to Tetra Pak communications executive Carla Fantoni, elements like shape, usability, and graphic design strongly influence whether a product feels premium to shoppers. For brands competing in crowded retail environments, distinctive design can be the difference between being noticed or ignored.
The Outcome:
The new Fanta bottle demonstrates how bold packaging innovation can refresh a legacy brand. The spiral form not only differentiates the product on the shelf but also generates social media buzz, particularly among younger audiences. In a market where soda consumption is declining, this type of creative reinvention can help re-energize brand perception and potentially drive sales.
Creative Takeaway (From a Design Perspective)
Great packaging is not just about making things look good, it is strategic communication. By challenging conventional bottle design, Fanta transformed a simple container into a brand statement.
Sometimes, the most powerful way to stand out is to bend the rules.
But what do you think about this rebrand?
