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The 7UP logo history, meaning, and evolution
The 7UP logo is one of the most eye-catching and memorable designs in the food and beverage landscape. Intended to compete with world-renowned names like Pepsi and Coca-Cola, the design uses a unique combination of colors, shapes, and typography to symbolize refreshment.
Over the years, 7UP has adjusted and adapted its design to suit an evolving audience of potential customers. The organization even changed its name at one point to help attract a broader customer base.
Though some aspects of the logo and the wordmark have remained consistent, 7UP has had an exciting history of brand evolution.
Today, we’re going to take a closer look at the history of the 7UP brand, how the 7UP symbol has evolved, and what it means to consumers today.
7UP history: An introduction to the 7UP brand
Let’s start with a brief look at 7UP history. The company is best known today as a leading producer of lemon-lime-flavored soft drinks. The brand and its formula are owned by the Keurig Dr Pepper brand and distributed by PepsiCo.
The drink is mostly intended to compete against the Coca-Cola drink with a similar taste – Sprite.
7UP was created in 1929 by Charles Leiper Grigg, a famous innovator. Charles came up with a unique formula for his own soft drink. The product was first called “Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime soda.”
While this wasn’t a particularly catchy name for the drink, it initially followed a trend of describing exactly what was in the product. The solution contained a drug for mood management named lithium citrate for some time before this ingredient was eventually scrapped.
Over the years, the product updated its name to 7UP Lithiated Lemon Soda before eventually shortening to 7UP in 1936.
Today, 7UP is one of the best-known sodas in the world, with a presence in multiple locations across the globe. Various flavors and styles are also available for the drink, including the diet 7UP and cherry 7UP products.
What does the 7UP logo mean?
The original name for the 7UP company was designed to showcase exactly what customers could expect from the drink. It was a more “medical” style of name at a time when many drinks were already being advertised as solutions for mood problems and other conditions.
The origins of the new 7UP brand name remain unclear to this day.
However, experts have claimed the name and the associated 7UP symbol are a reference to the various main ingredients in the drink. Others have claimed the name might have been referring to the lithium in the original drink, known for its atomic mass of 7.
There are even some suggestions the 7UP name may have been a reference to the fact many 7UP beverages were produced in bottles of seven ounces to compete against Coca-Cola drinks, which often came in 6-ounce bottles instead.
Is there a 7UP slogan?
Today, most people aren’t familiar with a 7UP motto or slogan. However, throughout the years, the company used various slogans, including “Fresh Up, keep smiling” and simply “Fresh up.” There was also a time wherein the phrase “Nothing does it like 7UP” was used.
7UP logo history: The 7UP logo evolution
The old 7UP logo underwent various updates and changes over the years, intended to separate the brand from its competitors. Certain elements, such as using the company’s wordmark and the color red, have remained a component of many rebranding initiatives.
The 7UP symbol has remained almost consistently bright and bubbly since the launch of the original brand. Let’s take a closer look at the 7UP logo evolution.
1943
The first logo for 7UP was introduced in 1943, featuring a square badge with rounded edges. The body was red, with white bubbles throughout, and there were a set of black and white borders on the top and bottom of the image.
The wordmark, similar to the one we know today, was bold and eye-catching, with a 3D effect. Seven white circles were placed around it to symbolize the bubbles in the carbonated beverage.
1972
The new 7UP logo introduced in 1972 simplified the previous design, placing a flat white wordmark on a bold red background. The minimalist design was similar to the Coca-Cola brand image, combining red and white.
1980
In the 1980s, 7UP adjusted its typeface to become sharper and more stylish. Between the character for “7” and the “UP,” the brand introduced a large red dot with a white outline. This component has remained consistent in the 7UP symbol for some time.
1987
A logo introduced in 1987 for the 7UP brand featured an entirely new set of colors alongside the red circle created in the previous year. The green shade referred to the lime flavors within the drink, while the blue and white outlines were intended to appear refreshing.
The design had quite a bold and three-dimensional appearance, intended to look like it was jumping off the can or bottle.
In the 90s, the green color of 7UP was replaced by white. The typeface became more elegant, with a slight slant to the right. The serifs of the letters appeared small, sharp, and a little edgy, intended to make the design more modern.
2003
In 2003, the wordmark with the red dot updated significantly, moving into an unusual angle to showcase the brand’s creativity. The green shape in the background was also an insight into the artistic nature of the company. Overall, the image appeared bubbly, distinctive, and modern.
Another version of a 3D logo was introduced for 7UP in 2007, using similar colors to the previous images. The green elements became accents on the white letters, intended to strengthen the overall depth of the image.
The “UP” seemed to move more aggressively towards the middle of the red dot, although it didn’t enter the circle entirely until later.
The 7UP brand revitalized its brand identity again in 2010. The angling of the image changed, allowing for a more precise alignment. The “7” became a more straightforward image with fewer decorative components.
The “UP” part of the name now appeared entirely within the red circle. Two other rings in green and yellow were added to the image’s background, along with white spheres intended to represent bubbles.
In 2015, a set of smoother lines and simpler color palettes was introduced to the 7UP logo. The elegant “7” returned with several more curves and embellishments. However, the “UP” stayed within the circle for some logo variations.
Another 7UP logo was also introduced for a broader market, eliminating the bubbles and other components in the logo above.
The 7UP branding today: fonts and colors
The version of the 7UP logo most people are familiar with today is a bubbly, fun, and unique image, combining the company’s name with an eye-catching red sphere.
Though many elements of the 7UP symbol have remained consistent over the years, the company has made several changes to help differentiate it from other leading brands.
Today, green and red are widely associated with the 7UP brand, alongside shades of yellow and white, depending on where you are in the world.
Using multiple logos for people from different regions has also helped to enhance the brand’s reputation with varying consumers from across the globe.
If you’re interested in learning more about the 7UP brand image, you can find some valuable resources here:
What font is the 7UP logo?
The 7UP logo font has long been essential to the overall brand image. The typeface is unique to the brand and differs slightly depending on where you view the logo.
Both versions use a stylized sans-serif font in all uppercase, though one “7” is slightly more curved than the other to show a sense of creativity and depth.
What is the 7UP logo color?
The 7UP logo colors combine white, red, and green in most parts of the world.
However, there are variations of the logo, including yellow components. The color choices are intended to be bold and refreshing while offering an insight into some of the drink’s ingredients and flavors.
Getting to know the 7UP symbol
The 7UP logo has changed a few times over the years, though it has retained a few key elements, such as the circular shapes intended to represent bubbles and a few key colors. The company’s name has also consistently appeared in the logo design over the years.
Hopefully, this insight into the 7UP logo evolution has helped you better understand how beverage companies can find their unique identity by experimenting with different design choices.
Fabrik: A branding agency for our times.
As Fabrik’s creative director, Stephen oversees complex branding programmes. He advises our clients on their tone of voice, creates logos and visual identities and crafts names for companies, products and services. Writing for Brand Fabrik Stephen reflects his love for logo design and visual identity.
