Coca-Cola Unveils 200-Market Rebrand as New Font Draws Marlboro Comparisons
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jul 24
Coca-Cola Unveils 200-Market Rebrand as New Font Draws Marlboro Comparisons
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 24
Summary
Coca-Cola this week rolled out a new brand identity across 200 global markets, but its red-and-white serif typeface quickly prompted online comparisons to Marlboro cigarette packs.
Designers said the resemblance comes mainly from shared color cues and the broader revival of serif fonts, not from Coca-Cola copying Marlboro’s lettering.
Elizabeth Goodspeed of RISD said Coke’s custom serif, Better With, is distinct from Marlboro’s Neo Contact, even if casual viewers read them similarly.
The episode underscores how nostalgia-driven branding has spread well beyond soda, with brands like Graza, Schweppes and Vacation — and even the State Department — shifting from sans-serif to serif.