Soda cans and bottle caps – Design that really pops!

I know, I hate that title as well. I’m going to blame it on being momentarily possessed by some Buzzfeed intern.

I’ve never tried this, but it looks like it would give your teeth diabetes and I am here for it.

Today we’re looking at soda cans and bottle caps, predominantly from the US between 1950-70 and it’s easy to see why. Soda branding in that particular era became as varied as it was vibrant, selling to the children of the suddenly booming post-war middle class across America.

There is such a simplicity, innocence and playfulness to the designs and typography choices. It immediately transports your mind to some mid-century middle American house, where a dad with a site parting and his shirt tucked into his jeans hands it to his kids with a “here you go, champ!” before he scurries away to watch Sesame Street… or whatever mid-century kids got up to.

The illustrations on the labels often imitate the popular stylings of artists like Abnor Graboff, Mary Blair and Jim Flora with typography that wouldn’t be out of place in a Hana Barbera cartoon. Every one of them screams both “FUN!” and “SUGAR!” in a way that’s still so appealing to your inner child.

So yeah, there’s not tons to say about these other than how lovely they are to look at and how a simple font and colour combo can transport you back to a completely different time and place with relative ease. Enjoy!