What Is the Coca-Cola Logo?
The Coca-Cola logo is the name Coca-Cola written in a flowing script, adapted from Spencerian penmanship by Frank M. Robinson, the bookkeeper and partner of the drink's creator. Coca-Cola is the soft drink John S. Pemberton created in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1886; it was first sold at an Atlanta pharmacy and belongs to The Coca-Cola Company.
The script has been paired over the years with a fishtail shape, a white ribbon known as the wave, and in 2021 a curved version called the Hug. That version is available as the Coca-Cola logo SVG.
Coca-Cola Logo Facts
| Designer | Frank M. Robinson (the script) |
| Introduced | Script in use by 1887 |
| Symbol | None; the name itself is the mark, often with a white ribbon |
| Logo type | Wordmark: the name in Spencerian-style script |
| Earlier mark | The Arciform or "fishtail" logo, from 1958 |
| Owner | The Coca-Cola Company |
What the Coca-Cola Logo Means
The look of the logo goes back to the name. Robinson proposed "Coca-Cola" in 1886 because he thought the two Cs would look well in advertising. He then wanted the name to have a distinctive look of its own, so he wrote it out in an adaptation of Spencerian script, the elaborate business handwriting of the day. His colleagues agreed to adopt it, and the capital Cs with their long sweeping tails have shaped the mark ever since.
The white ribbon that often runs under the name is called the Dynamic Ribbon Device. It arrived in 1969 and is what most people mean by the Coca-Cola "wave".
Coca-Cola Logo History
The early changes were mostly about the small print. From 1887 the words "Trade mark" sat inside the tail of the C in Coca. The 1890–1891 version departed further from Robinson's lettering than any other, and from 1893 the tail again carried "Trade mark". Between 1903 and 1941 it read "Trade mark Registered", and from 1941 the registration notice moved below the name as "Reg. US Pat Off."
In 1958 Coca-Cola introduced the Arciform logo, also called the "fishtail". In 1969 came the Arden Square with the Dynamic Ribbon Device, the design that introduced the wave.
In the 1980s a modified ribbon was worked into the name itself, the one treatment in which the lower loop of the L in Cola is missing. The ribbon was enhanced in 2003 for the "Coca-Cola... Real" campaign, and in 2007 the company moved to a simple, bold design with a single white ribbon.
On 29 September 2021 The Coca-Cola Company launched Real Magic, its first new global brand platform since 2016, and with it the Hug logo. Inspired by the way the script appears on packaging, the Hug lifts the curved Coca-Cola trademark from bottle and can labels. Wieden+Kennedy London, KnownUnknown and Kenyon Weston were the design partners.
For more brands like Coca-Cola, browse our food and drink logos.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who designed the Coca-Cola logo?
Frank M. Robinson, the bookkeeper and partner of creator John S. Pemberton, who also proposed the name Coca-Cola in 1886.
What font is the Coca-Cola logo?
It is not a typeface but hand lettering: Robinson's adaptation of Spencerian script, a style of penmanship characteristic of the 1880s.
What is the white wave in the Coca-Cola logo?
It is the Dynamic Ribbon Device, introduced in 1969 as part of the Arden Square design.
What is the Coca-Cola Hug logo?
A curved version of the script, launched in September 2021 with the Real Magic platform, inspired by the way the curved script appears on bottle and can labels.