THE CHALLENGE

For more than a century, Coca-Cola has been synonymous with the holidays. But in recent years, the brand’s most cherished asset, Santa, had become fragmented. Global markets commissioned their own interpretations, local teams created seasonal expressions in isolation, and the iconic Sundblom spirit was lost. The result: a brand world that felt scattered and disconnected from the emotional magic people expect from Coca-Cola during the holidays.

At the same time, the global VIS had evolved. Typefaces had been sharpened, digital behaviors refined, and a more modern design language established. But the holiday system hadn’t caught up. Coca-Cola needed more than refreshed artwork; it required a unified, contemporary holiday world that could inspire markets across continents while protecting the brand’s most beloved seasonal equities.

Our task was straightforward: rebuild the Coca-Cola Holiday system from the inside out, reigniting the joy, optimism, and generosity people feel this time of year, and creating the visual foundation for a truly global 2025 holiday celebration.

Discovery

To move the holiday system forward, we returned to its roots. We studied decades of Sundblom illustrations, historical packaging, vintage retail displays, and OOH campaigns. Beneath the variations, we found the common thread that made Coca-Cola’s holidays unforgettable: warmth, uplift, and an unmistakable sense of generosity. Santa didn’t just deliver gifts; he delivered spirit. The brand didn’t just decorate the season; it elevated it.

We also examined the new global VIS: the refined Better With typeface, updated hierarchy systems, and evolving Coca-Cola motion language. The opportunity was clear. By harmonizing holiday equities with the modern system, we could create something the brand had never owned before: a global holiday identity rooted in heritage but unmistakably contemporary.

This insight redefined our approach. We didn’t need to reinvent Coca-Cola’s holiday legacy; we needed to evolve it into a cohesive, scalable, and uplifting platform that marketers could build from with clarity and confidence.

Craft

The rebuild began with rebuilding Santa himself.

• A New Suite of Full-Color Santas: We re-illustrated Santa from the ground up, respecting Sundblom’s DNA while infusing modern energy, expression, and warmth. Each Santa was crafted to feel iconic but versatile, able to flex across packaging, retail, OOH, and social. The result: a family of Santas who feel classic, contemporary, and unmistakably Coca-Cola.

• A Refined Typography System: Working with the latest Better With updates, we strengthened hierarchy, clarified usage, and condensed our primary headline typeface to create greater impact in retail and digital environments. The holiday messaging anchored in “REFRESH YOUR HOLIDAY SPIRIT” and the retail-driving “GIVE THE GIFT OF REFRESHMENT” became more confident, legible, and globally ownable.

• A New Ornament and Pattern World: We built a cohesive suite of ornaments and patterns that serve as the connective tissue across touchpoints. Patterns tie the system together, weaving the new ornament forms into backgrounds, borders, and packaging. The visual language nods to gift-wrapping traditions while introducing joy, texture, and celebratory energy.

• A Fresh Holiday Color Palette: We updated the palette to feel more modern and more in line with Coca-Cola. Two new greens were introduced to brighten, balance, and elevate the system. The result is a palette that feels festive without leaning cliché, premium without losing charm.

• Ornament Motion + Uplift Behavior: We redefined how ornaments behave in motion, establishing consistent rules for weightlessness, bounce, and upward movement. Every animation now communicates uplift, making the holidays feel light, bright, and emotionally energetic.

• Packaging for Holiday 2025: The system culminated in a full range of packaging designs across formats and SKUs, embedding the new Santa suite, color palette, ornament language, and messaging into a coherent global family. The packaging became a billboard for the entire system, and a symbol of Coca-Cola’s renewed holiday confidence.

OUTCOME

The 2025 Holiday VIS didn’t just refresh seasonal artwork; it redefined what the holidays look and feel like for the world’s most iconic beverage brand. The new system created global alignment where there had been fragmentation. Markets now share a unified Santa suite, cohesive ornament behaviors, a modernized color palette, and a scalable pattern world that elevates every touchpoint from packaging to OOH to retail theater. Messaging became clearer, type became more confident, and Coca-Cola's holiday emotional promise became unmistakable. More importantly, the system gave Coca-Cola something it hasn’t had in years: a holiday identity that feels both timeless and new. Something joyful. Something uplifting. Something that reconnects heritage with modern expression.

It’s a refreshed holiday spirit, bottled, wrapped, and ready for the world

CREDITS

Industry: CPG, Beverage, Holiday
Client: Coca-Cola
Agency: Jones Knowles Ritchie
Illustrator: TBD
My Role: Creative Director
Design: Lisa Rogers, Julia B Aguiar
Motion Design: Stubbs Johnston
Markets: North America & Europe
Scope: Global Design System, Packaging, Custom Illustration