Sprite’s Reset Sharpens Familiar Assets and Expands Cultural Ambition

Sprite’s had a revamp. Created in partnership with creative studio forpeople, The Coca-Cola Company brand’s new global visual identity is said to restore the edge it's been known for while communicating the intense, ice-cold nature of the drink.

The redesign sits at the centre of Sprite’s new global brand platform, ‘It’s That Fresh', which brings the brand back into the cultural spaces of food, music, basketball, and street fashion.

Rather than reinvent the brand, forpeople decided to utilise global consumer research to help it reclaim cultural stronghold while staying put with the elements people are familiar with.

Sprite’s connection to street culture can be traced back to 1986 with its ‘Now More Than Ever’ ad, and for decades, it’s embedded itself by showing up consistently.

From the iconic ‘Obey Your Thirst’ campaign of the 90s, to its global music platform Limelight spotlighting upcoming artists, to collaborations incorporating K-pop in South Korea, pop in China, and funk and urban beats in Brazil, the brand has been aligning with the voices and movements that shape cultures worldwide.

The redesigned system recentres the Sprite wordmark, restores the historic lemon-lime ‘Lymon’ symbol, and brings the brand’s green-and-white colour palette into sharper focus across packaging and communications.

Archie Colvin, creative director at forpeople, said, “The starting point for us wasn’t to reinvent Sprite, but to understand what made it distinctive in the first place and build from there.”

He added, “We looked closely at the brand’s most recognisable elements – the wordmark, the Lymon, the colour – and asked how they could work harder and more expressively across today’s environments so the brand can reconnect with the cultural spaces it has always belonged to."

“‘It’s That Fresh' is a bold expression of Sprite as well as a mindset that celebrates challenging the status quo and championing originality,” said Oana Vlad, VP at Sprite Global Brand.

She added, “Sprite’s goal is to deliver not only ultimate refreshment with intense carbonation and exceptional lemon-lime taste, but also a fresh perspective through partnership with culture-makers around the world and new, memorable experiences for fan communities in music, sports, and food.”

The brand believes that growth comes from cultural relevance, and the platform is reinforcing its relevance among younger consumers, meeting gen z in the places culture is shaped and shared.

"Today's generation isn’t looking to be told what’s cool – they’re defining it for themselves,” Oana explained. “‘It’s That Fresh’ is Sprite meeting them where they are, spotlighting the freshest takes across culture and the people who aren’t afraid to play by their own rules.”

Along with the new look, the brand is introducing a new sonic identity – Sprite Sounds – which builds on Sprite’s connection to music in collaboration with Grammy Award-winning producer and artist Mustard. To amplify the initiative, UK rapper LeoStrayTrill created original music using the custom, limited edition Sprite instrument, a branded Ableton Move.

To deepen the connection with street culture, the brand is also partnering with Los Angeles-born skate collective Crenshaw Skate Club – a collaboration that will feature exclusive drops and experiences that celebrate those setting their own path.

Tim Blackburn, associate director, forpeople, added, “A big aspect of the design elements was bringing the idea of refreshment to life more viscerally, through ice-cold product styling, condensation textures, and craveable motion that gives a sense of energy inside the liquid itself, as well as how the Lymon behaves.”

He added, “This has come together into a system, from the vertical wordmark on the packaging to the typography, motion and explosive photography. Everything feels more immediate, more confident and more connected to the culture Sprite has always been part of but is also robust enough to work globally at scale.”

When it comes to food, it is leaning further into gen z’s love of spicy food, using Sprite to turn up the heat through global and regional brand partnerships with Takis, Tabasco, and McDonald's. As the brand enters the second year of its ‘Hurts Real Good with Sprite’ campaign, this will manifest in social and creator-led content, live experiences, and Sprite & Spicy bundle offers.

Consumers can also expect innovation on the flavour side of things. Sprite Chill (originally released in 2024 as a limited-time offering) will be rolling out globally featuring four new flavours, while Sprite + Tea springboards off the viral trend of mixing beverages with unexpected additions.