Journal Entry 9: Jones Soda!!

Jones soda is, hands down, one of my favorite treats ever. It is rarely ever found in grocery stores due to stocking and shipping, but when I find it I make sure I go back to that store every time. The best part about Jones soda are its labels, photos, and fortune telling caps. Jones soda bottles are a phenomenal example of all-over design and a hugely diligent thought process. Recently, Jones soda underwent a logo/label redesign (much like the products in this post). However, in this post we will be taking a look at specifically Jones soda and how their advertising, branding, and look has changed--as it has all undergone an extensive makeover. For this post, I have taken images from jonessoda.com, as hunting down Jones Soda in this town can prove to be very difficult.

Here is an example of the old Jones bottles. These haven't changed, I'm pretty sure, since the dawn of time.

Overall I like the old labels. They are recognizable and they have been constant (well, when the store has them in stock). The information is easily found. I love the way they incorporate the color of the product into the design- the color of the flavor corresponds both in the bottle and on the packaging. There is also a clear hierarchy and balance between the sections on the label. The sans serif typeface really lends a "mod", "indie" tone to the soda, which is exactly what it is. It isn't mainstream at all. For the last several years, this label has been the face of their brand. When any consumer thought "Jones" this label is what they thought of. Great Success! But let's look at the new labels....

So jonessoda.com offers a fancy little contact sheet of all their new labels. Unfortunately, Blogger wouldn't let me post this picture for some reason (I resaved it as the right file extension and everything) but the PDF of the contact sheet can be found here. Anyway, I really like the color switcharoo...The header text is now white, while the background of the label is black. This is a very pleasant change! The header text is also now in all-caps and much larger atop the photo. Also, on the bottom, instead of showing the flavor in color, the text is black against a band of the flavor color. The flavor announcement also uses a clear hierarchy between the main flavor, sub flavors, and the word "soda". They also use an interesting hyphenation layout, as seen in the Strawberry Lime bottle. The word is hyphenated after the first syllable, leaving the second syllable on the second flavor line. This is a clear grid, as the opposite end of the flavor band has more information on it. I love how kooky and creative this is! It isn't a cookie cutter label and it definitely is a pleasant, "about-time" change for the product. I really love the new labels!



This is an ad for "myJones", a branch of the brand that allows consumers to customize their labels and cap quotes online. The same imagery that is used in the soda bottles is used here. I like the way they continue to use all-caps in white against black for the headline, followed by a tagline in all-caps, black against the flavor color. The ads and the bottles have an amazing continuity. Not only does it continue into the ads, but into the four-bottle boxes, other merchandise, and any other packaging. The use of the same color for the background of the ad as the bottle is daring and risky, but executed very well. This helps the rest of the text to stand out. The ad, as well as the new image of the brand, is simple and in-your-face. Awesome.

Finally, here are some bottles that I have yet to ever see in public. I think they are special-order-online-only products, which would explain why I have never seen them. I think they are simply superb. They don't have the appearance of normal Jones bottles at all. The colors, illustrations, and typefaces used in them are so intense and amazing! I also love the way that some of the images are meshed into the wording...i.e. the balloon as an "O", logs formed into the letters, and the "S" in the third bottle being carried away via helicopter, flavor sign posts, etc.. There is an amazing type-image relationship going on on these bottles. The illustrations are also very quaint, hand-done, and colorful; they grab your attention but they don't detract from the fact that it is a Jones bottle you are looking at. The only thing that detracts from the design is the big chunky logo at the top; it disrupts eye flow quite a bit. I feel that it should be put in a more conspicuous place. Otherwise, it is my personal opinion that these bottles should be sold in the stores! They are so neat and I think it would really boost sales as these are more "keepsake" bottles than anything else.

If anything, these new bottle designs and branding have endeared me to the Jones label even more! I'm sure I will be an avid consumer for years to come (if I can find the product, that is...)