Did the Coca-Cola bottle have the most ridiculous design brief ever?

The Coca-Cola bottle is recognised all over the world. At various times described as the 'hobbleskirt' or 'Mae West' bottle for its curved contours, it's seen a few tweaks over the years. But, incredibly, despite the addition of new forms of packaging, the general shape of the original glass bottle remains in use more than a century after it was designed.

But spare a thought for the designers who got the original brief. While creatives today sometimes struggle with a lack of specifics and clients who expect them to be telepathic, the request put out by Coca-Cola in 1915 was as stunningly succinct as it was ambitious. The result was a design that's appeared in some of the best billboard advertising.

Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

Joe Foley

Joe is a regular freelance journalist and editor at Creative Bloq. He writes news, features and buying guides and keeps track of the best equipment and software for creatives, from video editing programs to monitors and accessories. A veteran news writer and photographer, he now works as a project manager at the London and Buenos Aires-based design, production and branding agency Hermana Creatives. There he manages a team of designers, photographers and video editors who specialise in producing visual content and design assets for the hospitality sector. He also dances Argentine tango.

Read more
A Jack Daniels Bottle
The new Jack Daniels bottle design is leaving a bad taste for some
Cherry Coke logo
All I want is for Coca-Cola to bring back the old Cherry Coke logo
Coca-Cola 1940s logo
20 iconic brands and why they work
Cannonball!, book made by Taxi Studio, spread showing an elephant
Why Taxi Studio decided to create unforgettable
Apple logo
The 10 best logos of all time
Poster with young model and the slogan "Not your mother's Tiffany'
The best rebrands of all time
Latest in Packaging Design
The Glenlivet whisky bottles featuring AI art
This whisky maker's AI packaging design feels weirdly off-brand
An example of packaging trend in 2024
5 hot packaging design trends in 2024
Tinned fish design
This humble tin of fish expertly demonstrates stylish functional design
Reece's packaging for 'misleading' product
Reese's packaging lawsuit sets the standard for ridiculous design disputes in 2024
McDonald's ad
New McDonald's ad is hygge in a paper bag
The Dissolving Bottle designs
I adore the design of these eco-friendly shampoo bars
Latest in News
Shot of AI augmented A Different World
Netflix’s hilariously bad AI ‘fix’ creates pure nightmare fuel
Screenshots from KFC Original Fake Games
KFC takes a bite out of annoying fake game ads and turns them into real games
Tesla Cybertruck
Why some Tesla owners are covering up the logo
Korean Air new logo in use
Korean Air has rebranded for first time since the '80s
The new Galari digital art frame, on a small stand, sat next to an orange flower.
As an art lover, I'd rather buy this new e-paper digital art frame than an art TV
JD Vance meme by Beeple, a man with curly hair and a beard
JD Vance memes are now art as Beeple joins the trend