Candle Soda: A Legacy Brand, Reimagined.

A concept brand identity redesign for a 75-year-old probiotic soda company preparing for national expansion.

TEAM

Solo
Faculty critique

YEAR

2024
Graduate Program

TOOLS

Adobe CC
Illustrator & Photoshop

ROLE

Brand Designer
Concept project

Three hands holding Candle soda cans in cherry cola, lemon lime and root beer against a blue sky
Hands with red nails holding a Candle cherry cola can
Model wearing a white Candle logo t-shirt against an orange backdrop
Person carrying a lime-green Candle tote bag

Overview

Rooted in Heritage, Built for Today.

Candle Soda has been crafting probiotic drinks since 1949. As the brand prepared for a new generation of wellness-minded consumers, it needed an identity that honored its legacy while feeling fresh, trustworthy, and relevant.

The goal was to modernize the visual identity, create a cohesive brand system, and build a foundation that could scale across packaging, apparel, and digital.

The Redesign

Original Logo

Original Candle Soda script logo before the redesign

Redesigning the Candle Soda logo started with a close look at the existing mark and one central tension: the name alone suggests candles, not beverages. My early sketches naturally gravitated toward a flame or a heavy emphasis on the word "soda." The challenge became finding a mark that nodded to the name without confusing people about what the brand actually is.

Sketches

Six logo concept sketches for the Candle Soda redesign

In the end, I chose a wordmark as the primary logo. I hand-lettered “Candle” in my own handwriting to make it feel personal and crafted. Instead of relying on literal candle imagery, I let the concept live in smaller details across the brand, so it nods to the name without making people think it sells candles.

The Logo

Final Candle wordmark shown with clear-space guides
Candle C monogram shown with clear-space guides

Color Palette

#D181EA

#C6D866

#3D894E

#2E1937

#020407

#F6F6F6

#1C321C

#C03531

#4B2528

#DE7F39

#C78C3F

#472A18

Fonts

Brand typefaces shown as "Probiotic Soda," "For Gut" and "Health"
Animated Candle logo cycling through brand colors

Branding Elements

Patterns

Repeating black Candle logo pattern
Black and white diagonal stripe pattern from the Candle brand system
Scattered sparkle star pattern from the Candle brand system

Icons

Lemon lime flavor panel with lime slice, peel and smiley icons on lime green
Berry grape flavor panel with grape and berry icons on purple
Ginger ale flavor panel with shield, herb and smiley icons on green
Orange flavor panel with orange slice and peel icons on orange
Cherry cola flavor panel with cherry, star anise and smiley icons on red
Root beer flavor panel with frothy mug and barrel icons on brown

Packaging

12 oz Aluminum Cans

Flat can label design for Candle Berry Grape soda with nutrition facts
Flat can label design for Candle Lemon Lime soda with nutrition facts
Flat can label design for Candle Ginger Ale soda with nutrition facts
Flat can label design for Candle Cherry Cola soda with nutrition facts
Flat can label design for Candle Orange soda with nutrition facts
Flat can label design for Candle Root Beer soda with nutrition facts

Stationery

Letterhead & Business Cards

Candle stationery set with letterhead, envelope and business cards on purple

Branded Desk Essentials

Candle desk stationery mockup with folder, pen, business card and tape dispenser on green
Candle soda cans in root beer, berry grape, lemon lime and cherry cola lined up in a fridge

Reflection

The biggest challenge on this project was designing against a likely misread. The name Candle points people toward something they can light, not something they can drink, so the visuals had to make it clear this is a beverage. It showed me how much of a product's meaning comes from its visual language, sometimes more than its name.

Getting there took many iterations. I explored flames, badges, and type-heavy lockups before landing on the hand-lettered wordmark. It was the direction that felt most natural and best matched Candle's tone and voice: warm, playful, and clearly a soda.

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