By Chris Livaudais, Coca‑Cola Global Design

NYCxDESIGN Festival | May 15-21, 2025 | International Center of Photography | New York City

In 2015, Coca‑Cola Global Design embarked on a bold creative journey: to redefine the brand’s visual identity for a new generation. The challenge wasn’t just to build a new campaign to follow ‘Open Happiness,’ but to reimagine the future of Coca‑Cola’s design system—including its photographic language. Historically, photography and graphic design operated in silos. This time, they came together as one.

The result was ‘Taste the Feeling,’ a global platform that reflected Coca‑Cola’s heritage and its future. As Rapha Abreu, VP of Global Design for Coca‑Cola, recalls, “Social media was beginning to change how brands communicate. The concept was ‘contemporary nostalgia’—where Norman Rockwell meets Instagram. The warmth and storytelling of Rockwell, mixed with the aspirational everyday moments that defined Instagram at the time.”

To bring this vision to life, the team turned to two photographers, not one: Guy Aroch and Anna Palma. Known for their cinematic style and emotionally charged imagery, they became key collaborators in crafting a body of work that made Coca‑Cola feel intimate, human, and timeless.

“The timing couldn’t have been better,” Aroch shared. “It felt like working on a fashion brand, but built on brand values like aspiration, youthfulness, and emotional energy. We didn’t realize at first how far-reaching it would be—ten years later, we’re still building on that foundation.”

Anna Palma added, “At first, I focused on what we called ‘Product Love Stories’ and Guy leaned more into the big iconic moments—but eventually we both did everything. We trusted each other completely. We just kept shooting, finding the story in real time, never stopping the momentum.”

Over the course of a decade and more than 70 shoots, this collaboration shaped a distinctive photographic voice for Coca‑Cola. To celebrate the creative journey—and a powerful visual archive that spans global markets and cultural moments—Coca‑Cola Global Design unveiled Contour, a milestone exhibition held at the International Center of Photography during NYCxDESIGN Festival 2025.

The exhibition showcased over 150 images selected from thousands, many of which had never been seen publicly. Curated from Coca‑Cola’s extensive photography vault, the images reflect a decade of storytelling steeped in emotion, spontaneity, and style. At the heart of the show was the Coca‑Cola contour bottle itself—sometimes featured prominently, other times hidden in a gesture or tucked casually in the scene. Always present. Always iconic.

This motif was especially fitting, as Coca‑Cola marks the 110th anniversary of its legendary contour bottle this year. First introduced in 1915 to combat imitators and create brand distinction, the bottle’s fluted silhouette became one of the most recognizable shapes in the world. Described by industrial designer Raymond Loewy as the “perfect liquid wrapper,” it has evolved in materials and scale, but never lost its identity. The bottle remains a symbol of design excellence, emotional connection, and cultural relevance.

“Because Guy and Anna came from fashion, they knew how to hero products,” Abreu said. “We wanted the bottle to feel like the most desirable object on Earth—but also to elevate everything around it. The goal wasn’t just to sell a drink, but to create a feeling you wanted to be part of.”

The exhibition opened on May 15 with a keynote panel discussion in partnership with the NYCxDESIGN Festival featuring Guy Aroch, Anna Palma, and Rapha Abreu, moderated by Lisa Smith, Executive Creative Director at Jones Knowles Ritchie (JKR). Told through personal anecdotes and reflections, their conversation offered insights into the collaboration, the creative strategy behind the platforms of ‘Taste the Feeling’ and ‘Real Magic’, while offering a small glimpse at the future evolution of Coca‑Cola’s design photographic philosophy. 

Following the panel, nearly 400 guests gathered for a reception that brought together members of Coca‑Cola’s design team, creative partners, industry peers, and photography enthusiasts. Set against the backdrop of powerful visuals and design storytelling, the evening was a celebration not just of the bottle or a single campaign—but of the enduring power of photography to shape culture and brand meaning.

At its core, Coca‑Cola design is about joy. And joy, as this exhibition reminded us, is not complicated. It’s the sparkle of a freshly opened bottle. The energy of a moment shared. The unmistakable red in the corner of your eye. Contour celebrated all of that—through images that are as timeless and human as the brand itself.