Pepsi KSA: Celebrating National Pride with Special Edition Packaging

Matter Branding's Unique Tribute to Saudi Arabia's Golden Boys

The inspiration behind the design was the national pride of Saudi Arabia, particularly in their football team, which had qualified for the World Cup. Pepsi wanted to celebrate this achievement and chose five main players, known as the 'Golden Boys', to be featured in their World Cup celebratory campaign. Matter Branding aimed to highlight this sense of national pride through the design, resulting in five artfully designed Pepsi cans, each featuring a player who represents a strong value in Saudi culture.

The uniqueness of the design lies in the concept that the strength of each player, and by extension, the nation, emerges from the individual values they represent. These values include strength of will, celebration of heritage, passionate speed, active ambitious seeking, and mindful orchestration of the future. The true strength of the nation, however, stems from their unity. This is symbolized in the design when the cans are placed together, forming one big star that unites them as one, reinforcing the concept of strength in unity.

The design specifications included five colors, three Pantones, and black & white, with dimensions of W 205mm x H 108mm. The design was created over two months in Cairo, Egypt, by a team of creative directors, art directors, graphic designers, copywriters, and 3D designers from Matter Branding.

Research for the design included studying the Saudi culture and the significance of the five specific players to the Saudi people. The challenge was to integrate these elements in a way that is aesthetically rich, yet conveys the concept in a way that is relevant to the people themselves, allowing them to bond with the can, and urges them to collect all five cans.

The design was awarded Silver in A' Packaging Design Award in 2019. The Silver A' Design Award is rewarded to top-of-the-line, creative, and professionally remarkable designs that illustrate outstanding expertise and innovation. These designs, admired for their strong technical characteristics and splendid artistic skill, showcase a remarkable level of excellence and introduce positive feelings, amazement, and wonder.