Coca-Cola Pin-Up Fun in the Summer Sun

While temperature is falling in big parts of the world, people from Oceanian countries are welcoming the warm weather and planning their perfect summer.
Summer is a perfect time to have fun & relax. Go down to the beach with some friends, have a BBQ, drive around in a convertible, take a sunbath, swim & surf or crash a pool party.

Last year, Coca-Cola New Zealand promoted “Summer As It Should Be” with a series of modern pin-up prints, featuring local bikini beauties ready to dive into surf and sand with their board-size bottles of Coke.

Coca-Cola Retro Pop Art Calendar

Coca-Cola calendars go a long way back. The first one was produced in 1891, featuring an attractive young woman wearing a fashionable dress and holding a tennis raquet. Over the years, Coca-Cola would introduce hundreds of “Coca-Cola Girls”, holding the most different objects such as skis, ice skates, a pen, fan or umbrella and of course a glass or bottle of their favorite soda drink.

From the 1900’s, Coca-Cola also sometimes turned from pretty but anonymous girls to show biz stars. Lillian Norica, a Metropolitan Opera star, was featured on calendars starting in 1904. Another early favorite was legendary actress Hilda Clark.
By the 1920’s the Coca-Cola calendar girls were posing at activities, which included baseball games and various social events.
In the 1930’s, Coca-Cola took a somewhat higher road by calling upon leading artists of the time to contribute illustrations for their calendars. Norman Rockwell illustrated Huckleberry Finn in 1932 and used similar subjects for the company’s calendars during that decade. Other famous illustrators for Coca-Cola during the 1930’s included Frederic Stanley, N.C. Wyeth and Bradshaw Crandall.

In the 1940’s, Coke invented Sprite Boy, a funny character wearing a bottle cap on his head and the era of beautiful Coca-Cola ladies continued, together with other subjects like Santa theme, which prooved to be an instant success. Coke added “zest” to their advertising slogans in the 1950’s, and also made available the visually charming illustrations as “home calendars”.

The art on the calendars is so strong and compelling that it is often used on other Coca-Cola advertising. Coca-Cola calendars are both appealing and striking in design. “Calendars are certainly the most beautiful of all Coca-Cola collectibles,” says Coke historian, collector and writer Allen Petretti. “Because of the beautiful artwork and colors, and the rarity of many, Coke calendars have become the most important pieces in my collection.”

This Retro Pop Art Calendar designed by RockAndRoll Agency features “visual samples” from the iconic Coca-Cola calendars of the 1910s – ’50s. It’s a true tribute to the delightful Coca-Cola vintage illustrations, capturing the essence of having good, old fashioned fun.

Concept & Realization Coca-Cola Iconic Calendar: RockAndRoll Agency.
Project Team Coca-Cola: Muriel Soupart, Arnaud Tasiaux.
Special Thanks to the Coca-Cola Collections Development/Archives Dept, Atlanta.
Sources: Coca-Cola Conversations, Colector’s Blog http://www.coca-colaconversations.com/
Classic Coca-Cola Calendars by Allen Petretti.

Remix Art Gallery

For the Coke Side of Life Remix Art Gallery, RockAndRoll Agency creatively managed 15 artists/agencies/collectives from around the world: Idokungfoo, Japan // Vault49, USA // Caos CC, Spain // Adhemas, Brazil // 013a, Romania // Creative XL, India // Extraverage, Hungary // Buro Destruct, Swiss // Mienandi, Senegal // The Designers Republic, UK // Rex (South Africa) // Todd Alan Breland (USA) // Spinbalon, Venezuela // Pixecute, Indonesia // Armchair & Josh Boston, USA // Fung Wee Lim, Canada.
Here you can see their artworks exposed on the SouthBank, London, UK.

The work of the Remix artists reflects various styles, personalities and cultures and the project shows how vibrantly creative the collaboration of a design network can be.
The diverse backgrounds of the contributing artists have resulted in a multifaceted world of imagery that draws its freshness from the mixture of approaches. Their mission is to spread an optimistic look at the world and help people realize how contagious happiness is. By combining iconic Coca-Cola images with up-to-date illustration techniques and styles, the artists have given rise to a progressive style of visual expression.

Designed within the “Coke Side of Life” concept and format, the Remix artworks are colorful explosions of positive thinking.
The experimental, playful and humorous collages of historical Coca-Cola milestone images are a true tribute to the brands unique and undying creative spirit.

Photography by RWDave, Russell+, Slimmer_Jimmer, Simpson_eh, Bergs Eye View, Hallywoods, Owizard (Flickr). All Rights Reserved.

ABOUT ROCKANDROLL AGENCY

RockAndRoll Agency is a full-cycle communication agency offering marketing services, strategic development and art direction. RockAndRoll Agency was founded in 2003 by Jean-Philippe Noterman and Wouter De Coster. Jean-Philippe studied philosophy/anthropology, Wouter has a background as fashion designer. Before starting RockAndRoll Agency, they worked already together for 5 years in the publishing and communication business.

RockAndRoll Agency has worked for clients as various as The Coca-Cola Group, Nokia, Levi’s, Tommy Hilfiger, Schott NY, Motorola, Hugo Boss Fragrances…
RockAndRoll Agency is dedicated to the production of visual identity design, graphic animation and websites. As art buyers and curators, RRA is always looking for artists with strong ideas and an individual voice.