Diet Coke's signature silver can is going to be mostly red from now on

Diet Coke is getting a new look.
(Image credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Everybody knows that the way to differentiate between Diet Coke and full-sugar Coke is by looking at the color of the can — for as long as Diet Coke has been around, it has been branded with a signature silver design while the original Coca-Cola flavor has been sold in a classic all-red can.

Confusingly, that won't be true for much longer. In an effort to "use one visual identity system," Coca-Cola will be putting a large red circle on all of its cans beginning in May in Mexico and rolling out across the rest of the world throughout 2016 and 2017, BuzzFeed reports.

Diet Coke isn't the only can getting redesigned — Coke Zero, which normally comes in a black can, and the stevia-sweetened Coca-Cola Life, normally in a green can, will all be marked red with their original colors being relegated to accents. "We're extending the strong brand equity of Coca-Cola across the trademark to offer consumers more choice and to also better promote our great-tasting diet and light portfolio," Coca Cola CEO Muhtar Kent explained to BuzzFeed.

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UPDATE April 20: A spokesperson from Coca-Cola has clarified that, "Coca-Cola North America is exploring a variety of 'One Brand' packaging graphics for the Coca-Cola Trademark. Due to an already packed promotion and marketing calendar, there will not be any changes made in 2016. The results of testing in North America will inform our packaging considerations for the Coca-Cola Trademark in 2017 and beyond."

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.