Mountain Dew Logo PNG
At the sight of the Mountain Dew logo, bubbles seem to spark on the tongue. The emblem radiates the freshness of a mountain stream, promising a sweet and vivid taste with a citrus kick. The brand is associated with a drink created for active people seeking energy and a boost. A sip can restore focus and drive away fatigue. The company positions itself as fuel for those who lead an active lifestyle and need a quick recharge.
Mountain Dew was founded in the 1940s by brothers Barney and Ally Hartman in Tennessee. They wanted a whiskey mixer but couldn’t find one they liked, so they created their own lemon-lime soda. The name came from slang for moonshine, and the first version was sold in small batches across the southern US.
In the 1950s, rights to the brand passed to William Jones of Marion, Virginia. He changed the formula, giving it a sharper citrus taste, and promoted it through Appalachia. Early bottles used a barefoot mountain figure with a rifle, tying the drink to rural humor and mountain life.
A major shift came in 1964, when PepsiCo bought Mountain Dew. Pepsi helped bring it to a national market, while the brand moved away from its hillbilly image. In the 1970s and 1980s, advertising leaned into outdoor activity, adventure, and adrenaline. By the 1990s, Mountain Dew was closely tied to extreme sports, including skateboarding, snowboarding, and BMX.
In the 2000s, the brand expanded its lineup with Code Red, LiveWire, Voltage, and numerous limited editions. It also moved into gaming culture through campaigns with Xbox and Call of Duty. In the 2010s, DEWmocracy let fans vote on new flavors, while esports and youth marketing remained part of the brand’s direction. Mountain Dew Zero Sugar launched in 2020 as demand for sugar-free versions of familiar sodas grew. By the mid-2020s, Mountain Dew remained one of the top-selling soft drinks in the United States.
Meaning and History
In the 1930s, soda (sparkling water) was usually mixed with alcohol, such as whiskey. The Hartman brothers invented the new drink. They turned it into a brand and developed the original brand identity. At first, the bottles were decorated with a simple country boy label (Willie the Hillbilly), stylized as a cartoon. The first sketches of the logos were created by John Brichetto in 1948, immediately after the trademark was officially registered.
Carl E. Retzke of Owens-Illinois Inc suggested the name for the soft drink. The original meaning of Mountain Dew was an Irish (Scottish) slang word for moonshine in the 19th century. It was used as a joke, so the label artwork was humorous. But after PepsiCo bought the brand, it undertook a redesign in 1969, dramatically changing the visual identity mark’s accents. The new owner focused on young people who love drive, movement, and the outdoors.
What is Mountain Dew?
This well-known soft drink brand has a bold citrus flavor and high caffeine content. Initially created as a lemon-lime drink, it has evolved into a full lineup of distinctive flavors, including popular varieties such as Code Red, Voltage, and Baja Blast, each with its own unique taste and color. A defining feature of the drink is its vibrant hue, ranging from the classic neon green to bright red and blue in other varieties, along with a powerful, “explosive” taste that appeals to soda enthusiasts.
1946 – 1969
Mountain Dew appeared in the early 1940s, thanks to two beverage-producing brothers from Tennessee, Ally and Moses Hartman. They were inspired by an old Natural Setup recipe, a citrus mix that was popular at the time with bourbon. The first official version of the drink, created by flavor expert William “Billy” Jones, was introduced in 1946 at an exhibition and was positioned primarily as a cocktail mixer, with a taste similar to that of the well-known 7Up. The trademark was registered in November 1948.
A key update to the formula occurred in 1960. The same Billy Jones, already working at Tri-City Beverage in Johnson City, Tennessee, decided to combine the taste of Mountain Dew with the company’s signature drink, “Tri-City Lemonade.” Consumers received the updated version well, which was not tied to cocktails, and sales quickly increased.
One of the first brand logos was created by designer John Brichetto, who conveyed the drink’s spirit and atmosphere through cartoon-style lettering and a free, lively approach. The logo looks informal, with intentionally uneven letters, varying line thickness, and a hand-drawn feel. The typeface matched the image of a simple rural character named Willie, who became a symbol of the drink in its early years.
The name is rendered in green, reflecting the natural association connected with the name Mountain Dew. The green shade emphasizes freshness and simplicity. The composition itself is extremely simple and arranged horizontally.
This early version of the logo accurately conveyed the product’s mood when the company was still a regional brand, highlighting its folkloric, slightly humorous character.
1969 – 1980
The Mountain Dew logo redesign became a bold play with proportions and colors aimed at a youth audience. The entire composition is built around two words placed within a rectangle, as if the letters do not fit and are cut off by the frame’s edges. The central letter “M” belongs to both lines of text and sets the tone for the entire image.
The brand name is set in two colors to emphasize word separation and create a contrasting inscription. The upper part of the mark contains the green word “Mountain.” The letters stretch upward and tilt in different directions, creating a sense of intentional distortion and dynamism. The characters appear deformed and asymmetrical, with the height of each letter adjusted to its neighbors. Although uppercase letters dominate, there are three exceptions in lowercase, “i,” “a,” and “e,” adding extra contrast to the composition.
The lower part of the inscription contains the word “Dew,” rendered in bright red to emphasize its importance. In this word, the typeface is slightly heavier, with wide strokes that appear flattened, reinforcing a sense of instability and energy. All letters are slightly curved, enhancing expressiveness.
1980 – 1991
The updated Mountain Dew logo gained fresh momentum with brighter, lighter shades. In other respects, no changes occurred, as the letters’ style and shape remained unchanged.
Green and red remained the primary colors of the name, now gaining additional depth and strength. Color became the key element of the update, adding liveliness and emphasizing the brand’s youth orientation.
1991 – 1996
In 1991, the Mountain Dew logo changed again, but the approach was simple. Instead of creating a new typeface or significantly changing the color, the designers slightly compressed the existing mark. The letters became narrower, and the logo shifted from rectangular to square. This was the only distinction from the previous version.
Despite the lack of major changes, the symbol was perceived differently because of its new shape. The square form gave the logo a more balanced appearance. Minimal intervention allowed the brand to maintain recognizability and style while slightly refreshing its presentation.
1996 – 1999
In the mid-1990s, the company shifted the brand image through its logo, moving from a chaotic presentation to a more ordered one. Designers retained the diagonal slant from the previous version, but now both words point upward. The name is structured so that the top line gradually narrows in height, while the bottom line expands.
The word “Mountain,” colored dark green, begins with a capital letter and gradually narrows toward its end. Despite this narrowing, the large initial “M” retained its traditional smooth curve. The green shade continues the drink’s natural theme.
The lower line, Dew, is rendered in bold, bright red letters. Here, the composition is opposite to the upper word. The first letter is narrow, and each subsequent letter becomes taller, giving the word expressive weight.
The logo colors remained the same. Clear structure and balance replaced previous distortions and unevenness.
1999 – 2005
At the end of the 1990s, the Mountain Dew logo was updated again, receiving new treatment and more pronounced volume. The diagonal layout of the name was retained, but now the letters are surrounded by a double outline of white and dark green lines. The green line varies in width. Its lower part is significantly thicker, while the upper contour is thin and precise. It resembles a natural shadow, emphasizing volume.
In the word Mountain, the letter case changed. Now all letters are lowercase except the initial “M.” It harmonizes with the “W” in Dew, repeating its height, thickness, and style. These details add unity to the inscription.
Both words retained the diagonal slant and color contrast. The upper word is green, the lower one is rich red. The typeface is vertically stretched and horizontally compressed, and the letters appear organized in a strict block due to the surrounding background shape.
2005 – 2009
In this variation, the central part appears magnified as if viewed through a lens. The letters in the middle are enlarged and convex, while those at the edges are distorted, creating an unusual perspective effect. This effect became the main feature of the updated mark, making it appear livelier and more modern.
The diagonal presentation of the name remained unchanged. However, the outline around the letters turned lime green and developed sharp, jagged protrusions. Compared to the previous version with soft, rounded contours, the new frame appears sharper and more aggressive, emphasizing the brand’s youthful tone.
The letters “M,” “W,” and “D” gained curves and rounded ends, adding a sense of flexibility and motion. The colors remained the same, but the lime-green outline made the visual contrast brighter and more expressive.
The entire composition looks energetic. The updated lines, volume, and convexity effects made the mark more engaging and increased its appeal among younger audiences.
2009 – 2017
In July 2009, Mountain Dew underwent an important rebrand, introducing a new logo with the shortened name Mtn Dew. The updated symbol abandoned the full word Mountain in favor of the abbreviated form Mtn. This made the mark more compact, aligning with trends shaped by digital formats and youth perception.
The new logo continues to use a diagonal structure, with the words arranged on two levels. “Mtn” on top, “Dew” below. The two words are distinguished by different colors, dark green above and bright red below. The Serpentine typeface is used with modifications; the letters are slanted and placed within a zigzag contour. The outer border consists of two colored lines, a light lime inner line, and a saturated green outer line. The contours resemble a sharp cut or a lightning flash.
The logo emphasizes dynamism and aggression, creating an active perception of the drink.
2017 – 2025
In the latest version of the Mtn Dew logo, designers made minimal adjustments that nevertheless affected brand perception. The dark green frame surrounding the name was replaced with a black outline, giving the letters a sense of rigidity and a defined boundary. The inner lime line remains, preserving contrast between the letters and the frame.
The colors of both words became slightly calmer and more muted, and the logo appears less loud and more restrained.
The form and style of the diagonally placed letters remained unchanged. The zigzag composition preserves energy and a youth orientation.
2025 – today
In October 2024, PepsiCo presented a redesigned Mountain Dew logo scheduled for release in spring 2025. The new brand style restores the full name of the drink, specifically the word Mountain, which disappeared after the 2009 rebrand, referring back to the drink’s roots in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.
Mauro Porcini, who oversaw the redesign, emphasized the importance of the handwritten rendering of the word ‘Mountain,’ which evokes its origins, mountain landscapes, and natural energy. The logo also marks the brand’s founding year for the first time, “1948,” placed within the letter W as a sign of respect for history.
The overall style recalls the company’s 1990s design but is adapted to modern requirements. The letters gained softer edges and added volume, reinforcing a three-dimensional impression. The composition remains diagonal, forming a shape similar to a sign. The word “Mountain” is dark green, and “Dew” is bright red. In “Mountain,” the letters gradually decrease in size, while in “Dew,” they increase in size. The symmetry of the letters M and W is preserved; they differ only in color.
A three-layer outline, including an inner white fill, a bright yellow middle layer, and a saturated green outer border, surrounds the logo. An additional dark shadow on the right enhances depth and volume. A small leaf image appears above the letter “i,” recalling the brand’s natural origins.
The new identity aligns with the return of the classic slogan “Do the Dew” and the introduction of the character Mountain Dude, both intended to inspire Generation Z to step away from digital environments and reconnect with nature.
The decision to update the design came as demand for sugary beverages was declining, giving way to sparkling water and healthier alternatives. Through the refreshed image, the brand seeks to evoke associations with natural energy rather than high caffeine and sugar content.
Font and Colors
Mountain Dew’s visual brand identity sign has always had a dual structure: the top of the name is green, and the bottom is red. Only their shades varied. The exception is the debut logo, which used a monochromatic word combination. The main feature of the logo was the slanted lettering, with the right side of the words pointing upwards. It is also known that for the logo on the branded line of tin cans, the parent company announced a contest in which 35 independent skateboard stores participated. They submitted artwork by various tattoo artists and artisans. According to reports, the winner received a cash prize, but the results have not yet been printed.
The free Air Millhouse Italic typeface has been chosen for the textual identity. The designers have personalized it a bit, changing the shape and size of the letters. The color palette is more stable: it always stays green and red. Their shades varied from scarlet to crimson and from lettuce to emerald.