I Heart Design

no. 33

SELECTED BYTIM HOSSLERCOCA-COLA BOTTLEDESIGNED BYEARL R. DEAN

This humble bottle is a souvenir from my father’s trip to Egypt in the early 1980s. I like its strangeness and history, as it is familiar yet exotic, ordinary but slightly off. The almost unbreakable glass container is a relic from the Cold War era. Containing a sugary syrup drink, this coca pod–shaped vessel was intended to spread democracy and goodwill. Even as a prop, it is a movie star as instantly recognizable and meaningful as James Dean. The bottle transcends its functional role, standing for the good, the bad, and the ugly of the country that created it. Whether labeled in a Roman, Cyrillic, or Arabic font, this bottle will always symbolize U.S. culture and capitalism. ...