So Coca-Cola has a record label, Real Thing Records (rtr), launched with Universal Music Group (UMG) on June 11.

“With a genre-agnostic approach and a mission to amplify bold, authentic voices from around the world, rtr is designed to be a launchpad for the next generation of music talent,” Coca-Cola stated. The label also bonds Coca-Cola to the universal appeal of popular music.

Explorers Club Studio was given the job of creating the label’s brand identity – a brand world that could “carry the cultural weight of The Coca-Cola Company’s legacy”. Explorers Club’s answer is a dynamic, generative identity system and social direction, rooted in the heart of fandom and soul of music.

The creative foundation draws inspiration from Coca-Cola’s Arden Square, first introduced in 1969 as a bold red frame for the brand’s script. Reimagined as the Arden Portal, the square becomes a conceptual and visual tunnel into the heartbeat of fans and artists, thec foundation of a generative system expressed through motion, sound, and layered storytelling.

The logo system is dynamic, the identity’s motion is sound-reactive and every touchpoint reflects the journey from discovery to connection, positioning Real Thing Records. not just as a label, but as a cultural link between music and the people who move it forward. This design system houses imagery and visuals shot and produced by Explorers Club over two shoots during live performances at House of KOKO in London, including The Coca-Cola Recording Studio situated within the venue.

The label debuts with two emerging artists, French-New Zealand pop singer-songwriter, Max Allais, known for his intimate, globally-minded sound rooted in emotional storytelling and the timeless craft of acoustic-driven pop, and Indian artist, Aksomaniac, who blends jazz, R&B, and hip-hop with his Carnatic roots.