Starbucks logo review: Design Analysis

Why Starbucks? Ask any loyal customer and you'll hear, “Words cannot espresso how much Starbucks means to me.” or “Starbucks smells like fresh ground heaven.” But how did coffee turn into a cultural phenomenon? From simple Black Coffee to exotic Pumpkin-Spiced Lattes, Starbucks has transformed our coffee experience. Behind this evolution is an unforgettable logo.

CREATING A VISUAL LEGACY

How did Starbucks create a symbol that's as iconic as its coffee? In the realm of historic logo designs, Starbucks has rightfully claimed its place at the top. The international coffee brand grew from a small retailer to a global phenomenon, largely thanks to its strategic branding.

People love the feeling of premium and luxury, and the brand never fails to offer that! Let's dive into the design that's changed how we think about our daily brew.

STARBUCKS LOGO DESIGN REVIEW

Starbucks’ rebranding tactics have been important as the company expanded and its customer base shifted. The Starbucks logo has moved beyond many reiterations, each time becoming cleaner and simpler. Why did Starbucks go through all these distinctive rebrands? And what can we understand from it?

STARBUCKS BRAND HISTORY AND ORIGIN

Starbucks was founded by three partners in Seattle, Washington on March 30, 1971. The three partners – Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl, and Gordon Bowker. The original Starbucks logo was the image of a “twin-tailed mermaid”, or siren. Greek mythology has it that sirens lured sailors to a shipwreck off the coast of an island in the South Pacific, also sometimes referred to as Starbuck Islands. The logo was used by the original Starbucks founders to lure coffee lovers from everywhere, both offline platforms and online websites.

The logo has evolved with rapid growth in the popularity of Starbucks. The logo has become one of the most recognizable icons across the globe.

STARBUCKS LOGO EVOLUTION:

One of the major reasons people recognise the Starbucks logo easily is its unique shape and smart use of simple and soothing colours.

1971- The first version was brown with the words ‘fresh roasted coffee’ in it. It featured a bare-chested, twin-tailed mermaid inside a circular structure.

1987- This logo was later revised by painting the brand in green. This logo design also features the word ‘coffee’ with 2 stars in it, highlighting coffee as its prime product. The mermaid during this logo version has her hair covering her chest.

1992- The brand was revised only minutely. The navel of the mermaid is no longer visible during this close-up view and therefore the colour was switched to a special shade of green. This green shade looks almost like nature and suggested that Starbucks uses fresh, natural ingredients.

2011- This final logo revision is getting used by Starbucks till now. It removed all the words and therefore the starts from the brand altogether. this is often now a brandmark logo that speaks for itself. It comprises a more close-up view of the mermaid, just painted in a green and white scheme.

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STARBUCKS LOGO REVIEW:

The designer who was responsible for designing the first Starbucks logo was Terry Heckler. As an inspiration, he sorted out old marine books and based the two-tailed siren design on a 16th-century Norse woodcut. For many years, this siren was mistaken for being a mermaid, yet it was later confirmed that the symbol was, in fact, a siren.

“As we evolve to meet beautifully diverse customers all over the world, our brand has evolved too. Here we introduce a fresh new design system that maintains the core elements of our brand while keeping our customers’ experience central to creative expression.”

- Starbucks

The way Starbucks built visual branding into their business identity early on led directly to their enormous reach and influence.

Natural shapes included within the logo, especially the circle adds a robust element of freedom. There was always room for evolution, and early designers had a worldwide impact in mind. They wanted Starbucks to connect with every corner of the planet.

Their chosen colour palettes over time have always been inspired by natural tones, tying within the company’s goals of connecting with others and overall healthiness. Keeping consistency within company values and visual representations that result in customer loyalty and trust. Starbucks wants to be seen as a corporation with great corporate social responsibility.

Sans-serif font type and block letters are fonts used to spell out the brand’s name clearly and sharply. As Starbucks’ logo is recognized by consumers around the globe, the new logo did not require the text to be a part of the brand. Even without its name, customers can find out that this logo belongs to Starbucks.

Over the years, Starbucks has made a statement for its brand and logo. Starbucks’ visual identity has always stood out from other companies. It's continuously been according to what the brand stands for, and this was what contributed to the success of this global coffee brand.