Starbucks Changes its Logo

Image from source Sydney Morning Herald

I am a coffee fiend, but curiously not a Starbucks fan. I really have nothing against the chain, despite its ubiquity. I just prefer my coffee black: unsweetened, untainted by dairy products, with no frills, foam or dustings of spices. Oh, I can cut loose on occasion, but for the most part, just pour it from the pot, and I'm done. But as a graphic artist who specializes in logo design, I do have an opinion about Starbucks' latest logo revision: it stinks!

Okay, that's going too far. It doesn't stink, but it makes little sense. They basically took the siren/mermaidy thing out of the green circle, colored it green, and removed all the text.  So, it's the same logo, with the outside trimmed off. I honestly can't see an organization as large as Starbucks spending the big money to change all their signage to the new design.  "Hey, let's remove the name of the store from all the signs!" Why, that's marketing genius! Whatever they paid the logo designer was too much (and I'd have done it for half!).

My take is, they won't be using this as their only logo. It's sure to be an alternate logo, one used on some items but not others. The store is going to keep its name for god's sake. And I also predict a return to something closer to the more well known logo at some point. It's just too well known to abandon altogether.

[Excerpt]

Starbucks Stirs Ire With New Logo

Starbucks, the world's biggest coffee chain, has unveiled a new logo that omits its name and the word "coffee", infuriating loyal customers.

The new green logo is essentially Starbucks' representation of a female siren - a half-human mythical temptress who led sailors to their deaths. The change, announced overnight during a webcast of a company meeting, comes as Starbucks is building new billion-dollar brands sold outside its cafes. . .

Read more at: Sydney Morning Herald