Happy (Late) Birthday Starbucks!!!

On March 8th, 2011, Starbucks celebrated its 40th birthday. It also rolled out its new logo. It features the same “siren” that it has for years but it is missing something that some can’t just get around: their name. The new logo is completely graphic not having any type on it at all. It is said to be a design celebrating the Starbucks Siren. In a press release given Thomas P., their interactive content manager, says

“For those of you who aren’t sold on the new mark, all I ask is this: give it time. As you start to see it out in the world, I hope you’ll start to appreciate the simplicity and elegance of the new design. I like the new mark because I feel that we’ve unleashed the Siren, a mythological figure who represents the romance and creativity that inspired the founders of Starbucks 40 years ago. I hope that unleashing that energy – that mojo – will keep us (and you) inspired for the next 40 years.”

The logo has been received very well by the public so far. Though there are always critics to change, it is nothing compared to the fiasco of last years Gap logo redesign. In fact, in the press release the author talks about that.

“The verdict from the design community has generally been more positive, and even the voice behind the hilarious (but fake) Gap Logo Twitter account lent support.”

Overall, I really like the new logo. It is simple and clean while still having a strong enough similarity to its predecessor. I think it does a very good job at showing that Starbucks is a ever changing company, willing to take risks to visually show what they are about.






Images from Brand New.