Many of us recognize the Starbucks siren as the green beauty who draws thirsty customers into her shops, captivating coffee enthusiasts with her enchanting drinks and delightful scents.
Even though she quickly sparks a coffee desire with her promise of the ideal mix, there are a few small details that make the two-tailed mermaid deliciously imperfect.
In 1971, when Starbucks was just a simple coffee bean seller in Seattle’s Pike Place Market, the founders were searching for a name and logo that captured adventure and the seafaring history of early coffee merchants.
After thinking about names like Pequod, from “Moby-Dick,” they chose Starbucks, inspired by the first mate in Herman Melville’s book.
This ocean theme led to picking a twin-tailed mermaid or siren as their logo, representing the charm and mystery of the sea.
“It’s our siren. She isn’t real but we think of her like one. She’s our brand’s biggest symbol…She represents it,” says Steve Murray from Starbucks Global Creative Studio. “The siren is like an ultimate mermaid. A single-tailed mermaid is just an ordinary one. (Sorry Ariel).”
Her first makeover
The original logo showed a brown image of a bare-breasted siren reflecting earthy colors of coffee. But in 1987, as Starbucks grew bigger, they gave their logo a new look; making it less creepy.
The color changed to bright green showing growth and freshness while also showing their commitment to quality. Plus, they adjusted her hair to cover up more skin making it more modest according to changing social standards.
Another change
By 1992, since Starbucks had become well-known everywhere; another update was needed for their logo. This time they focused on just showing the face of the siren cropping out her body for an easier-to-recognize image where only tips of her tails held in both hands were visible.
She speaks for herself
In 2011 celebrating its 40th anniversary; Starbucks revealed an exciting new design! They removed their company name leaving only the siren as its representation.
“I hope when people see this on their cup; it stands for what they’ll get from us,” said Murray about this famous symbol “If you see that cup with our siren on it; it’s going to be great.”
Making her more ‘human’
This simpler style showed how Starbucks evolved beyond just selling coffee embracing many products & experiences too! The face got refined further making it seem more human-like & relatable!
Speaking about this face detail many might overlook: While aiming for symmetry in design some slight asymmetry was added intentionally so she looks less like “a perfect mask.”
She couldn’t be “perfect like Barbie,” needing little flaws adding character & warmth inviting customers closer!
Global creative director Connie Birdsall told Fast Company that designers had “to step back putting some” “humanity back” into this face! “Those imperfections made it successful!” she explained.
“In fact just focusing on facial features there’s slight asymmetry present giving shadows mostly right side,” said design partner Bogdan Geana adding: “It felt much more human than being perfectly cut.”
The current version
Today’s version shows asymmetry but you need close inspection spotting those tiny flaws! There are shadows added right side – eyebrow appears longer – nose dips lower too!
Can you notice them now knowing?
The Starbucks logo means way more than simply being green circle featuring our lovely lady; it’s truly representing journey values connecting deeply with customers everywhere! Next time enjoying favorite drink take moment appreciating rich history behind iconic two-tailed mermaid!
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