Starbucks Logo: History, Design, and Transformation
The Starbucks logo is one of those iconic global brands — and there’s really only a handful of them — that have become so wildly popular that they no longer need their brand names on the logo.
Seriously, when was the last time you saw Nike etched on any of its sneakers or Apple written on your iPhone? It’s always the swoosh and the half-bitten fruit.
Starbucks logo enjoys a similar level of popular success. Its alluring siren logo adorns building facades all over the world. From historic landscapes to thriving metropolitans and remote beaches, it has a presence in every corner of the world.
Confirming the effectiveness of imagery over words once more, the current Starbucks logo is recognizable across cultures, regions, and language barriers, rendering its wordmark very limited in its role.
As we go over the Starbucks logo evolution in this post, we’ll discuss the elements and moments that made it the global success that it is today.
If you’re interested in learning the design history of the world’s most iconic logos, we have recently done a piece on the Nestle logo design too. Go check it out.
Origins & Overview of the Starbucks Brand
The Starbucks brand originated in Seattle, Washington, in 1971. Three friends — Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl, and Gordon Bowker — who met at the University of San Francisco, shared a dream and an entrepreneurial passion: To make high-quality coffee accessible to people.
Image Source: Starbucks Archive
At the time, it was a revolutionary idea because the publically available coffee options were subpar at best. High-quality, perfectly-brewed fresh coffee was a luxury, not a go-to option.
As coffee enthusiasts, they were committed to turning it around.
A brand was born
Shortly after the logistics of the company were sorted, the three co-founders got together to brainstorm their new brand identity. They wanted a name that conveyed a “sense of adventure, a connection to the Northwest, and the seafaring tradition of the early coffee traders.” Starbucks website says.
The name Pequod was initially thrown around, after the whaler ship in Moby Dick, but everyone agreed that ‘pee-kwod’ wasn’t an appealing or appropriate sound for a brand name.
Are you ready for your third pee-kwod of the day?
Hard to imagine anybody ever wanting to say that.
So the search continued. As they kept looking for the right brand name that connected adventure, the American Northwest, and traditions of sea voyages, they came across ‘Starbo’, the name of a mining camp on Mount Rainier, which is the most famous landmark near Seattle.
While it did not have the adventure ring to it or the allure of the sea traditions, it did have the Northwest connection. Can it be enough?
Thankfully, we don’t have to find out, because the founders soon realized that Starbo sounded like something they’d recently heard. As they traced their steps back, they realized that the first mate on the famous Pequoud ship was a guy named Starbuck — a calm and steadfast sailor that you’d want around as the seas went wild.
Get the connection they were arriving at?
Needless to say, a brand was born in that moment.
Image Source: unsplash/kevs
Coffee beans or a coffee bar?
The Starbucks brand proved to be a success. Customers loved the idea of high-quality coffee beans, roasted by experts, and packed to take home. They didn’t have access to good coffee before and the Starbucks model of selling roasted coffee beans and coffee-related equipment made it a popular and successful brand.
In 1982, things began to change. The company hired a young New Yorker, Howard Schultz, as its director of operations and marketing. On a trip to Milan a year later, Schultz experienced something that would forever change the American beverage industry. While walking through the streets of Milan, he experienced Italy’s unique coffee-making and coffee-drinking culture.
Image Source: Seattle Pi
He saw firsthand the artistry and care that went into each brewing and the leisure of enjoying a freshly roasted cup with not a care in the world. Completely enamored by what he had seen, and convinced that he could make it happen back home, he returned to Seattle and talked to his bosses.
Sadly, the Starbucks founders didn’t share in his vision or enthusiasm. With little trust in his ideas, they weren’t willing to risk their brand legacy or success.
Disappointed but not dejected, Schultz quit his job at Starbucks and opened his own coffee company, Il Giornale.
Fresh starts and the current day
A little before 1987, Zev Siegel, one of the co-founders of Starbucks, left the company. The other two founders also split up shortly after, after failing to agree on the brand’s future direction. Instead of dismantling the company or hurting the brand repute, they chose to sell it to Howard Schultz.
But why? Weren’t they angry at him for quitting and starting a competing brand? Far from it.
Remember that the Starbucks founders were entrepreneurs, so they liked taking risks and wanted to explore new ideas. But they were also running a large business so they wanted the risk to be mitigated. How did they achieve that here?
By investing in Il Giornale. Not only were they its first investors but also the sole distributors of its coffee. In case you didn’t know, Il Giornale used Starbucks beans to make its caffeinated beverages.
So, in 1987, when they wanted to sell Starbucks, the most logical choice was to hand it over to someone as passionate about coffee as they were.
Schultz merged Starbucks with his own coffee company, kept the Starbucks name, modified its logo, and turned it into the globally recognized brand that it is today. Under Shultz’s leadership, the company expanded massively and became a global corporation.
In 2022, Starbucks had over 35,000 stores all across the world. It is the largest coffee chain in the world with an extensive menu of over 250 items + innumerable secret menu items that keep changing or vary from one store to the next.
Image Source: unsplash/Omar Lopez
For many people in the world, a morning Starbucks run is their official start of the day.
Starbucks enjoys a certain brand perception that people instantly make when you walk across with a Starbucks cup in your hand. Recently, Starbucks came under severe public backlash amid the consumer boycott movement as a result of the Israeli conflict in Gaza. The public boycott allegedly cost the company a devaluation of nearly $11 billion in the stock market.
History of the Starbucks Logo
As the beloved symbol of delicious coffee, conversations about the Starbucks logo never stop. People want to know what is the Starbucks logo. Is it a mermaid? A siren? An animal? What does the Starbucks logo symbolize? Who created the Starbucks logo? And why is it such an iconic design?
Unpacking the history of the Starbucks logo, we meet a familiar character: Terry Heckler.
Terry Heckler was not only an influential figure in helping Starbucks founders come up with the brand name but he was also hired to be the brand’s logo designer.
He based the original Starbucks logo on the concept of sea sirens — enticing, mythical creatures who lure sailors into crashing their boats by attracting them with their beautiful songs. Take a look.
Terry Heckler told Seattle Times in 2011 that using the siren as the Starbucks symbol was a “metaphor for the allure of caffeine”. Just as sirens lured sailors, Starbucks would seduce coffee lovers — minus the destruction, of course.
So if you’ve ever wondered if the Starbucks logo was a mermaid, a siren, or some kind of animal, now you know, right from the designer’s mouth.
Coming back to the details of the design, you’ll notice that the siren on the original Starbucks logo was a radically different creature than the brand’s current muse. She was big-bellied, bare-chested, had twin tails which she was holding in each hand, and had an ornate crown.
The logo was circular and the emblem had the brand name plus the words ‘coffee, tea, spices’ wrapped around it, describing the brand’s core products. The brand name was separated from the product list by two dots on either side of the badge.
The initial version of the logo was in black and white which was later changed to brown and white. Earthy colors were used in the design to connect with the color and aroma of the coffee beans.
Now that we are done with the Starbucks logo history, let’s how it evolved over the years to its present-day iconic image.
Evolution of the Starbucks Logo
The logo for Starbucks has remained a somewhat consistent design all through the company’s life. Except for some vital changes in the logo, its main theme has always been its friendly siren.
In this section, we’ll record the evolution of the Starbucks logo from a combination mark to a stand-alone symbol.
• 1971-1987
The original Starbucks logo was created the same year as the brand and continued to represent the company for the next several years. To summarize what we have already discussed in the previous section, it was a black and white logo (changed to brown and white later), featuring a bare-chested, two-tailed siren in a circular badge. Around the badge were the brand name plus the product listing: Starbucks — Coffee, Tea, Spices.
The Starbucks logo’s meaning was established in the concept of allure and seduction. Just as beautiful sirens seduce sailors with their songs, Starbucks would use high-quality caffeine to seduce discerning clientele to its doors.
• 1987-1992
Starbucks went through a leadership change in 1987. The three co-founders sold Starbucks to Howard Schultz, who was already running his new coffee company Il Giornale at the time. Here’s a look at the Il Giornale logo.
Howard Schultz merged the two companies and their logos. Terry Heckler was brought in again to work on the logo redesign. He kept the circular shape as it was consistent in both logos. Plus he made the smart decision to stick with the Starbucks siren logo for the most part as it was a more well-recognized icon, but he streamlined the imagery.
The siren had long, flowy hair now that covered her chest — though, her navel was still visible. The split tails weren’t that split anymore. The entire area had been smoothed out, it was almost circular now. He made her face more symmetrical and the features a bit clearer. Plus, her crown was simplified too.
The siren logo on the inside of the badge was kept in the brown and white colors of the signature Starbucks logo but the rest of it now was in Il Giornale green. It was a fresher, more inviting color and made the new Starbucks logo more appealing.
In other major changes, the words tea and spices were dropped from the logo, and the focus was put on the coffee alone. The brand name ‘Starbucks Coffee’ was also split in two and separated by Il Giornale’s two stars.
• 1992-2011
In 1992, the Starbucks logo went through its third redesign. Instead of any prominent changes, the effort was more in the simplification direction.
The Starbucks siren was brought closer to the customer by zooming in on her in the redesign. You couldn’t see her naval or the bottom of her twin tails anymore. The attempt put her face in sharper focus, which was made to look more human, slightly flawed. She now had a friendly smile on her face, too.
The Starbucks green was also made a bit lighter, freshening up the design. The logo was so well-received that it continued representing the brand throughout its major global expansion.
• 2011-The present day
In 2011, the Starbucks logo went through its most significant redesign. The brand name was dropped from the official logo. Though it still accompanies the brand imagery, products, and official communication.
The Starbucks siren was now standing on her own, proudly claiming all the space. The black color was removed from the primary logo so it was all in green and white. More light was added to the green, making the logo bright and vibrant. Just how you want to be after you had your first Starbucks of the day.
Key Elements of the Starbucks Logo Design
The Starbucks logo has some key branding elements that ensure its global success.
• Icon: The Siren
Starbucks’ most prominent logo asset is its siren. In Starbucks’ own words, she’s their muse and the face of their brand. In its style book, Starbucks reiterates its preference for the Siren to be given prominent placement, preferably on her own, sans the wordmark.
As per Starbucks, removing the brand name wordmark “allows flexibility to present the Siren with greater prominence while maintaining a considered, open, and modern presentation.”
• Colors: Starbucks Green & White
Any discussion about the Starbucks logo is incomplete without talking about its signature colors. The iconic green and white have almost achieved a global status of recognition, but these two aren’t the only colors in the Starbucks palette.
The brand claims 8 unique colors as its own in its brand book. These include Starbucks Green (their primary green), accent green (when the primary green can’t stand out against the background), light green, house green, black, warm neutral, cool neutral, and white.
On the brand book website, you can find out use cases for each color along with examples.
In addition to these main colors, Starbucks also uses an entire army of supportive colors, which it calls ‘Expressive Colors’ which are split into four categories: spring, summer, nitro, and fall. Each category has multiple colors in its vista.
• Typeface: Custom Fonts
The Starbucks siren logo may not have a wordmark, but the brand uses three fonts to communicate its messaging.
These are Starbucks Sodo Sans, Lander, and Pike.
Sodo Sans is their main, versatile font. Lander is their serif choice for most ‘expressive moments’, and Pike’s impactful style is mostly used for writing functional headlines and location names, etc.
• Brand Emotions: Expressive & Functional
Expressive is probably the most prominent Starbucks emotion you can encounter at every touch point you meet. The brand, from its baristas’ interactions with you to its social media ad copy, is as expressive and inviting as they come.
Pumpkin Variations. 🎃 Cheers Ed Sheeran!
Posted by Starbucks on Saturday, 26 August 2023
Joy is another description that comes to mind, especially when you combine the effect of caffeine with the almost limitless number of drink flavors that Starbucks now offers.
• Brand Slogan: Uplift the Everyday
Starbucks doesn’t have an official slogan. Instead, it has mission statements and brand promises that it makes to its partners (employees), customers, farmers, communities, and so on.
Its Customer Promise might be the closest thing to a brand slogan, which goes: Uplift the everyday.
It’s an inspiring and appropriate brand statement that captures the essence of the Starbucks brand. It also ties in neatly with several campaign slogans that Starbucks keeps coming up with,
such as:
“Say hello to the holidays.”
“Think local, sip global.”
“It’s not just coffee, it’s Starbucks.”
Or, you can also consider the brand’s mission statement as its official brand slogan. And it goes something like this:
“Inspiring and nurturing the human spirit — one person, one cup, and one neighborhood at a time.”
• Brand Packaging: Rich & Functional
Starbucks coffee packaging is an artist’s delight. It’s beautiful, expressive, and functional. Every element of the packaging design serves a purpose. From the pack color to the roast meter, every detail tells you something about the coffee inside. What the flavor is, whether it’s regular or decaf, where has it been sourced from, what the format is, and so on.
If you are learning how to create functional packaging design, Starbucks might have a thing or two to teach you.
Image Source: athome.starbucks.com
• Brand Website: Confident & Minimal Design
The Starbucks brand is all about reward offers, highlighting menu items, or promoting seasonal favorites.
Like a confident brand, the website doesn’t go on long rants telling you how great the brand is. It just shows you the products in some of the most well-crafted imagery and copywriting, confident that you’re going to make the right choice by placing a Starbucks order.
Your FAQs About the Starbucks Logo Answered:
• What is the Starbucks logo?
The current Starbucks logo design is a pictorial mark containing a siren image. She’s a twin-tailed siren and you can see her two tails on either side of her.
The logo is in green and white. According to the science of color psychology, these colors symbolize nature, abundance, fresh starts, and purity.
• Why is the Starbucks logo a mermaid?
Starbucks does not have a mermaid logo. The creature you see on your Starbucks smiling at you serenely is a sea siren. These are mythical creatures that were believed to lure sailors into shipwrecks with their beautiful songs.
The Starbucks’ siren logo was chosen to signify the allure and appeal of coffee and has achieved an iconic level of global recognition.
• Who created the Starbucks logo?
Terry Heckler designed the original Starbucks logo. He was rehired in 1987 to redesign the logo when Starbucks merged with Il Giornale.
He combined elements from both the logos and created a strong foundation for further redesigns for the brand.
• What does the Starbucks logo symbolize?
The Starbucks logo design symbolizes the appeal and attraction of coffee. Its taste, aroma, the satisfaction of that first sip.
The green and white colors in the logo symbolize Starbucks’ commitment to fresh coffee, a great start to the day, and sustainable sourcing practices.
• Why does the Starbucks logo have two tails?
Typically, mermaids are depicted as one-tailed creatures. But a siren is a super mermaid, that’s why she has two tails. According to some history experts, the Starbucks siren logo is based on a 7th-century tile mosaic, found on the floor of Otranto Cathedral, a church in Italy.
How true is that connection? We can’t say. Perhaps that image made its way to history books and inspired Terry Heckler. But if it did, he missed its true meaning. Because that twin-tailed mermaid on the church floor is a symbol of resisting temptation, not indulging in it.
So if you believe in this theory, you might want to hold back from ordering another cup and listen to the siren.
The Takeaway
Iconic logo designs are rooted in meaning and symbolism that have true connections with what the brand represents. When you create a logo for your small local business, instead of looking for what’s trending, focus on symbols and imagery that mean something to you or your brand.
This is the most vital ingredient of creating logos that remain timeless and leave lasting impacts.