Starbucks and their Siren

I have a confession to make.  I have been buying Starbucks for years and I never noticed that the logo was a  siren.  All I saw when I looked at the logo was a group of green geometric shapes, the lack of space between the shapes, and the word Starbucks.  The logo, to me, meant "YAY!  COFFEE!"  It wasn't until about two months ago, when I was washing my thermal Starbucks cup, that I noticed the mermaid.  Now it's all I can see.  My mom thinks it's crazy that I never noticed it and I don't deny it.  At least I am not alone though; my step-dad didn't notice it either. 

Maybe the words detracted from the siren?

This is the one that is on my cup.  Maybe I only noticed it because the words aren't there?

They do a lot of studies on logos and images and I know that some things become ambiguous to the brain because they are seen so many times.  I think that this thing with my brain and the Starbucks logo is just a glitch in the Matrix.



This is what Starbucks has to say about their logo.  Pay attention to the last paragraph.  I have chosen to highlight it, proving that I may not be the only one who was clueless.  Maybe they realized that you couldn't tell what she was?:

"Let’s go all the way back to 1971, to when Starbucks was first coming to be. In a search for a way to capture the seafaring history of coffee and Seattle’s strong seaport roots, there was a lot of poring over old marine books going on. Suddenly, there she was: a 16th century Norse woodcut of a twin-tailed mermaid, or Siren. There was something about her – a seductive mystery mixed with a nautical theme that was exactly what the founders were looking for. A logo was designed around her, and our long relationship with the Siren began.

Over the last 40 years we’ve made some changes to that identity. Now we’re doing that again, to keep ourselves relevant as we evolve without ever losing sight of our heritage. But the Siren has always been there. She is at the heart of Starbucks.

Here we are today. Our new evolution liberates the Siren from the outer ring, making her the true, welcoming face of Starbucks. For people all over the globe, she is a signal of the world’s finest coffee – and much more. She stands unbound, sharing our stories, inviting all of us in to explore, to find something new and to connect with each other. And as always, she is urging all of us forward to the next thing. After all, who can resist her?"

One last note.....


Now I realize that this isn't exactly the same thing because it is intentionally clever, but what do you see when you look at this old Milwaukee Brewers logo?  I always saw a baseball mitt and ball.  Do you see the M and the B?  One of the best logos ever and they replaced it.  I don't get that.  They even used a ball for the hole in the B  I love that!

They know their beer and their logos.....

Have a great day!