This Starbucks logo is made from Starbucks coffee and Shop-Rite coffee filters. Looking at it now, I realize the photo is a bit askew. I could fix it, but no amount of java will make me unlazy.
I’m not much of a coffee drinker myself*, so like the McDonald’s Foogos, I thought this was going to waste, but also like the Mickie Dee’s golden arches, my brothers came to the rescue.
I saved almost all of the coffee and re-bagged it, giving it to my brother, the caffiend. (Well, there’s a tee shirt design.) The filters were still good, so I saw no reason to waste those. Before I made this logo, I even called ahead to my parents’ place to see what kind of filters I should get. The reply was “Size 4.” What are these? Mini skirts?
For that matter, what’s the deal with this lady? I always just assumed it was Medusa, based solely on the long wavy strands, but for the first time, I’m really looking at this, and I’m going to go with two-tailed mermaid princess. Maybe the extra tail is what made her royalty? Only one person can solve this mystery.
Wikipedia.
Waitaminute. I work for the ad agency responsible for Starbucks’ campaigns. (35 seconds elapse) So I got off the phone with one of the account people on the Starbucks business, and he says it’s a “siren.” I guess I could always check the actual Starbuccks website:
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.
Well, if nothing else, Starbucks designed an easily recognizable logo for its brand. My guess was spot-on.
*My last cup of joe was at a wedding in May 2007. And before that? No idea. Maybe when I was 7, and only because my parents forbade me from drinking the stuff. That’s probably why I was addicted to tequila by 5th grade. (Kidding!)
Check out all the logos in the Foogos Brands gallery.