Coffee On The Logo example essay topic

Try taking a walk in New York without bypassing a Starbucks. Seriously, try- I dare you! Starbucks coffeehouses are so ubiquitous this task would almost certainly be impossible. The truth is, this is not just a New York thing, I was just trying to make the point relevant. Starbucks is the largest coffee distributor in the world and exist all over cities across the country as well as a global expansion.

Before getting to the company's origin, branding and success, a closer look will be taken at the company's most simple, unique and important graphic representation: the logo. Even considering the relatively low level of advertising done by such a large company, the omnipresent storefronts and ubiquitous coffee cups have exposed us all to the logo countless times. While one would assume the logo designers had no idea how many people would eventually see their work, it is obvious a lot of thought went into its design. This is apparent not just in the elements included and their symbology which will be tackled later on, but also the placement of everything, all contributing to an overall balance.

The logo has undergone a few revisions since the original was released, but the basics remained consistent. In the original, as in the next version and the current version, the basic shape is circular with the company name surrounding an image in the center. Whether the image is that of a mermaid, a siren or something else is up for debate, but for now, the composition is our focus and the content will be discussed later. The original logo showed the mermaid / siren in its entirety, surrounded by concentric circles containing the name. This circular shape is seemingly placed atop a rectangle.

The Law of Simplicity and the Law of Completeness suggest this is the case rather than the overall outline being comprised of simply one shape. It is uncertain whether they changed the logo to make it more simple, but whether or not it was their motivation, it was a solution they met. Reducing the complex shape to one of a circle reduces any extraneous elements and makes the logo more simple. The parsimonious approach reduces the outline to the simplest visual pattern- the primordial circle. Although the original illustration of the mermaid / siren was replaced with a less complex line drawing, it remains the dominant item on the logo. As we learned, the center of any structural skeleton carries the most weight and particularly in a circle, the shape tends to draw attention to the center.

Also, the image of the mermaid / siren is pretty dynamic with all the lines and movement so its complexity tends to draw attention. Looking at the two logos, another addition to the newer one are the stars on the sides. Aside from their symbolic meaning, they seem to lend a balance that might otherwise be absent. In the original logo, there are large spaces between the text on the top and bottom of the logo, but the weight of the empty space does not draw the eye away from the center or the name since the space is not isolated. Although the protruding rectangular edges reduce the logo's overall simplicity, they ensure the empty space within the concentric circles do not detract from the more important elements. If you look at the revised logo and imagine the stars are not there, the empty spaces they leave might even be the most weighted part of the logo considering the solid, simple and empty space not found anywhere else on the logo.

The inclusion of the stars add another element, but aid in returning the focus back to the center of the logo, followed by the name. Also, without such a drastic break in the text on top and bottom, "STARBUCKS COFFEE" can be read as one continuous item as they are seemingly connected by the stars. Here, the Law of Proximity comes into play. Without the stars, "STARBUCKS" and "COFFEE" are too far apart to be grouped, whereas with the stars, the entire logotype is one element, the mermaid / siren another. The revised logo and the current logo are identical except for the cropping of the mermaid / siren. Just as the original logo was adjusted so the breasts were covered with the mermaid / siren's hair in the next version, the corporate logo was still too sexually suggestive for some.

While the illustration is a symbol of a mythical creature with a split tail, some felt the tail resembled legs, spread open to reveal the "sexuality" of the creature. This may seem too conservative for some, but the truth is, the mythical creatures did actually represent female sexuality at its highest form and right or wrong, the company obviously did not feel comfortable with the potential controversy the logo may cause. Therefore the logo was revised again, leaving us with the current version. The latest version is even more simple than the last, the orderliness achieved by a closer cropping of the illustration in the center. While the cropping left a lot of the detail, movement and dynamics off the logo, if anything, it added greater weight to the center of the logo.

The mermaid / siren is now larger and there is more white in her center, again adding weight. Further, the Law of Completion dictates that we will see her as a whole even though part of her is cut off. In fact, of anyone that I asked, everyone knew it was some sort of mermaid in the center. The type of mermaid and story behind the selection of this symbol to represent the company is another story altogether. For most who have not done the research, they would assume that the illustration is of a mermaid. Why?

Our culture is not well versed in mythological history and has not learned enough to recognize the difference between a mermaid and a siren. The truth is, the difference is pretty major, but "mermaid" is a term that has widely been adopted to mean any woman of the sea, i.e. the figure that is half woman, half fish, regardless of the tail or other ornaments or props it might possess. The long flowing hair in the illustration is reminiscent of the long hair, in some historic references comprised of seaweed that all "mermaids" possess. According to the Dictionary of Symbols, long loose hair on a woman signifies the unmarried state or virginity. The symbolism here might be to suggest that Starbucks coffee is pure, certainly a desirable product characteristic. Further along the symbolism of the hair, Liungman says that when wavy lines are represented by 3 together, Chinese ideography says it is representative of water- a river or stream (two wavy lines means electricity).

When the three wavy lines are vertical, they represent steam. Beyond the hair of the mermaid / siren the suggestion of steam is certainly a great subtle hint of another desirable product characteristic: steam rising from hot coffee. Similar to the popular Disney movie "The Little Mermaid", the sea creature seeks love from a mortal man to be released from her punishment into a body of half-fish. What the idealized fairy tail does not detail is that the mermaid became a mermaid because she did something evil as a mortal. She has no soul and THAT is why she needs to find herself a man with a soul. In most ancient stories, the mermaid finds the man and brings him to the sea to live in her underworld banishment.

This was also the ending of another modern version of the story, "Splash" starring Tom Hanks and Darryl Hannah. Regarding the props mentioned earlier, the mythological mermaid was typically drawn with a mirror and a comb. The mirror symbolized her vanity and her abundant, flowing hair, symbolizing an abundant love potential, was also an attribute of Venus in her role as fertility goddess. Her comb, necessary to keep all that hair in order, carried sexual connotations for the Greeks, as their own words for comb, kreis and pecten, also signified the female vulva. Similar to other half-human creatures, psychologists suggest that these fantasy beings represent any complex figures or concepts that might exist in our dreams.

The mermaid ultimately signifies the fundamental mystery of female sexuality, particularly for men who, because they cannot comprehend it, are simultaneously drawn to it and terrified by it. It is possible then that this complexity is why the mermaid is confused with the siren. Without the mirror or comb and with the split tail-a characteristic of sirens, not mermaids-it could be argued that the illustration is of a siren. If one knew the story behind the siren, one might not be so sure if Starbucks made a good decision on their logo. The sirens were sea monsters with the head and breasts of women and the bodies of birds, or, according to later legends originating in northern Europe, with the bodies of fish. They were endowed with supernatural knowledge, lovely faces and songs that confused the senses of sailors, luring them into sea where they then devoured them.

Odysseus was forced to put wax in the ears of his crew and tie himself to the mast to prevent himself yielding to their summons. Sirens are often interpreted as being a symbol of the dangers of seafaring or of seductive deadly dangers in general, even to portray death itself. Psychoanalytically, they can also be thought of as a symbol of impulsive self-destructive tendencies. Regarded as evil spirits, traditionally imagined as symbols of fatal attraction, is it possible that Starbucks consciously elected to use a siren as a representative symbol of their own company? Cynics who are anti-establishment and afraid of the large corporation producing coffee as opposed to the corner store might agree with the inherent dangers of passion and desire. However, the illustration is not of such a siren.

Confused yet? While the split tail concludes that this is not a mermaid, the crown suggests it is not the typical siren described above, but rather a specific serpent-like fairy or nymph from whom the kings of Albania descended- Melusina. A fifteenth-century romance popularized this fairy who shut her father in a mountain to avenge the wrongs done to her mother; for this she was changed into a snake from the waist down every Saturday. She was a beautiful woman six days a week, but would only be released if she convinced a man to marry her yet never take a look at her on a Saturday. She promised Raimondin to make him the chief man of the kingdom if he agreed to marry her under those circumstances and he did.

The marriage was celebrated and brought him wealth and children, but he was eaten up by jealousy. Suspecting his wife was betraying him because of her secrecy, he watched through a hole as Melusina took her bath and he saw that she became half serpent. Her secret revealed, she fled to the sea, but she would return each night to care for her children. While the story has inherent lessons about the destruction of love through the lack of trust, or else through refusal to respect the beloved's right to privacy, there are also positives to be taken from the story. In spite of her banishment and shame, Melusina continued to provide for her children and represents the undying motherly love. With the knowledge of mermaids, sirens and Melusina, taking the logo literally would indicate that it is more representative of Melusina than the others.

Unable to contact the designers directly, I must reach my own conclusion and I think the previous statement would be inaccurate. In fact, I must believe that the designer's aim was to incorporate elements of the mermaid and simply glorified her with the crown and the stars. After all, the crown is the supreme emblem of spiritual or temporal authority. The Continuum Encyclopedia of Symbols says that crowns acquired celestial, solar, spiritual or protective meaning in many cultures (through the symbolism of circularity,'s poked rays, stars, thorns, turrets and so on) but are essentially forms of headdress designed to identify, glorify or consecrate chosen individuals. Similarly, the stars in the logo are enhancing elements. With a rich history and several uses, the star, in modern times, is typically a sign to indicate an especially good quality, product or achievement; think about the five-pointed gold and silver stars that are used in lower grades at school.

Other examples of this symbolic meaning can be found in vocabulary as people strive for "stardom", hotels being ranked on a scale of stars (5-star hotel) and the fact that over 60 nations prominently display a star on their flag in spite of an inclination towards uniqueness. And so the Starbucks logo is a brilliant piece of design, which, oddly enough, resonates with much of what I've discussed above. The original logo made quite explicit that Starbucks was using the lure of female sexuality to draw the customer to their coffee, but now you can see that the coffee is linked to the multi-layered lure of quality, purity, love and the pleasures of the flesh. The name of the company, about which there is relatively little deep inquiry, actually makes the connection even more interesting. Apparently, the owners of Starbucks originally wanted to call their company "Moby's Coffee", referring to Moby Dick, the great white whale in Herman Melville's classic novel. They were intrigued by the romance of the high seas and seafaring coffee traders.

But bringing up the image of a giant whale was deemed potentially unattractive for coffee drinkers. Therefore a new logo was designed, but the name "Starbucks" maintains the connection to Moby Dick- Starbuck is the name of the coffee-drinking first mate from Nantucket. One last thing to consider about the logo are the colors: green, black and white. Black and white are generic enough, but why would they choose green as opposed to brown for coffee?

In fact, their choice of green is actually a good one in that it is the color of the plant world. Therefore, green signifies water, life, freshness- all important elements in the production of a good cup of coffee. Ironically, though, in medieval art, green is the color of poison, which according to some, might be an appropriate way to describe Starbucks coffee. Disregarding the cynical ending to the previous paragraph, the green in the logo actually is consistent with the brand and it's mission statement. Beyond its core mission of providing customers with quality coffee and quality service, a secondary environmental mission statement exists on the company's website: "Starbucks is committed to a role of environmental leadership in all facets of our business". They go on to outline points that fall within this statement.

Before Starbucks burst onto the national scene, drinking coffee had rarely been so stylish. Now, orders for "espresso", "lattes" and "no-whip mocha's" are drowning out the simpler requests of yesteryear. The Starbucks sensation is driven not just by the quality of its products but by the entire atmosphere surrounding the purchase of coffee: the openness of its store space, the beauty of its packaging, friendly and knowledgeable service, interesting menu boards, the shape of its counter, the quality of lighting, the texture of the walls, the cleanliness of the floorboards. What Starbucks recognized long before its imitators was that the art of retailing coffee went way beyond product. The details of the total experience mattered. Insight into the importance of the coffee-drinking environment came in 1983 when CEO Howard Schultz, then director of retail operations, was in Milan.

Noting that Italy had some 200,000 espresso bars, he observed the customs of the coffee-drinking public and experienced an epiphany about offering a haven for American coffee lovers. "Coffee houses in Italy are a third place for people after home and work", he reported. "There's a relationship of trust and confidence in that environment". Returning to Seattle, Schultz convinced the original Starbucks founders to test the coffee bar concept. Its overwhelming success led Schultz, backed by local investors, to acquire Starbucks in 1987.

Since then, Starbucks has crafted a look, a feel, a mood to catapult itself into national prominence and profitability. Every particular-from napkins to coffee bags, store fronts to window seats, annual reports to mail order catalogs, table tops to thermal carafes-seems to reflect what Myra Gone, director of Creative Services and self-described "keeper of the look", calls "the authentic and organic" roots of Starbucks, its strong sensitivity about community, the environment and what it takes to make a great cup of coffee. For example, the design combined terra-cotta earth tones, for the warmth and intimate feeling the company wanted to convey, with a steam pattern to represent the roasting process. Packaging materials were selected for naturalness and. Indeed, Starbucks has created a brand without much advertising or traditional marketing. They depend very much on the in-store experience and building loyalty that way.

The business is based on repeat purchase and besides the organic and comfortable feel of the stores, convenience is another factor of their consideration. As mentioned previously, a Starbucks can be found in almost any one-block radius, sometimes more than once. As good as the coffee or the coffee-drinking experience might be, the typical customer would not travel too far to obtain such a cup of coffee or experience. From the store atmosphere, to the packaging, to the convenience to the community service, the brand is consistent from top to bottom. What it says more than anything, is intimacy. Starbucks is intimate with the environment as evidenced by their use of recycled materials and earthy tones to decorate stores, packages and promotional materials.

Starbucks is intimate with the community as evidenced by their contributions to local foundations and programs for literacy, AIDS outreach and environmental awareness and Starbucks is intimate with the consumer as evidenced by the great attention paid to customer service and convenience. This consistency is a model in branding excellence and it is no wonder the chain has been so successful. Not until I began researching this paper was I aware what little traditional advertising they create. Of course I love the television commercial with the band Survivor following around a coffee drinker and singing his name. I also am a fan of the recent minimalist print ads using their red holiday cups to communicate a message, but the truth is, I can not recall any other advertising they have done. It actually came as a surprise to me considering their ingrained presence in our culture and how recognizable the logo and brand have become.

I guess I wrongly assumed that they penetrated my psyche by traditional advertising, but apparently this is not the case. It is true that despite the multiple stores I have been inside, all containing different floor space and certain idiosyncrasies, there is a consistent feeling one has that is unique to a Starbucks store. The waiters are wearing green aprons, they " re shouting weird words like "grande" and "vent i" to describe the size of the order and are handing out c upholders made of recycled paper and this never changes from store to store. Besides the consistent experience one has inside all Starbucks stores, the ubiquitous coffee cups you see people holding around town all have that aforementioned c upholder as well as the logo. Lately you can't escape the sight of the red coffee cups.

The point is, the marketing is successful because certain qualities of the brand remain and the advertising is done by its loyal customers. It is difficult to compare Starbucks to its competitors because the only one that came to mind is Dunkin' Donuts. How can that even compare considering the name doesn't reflect coffee at all? There are people out there who prefer Dunkin' Donuts coffee for its taste and others who just like to avoid the corporate powerhouse that is Starbucks, but aside from the "Frappucino" knock-offs, there is nothing of similar note. Walking into a Dunkin' Donuts reminds me of the commercials of the moustached guy and his line "time to make the donuts" because all you see in any store is a wall full of donuts and maybe a small coffee machine on the counter. Starbucks is in a class all its own in the coffee market.

Not only because of their sales, but they are a model for any brand to admire. As a designer, I can not say I would do anything differently. Even the materials I gathered for the Starbucks credit card and feedback carry the earthy, organic feel as well as the comfortable and intimate home-type environment feel. The company's identity is almost certainly archetypal when considering the brand. The success of the company is one that will be mimicked many more times than has already been attempted. As far as the logo, just because it has been seen everywhere making it highly recognizable, in my mind it is not entirely successful.

As a designer and one who did intense research, the symbology behind it is fascinating and easy to understand, but I believe it is too complex for anyone to make a simple connection between the logo and the company. Without the word "COFFEE" on the logo, one would have no idea what the company provided. Luckily for Starbucks, they do not have to worry about anyone not knowing what they produce. If starting from scratch, I might suggest the designers consider the elements that make the brand what it is and make that more a part of the logo. The green color begins to convey their environmental consciousness and the wavy hair symbolizes steam as stated earlier, but why not incorporate a coffee bean or a comfortable home environment?

Maybe a coffee bean in a lounge chair? Better yet, let's not fix anything since they have obviously done something right. Sources: Arnhem, R. (1982). Art and Visual Perception, A Psychology of the Creative Eye.

Becker, U. (1996). The Continuum Encyclopedia of Symbols. Lehner, E & Lehner, J. (1969). A Fantastic Bestiary, Beasts and Monsters in Myth and Folklore. Liungman, C.G. (1991). Dictionary of Symbols.

Starbucks: A Visual Cup O' Joe, @issue. 1 (1). Tres sider, T. (1997). Dictionary of Symbols, An Illustrated Guide to Traditional Images, Icons and Emblems.