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Starbucks recently announced they will be shifting to an icon only logo treatment, a decision that makes sense on multiple levels of branding.
As designers one of our unwritten jobs here is to be inspired by branding and think as brand architects do. By now you have likely heard that Starbucks has made the decision to simplify their logo by removing the words around the iconic siren graphic. As a lover of all things Starbucks my first reaction to this change was one of trepidation but after “percolating” on this for a bit last night and again this morning I thought of a couple other things that did not first come to mind. And although many people are not happy with the change I think it is right on track for the growing corporation. So here are a few thoughts to get you thinking and possibly help you understand why the change was necessary.
View on Starbucks press release page
Positioning in a Global Marketplace
The shift to an icon (like Apple and Nike have made) actually makes complete sense in a global marketplace. Often when companies are formed they don’t anticipate rapid growth and expansion into international markets. Variations in language translations are most certainly problematic to the Starbucks circular typographic treatment in the logo. Not to mention that some cultures do not read in the direction we do and have may even have alphabets based on pictographic symbols, all of which detract from the company’s iconic siren graphic.
Economic Considerations
The change also makes sense from an economic standpoint. To shift from a two color logo to a one color logo can add up to huge savings in printing and production costs across a variety of items from cups to mugs and beyond. And although it might seem minor, in some cases it could mean a savings of millions of dollars.
Extending their Service Offerings
Have you heard that in limited locations around the world there are Starbucks that serve more than just coffee and pastries in the evening hours. These locations are more like cafés providing more food options and even offering alcohol. By dropping coffee in the name they are not tied to that offering. They were finding that they could attract more people in the evening hours by doing this. Not sure if it will ever catch on but they may have it in mind. It actually makes some sense since vineyards and breweries have experimented with infusing their drinks with coffee for years. Food for thought on a branding scale!
View the Starbucks Café article on the Huffington Post website
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