If you look closely, you’ll notice one small imperfection in the iconic Starbucks logo.
Coffee can be robust and black or sweet and syrupy. No matter your preference, you’ve certainly seen the green Starbucks logo and wanted caffeine (or a Starbucks Refresher).
Seeing the green Siren with her long, wavy hair transports you to latte-with-extra-whipped cream nirvana. However, this renowned logo has a hidden element you may have never noticed.
Starbucks’ emblem, like Baskin Robbins’ and 7-Eleven’s, has several hidden implications. The 2011 image redesign team said one last-minute decision made all the difference.
Read the fascinating story of how the Pringles man became their mascot.
The history of the Starbucks logo
That mythological creature that resembles a mermaid in the center of the Starbucks logo is actually a Siren. According to Starbucks representative Tyler Krivich, “Starbucks’ name comes from the author Herman Melville’s Moby Dick novel, but the famous Siren logo was discovered while scouring old marine books.”
When Starbucks founders chose the name in 1971, the nautical symbol stood out. The Siren felt fitting since Starbucks is based in Seattle and coffee beans travel worldwide on enormous container ships.
The logo changed from brown to green in 1987 and became more modern in 1992 when Starbucks went public. 2011 saw the biggest change.
The Siren was completely redesigned. Her hair was modernized and her face was worked on. Since people quickly linked the Siren with Starbucks Coffee, the words “Starbucks Coffee” were deleted from the logo.
Nothing about this, Siren, is “perfect.” Check out these Starbucks secrets employees won’t tell you.
The hidden detail in the Starbucks logo
During Siren’s makeover, which smoothed out all of her imperfections, her face became more symmetrical. But, after several attempts, the team was still not satisfied. “As a team, we were like, ‘There’s something not working here, what is it?’” global creative director Connie Birdsall told Co.Design.
“It was like, ‘Oh, we need to step back and put some of that humanity back in. The imperfection was important to making her really successful as a mark.”
The Siren’s face still has a small asymmetry, though you may not notice it. Look closely: Her right side has more darkness and her nose drops lower than her left. “It felt a bit more human and felt less like a perfectly cut mask,” design partner Bogdan Geana said.
That’s it. Starbucks says flaws are beautiful. Go get a latte! However, before you go, learn the differences in Starbucks coffee sizes to order like a pro.