On a daily basis, millions of coffee enthusiasts are greeted with the instantly identifiable Starbucks logo, which ranks among the most known logos globally. A tiny secret, nevertheless, is concealed by the distinctive emblem, which goes unnoticed by most. At first sight, the Siren's face seems to be flawlessly symmetrical. However, there is an intriguing feature that becomes apparent with closer investigation. Now that we know what this secret element is, let's explore its history and see what makes the logo special.
Since its inception in 1971, the Starbucks logo has gone through several revisions. The first design took its cues from maritime themes and Moby Dick, a tale by Herman Melville, and depicted a brownfish with two tails, also called a Siren. As Starbucks became a public corporation in 1992, the logo was updated, and the color changed to the now-famous green in 1987.1 In 2011, however, the words "Starbucks Coffee" were omitted, making the Siren's face the only emphasis of the logo. This was the most important modification, nonetheless.
Symbolism of the Siren
The Starbucks logo's Siren is more than meets the eye. Starbucks picked the siren to represent the irresistible charm of coffee, luring people in as the mythical sirens did to sailors doomed to die. However, Starbucks recognized that the Siren needed to change to properly represent the brand's larger aspirations as it sought to broaden its products beyond coffee and enter new markets.3
