Starbucks Logo, Short Take

I've touched on Starbucks upcoming logo change before. I opined that removing both "Starbucks" and "Coffee"  seemed excessive and that if Starbucks was trying to broaden their brand perception they could take off "Coffee" and leave the "Starbucks". Apparently my take on things was very positive in comparison to those expressed by others.

The Economist has a great article that talks about the change and consumer reactions. One of the points they discuss is the fact that Starbucks wants to  join the ranks of McDonalds, Nike & Apple who all have logo's with no words. There is of course one significant difference between the logos of those three companies and what Starbucks is proposing.  The arches, swoosh & apple are all very simple designs.  The Starbucks Mermaid is not.  It takes a second or two for the eye to resolve what is going on with something that complex. That is unless of course you anchor it with words. Which is why the current Starbucks logo has had such a long and successful run.

I still think they can lose the word "Coffee" if they want to and come up with a logo that is attractive and memorable.  Removing "Starbucks" isn't going to broaden their brand perception in any way. When I see the Nike swoosh I don't think "shoes", I think "Nike", followed by "shoes". When I see the apple, I don't think "Great consumer electronic items", I think... well, I think of Apple which in turn brings to mind great consumer electronic items.

If Starbucks wants to broaden their brand they need to do it the way Apple has, by bringing out new product lines that people fall in love with and remember.

Image via Wikipedia