Ah, Starbucks. My morning ritual, my little pick-me-up, and the bearer of my much-needed caffeine dose as I hustle through the early hours. Clutching that familiar cup adorned with the iconic logo, I’ve lost count of the countless times it’s been my companion. But, here’s the kicker – did you know there’s a little secret hidden in that logo we’ve all come to recognize and love? Yeah, I was just as surprised!
Let’s take a tiny step back and spill some beans on the Starbucks saga before diving into the juicy part. So, nestled in every cup is a siren, a figure straight out of the sea tales and myths, reminiscent of the enchanting characters from the likes of Herman Melville’s epic, Moby Dick. And guess what? The Starbucks moniker itself is a nod to this literary classic.
source: Starbucks
Now, onto the evolution of this mesmerizing logo. From its humble beginnings, the Starbucks emblem has undergone quite the transformation. Picture this: it started with a brown hue back in the day, only to dive into the iconic green sea in 1987. Fast forward to 1992, as Starbucks stepped onto the public stage, the logo got a chic, modern facelift. But hold your horses; the real game-changer came in 2011. This was when “Starbucks Coffee” bid adieu to the logo, shining the spotlight solely on our siren’s face, now more symmetrical, more…mysterious.
source: Starbucks
But here’s where it gets interesting. Take a closer look next time you’re sipping your latte. There’s a subtle quirk in the siren’s features that might just escape your first glance. It’s all in the asymmetry, my friends. While her face presents a picture of symmetry, a closer inspection reveals a slight tilt in the tale – the right side of her face is subtly more shadowed than the left. Notice how her nose takes a tiny dip more on the right? Or how her right eye seems to play hide and seek, cloaked in the shadow cast by the bridge of her nose? That’s because the Starbucks team thought to put some of that humanity back in, because it was too perfect. They wanted it to be closer to people’s hearts, more human-like.
source: SAUL LOEB/GETTY IMAGES
It’s these little details, so easily overlooked amidst our daily grind, that add layers to the Starbucks experience. So, next time you’re cradling that warm cup of coffee, ready to tackle the day, give the siren a second glance. There’s more to her than meets the eye, a secret whispered through the ages, nestled in the heart of Starbucks’ emblematic embrace. Who knew a morning coffee run could hold such an enchanting tale?
