The design of this logo began in Seattle in 1971.
With three university friends who really liked coffee.
They also really liked the Herman Melville novel Moby Dick.
So much so, they decided to name their company after Captain Ahab’s ship.
But branding exec Terry Heckler decided Pequod coffee didn’t sound quite right.
So they went with the name of the first-mate: Starbuck.
Heckler then trawled through maritime books and found a 15th century woodcut of a two-tailed siren.
Instead of luring sailors onto the rocks, this mythical mermaid would call people to come
and grab a cup of coffee.
Initially her chest was bare, but after some complaints Heckler redrew the design with
long hair that covered her body.
The logo also went from brown to green, a symbol of freshness and growth.
In 2011, the Starbucks siren was redesigned with rounder details, a longer shadow was
also introduced on the right side of her nose.
A small element of asymmetry which made her feel more human.
She can be spotted in 76 countries and markets,
helping Starbucks to reach a brand value of more than 8.7 billion dollars.
Bold and alluring this is the design that started with a myth and became a coffee legend.