Big news for $5.00 coffee lovers, Starbucks is changing their iconic siren logo. You can read about it on Starbucks Official Site, or read some of the comment battles going on at CNN with their Just In Series. But despite the enormous controversy erupting among die-hard Starbucks fans, the logo is hardly ground breaking. I mean all they really did was remove the company name circling the iconic siren beauty. Wait, is taking your company name off your products a smart idea? Either way, it looks pretty much the same in my opinion.
That mermaid-ish creature that is the ’Siren’ you see in the logo dates back to 16th century Norse wood carvings according to the Starbucks webpage. She was chosen as the logo to represent the beginnings of Starbucks back in 1971 when it was starting its empire in Seattle. Needless to say, she’s been with the company since day one, so it is good to see that she stays with the company into the new year as well.
However, if there’s one thing I’ve learned in my few years in this world, it’s that people generally as a whole hate change. Nobody likes change, once we are used to something it’s so difficult to break away from it, this is especially true among the products we purchase. It’s the main reason that those products we got hooked on as kids have barely changed their branding logo’s, so that years later, we wander down the cereal aisle, and can still find our box of Cheerios, or jar of Nutella. I am impartial to the changing of something as simple as the Starbucks logo, but I am not everyone. Maybe it is wise for Starbucks to keep the majority happy, and maintain their previous logo.
Either way, only time will tell what is to come of Starbucks new branding, as this is not temporary, having officially released the new yesterday January 5, 2011. However the cups look, that ridiculously expensive coffee will still be available so for those of you crying about the logo change, don’t be too upset, people will still know your drinking a Starbucks when you walk down the street clasping it in both hands. The siren lives on.
I was recently introduced to 2 videos from 2 friends, and I thought they were so good that I was obligated to share them. One video documents Hong Kong, and was shown to me by a friend there, the other is of Mexico City, and was shown to me by a friend who is from there as well. They both deal alot with time lapse, which is quickly becoming a favorite technique of mine, and these works only further inspire me. I think they are well put together, much props to the creators who took so much time to do them, check them out below!
It’s the catch phrase of suburban consumerism, that simple line personifies the human instinct to always do better than our neighbors. When Mr. Jones next door pulls into the driveway in his new Audi S4, you stop mowing the lawn and stare in awe of his new ride. You go over and have a look for yourself, complimenting Mr. Jones on his new purchase, and then get back to mowing your lawn. The next day you’re looking at your old car with dissatisfaction, and you are soon at the Audi dealership test driving an R8, knowing that when you pull into your driveway, all your neighbors will want what you have. Yup, your just keeping up with the Joneses.
He once challenged his own reflection to a staring contest. On the fourth day… he won. He is the most interesing man in the world.
