Starbucks releases new identity with the 40th anniversary

March 8th, Starbucks marked the 40th anniversary of the world renowned coffee company with the release of the new identity materials. Brand New published an interesting review and photos of the new branded products. After seeing the new logo a while ago I was actually anxious to see the applications and the way the logo was used accross different media. Most specially I wanted to see how the new Starbucks icon only logo would work for a company which relied mostly on the name for awareness.

Owning a symbol is a powerful branding asset. Apple owns the apple, Nike owns the swish and with the new identity Starbucks is striving to own the siren. When i say own it, I mean associating it with the company so that when you see the siren you'd automatically say Starbucks without reading the actual word anywhere.

In this equation the way the visual identity is applied is crucial. The symbol only logo needs to be dynamic, flexible and in the same time recognizable. I must admit that looking at the way Starbucks has imprinted their logo across different products and merchandises is very up to date, bold and vibrant. I love the way the logo is cropped and moulds on angles and sides, actually branding the products. The idea with the new identity is to be recognizable and not to respect rigid branding rules, the idea is for the logo to be playful and fun as opposed to well contained and rigorously positioned. I would confidently say that the new identity is a definite improvement, bold and evolved, giving the company a renewed energy.