Words Just Can't Express Starbucks New Logo

Starbucks, which marks its 40th anniversary in March, will be rolling out their new "worldess" logo nationwide this spring.  It's been 20 years since they have changed their logo and its being received with both positive and negative reactions. Its not a surprise that some people will resist the new logo, but I think they will eventually come around and see the mermaid, err, the light.  It's actually a smart move by Starbucks to drop "coffee" from their logo, it will provide a more cohesive brand for innovations, new brand extensions and new distribution channels.

Starbucks svp of marketing, Terry Davenport, explains the companies decision:

Obviously with a brand with such a huge profile as Starbucks, we approach this change very sensitively. We actually explored a very wide range of options, and when we stood back and looked from afar as well as looked close, we all unanimously gravitated toward the images that freed the siren from the word mark. We really took inspiration from companies like Nike where at one point they separated the word 'Nike' from the swoosh in their logo. This allows us to bring our identity to life anytime and anywhere.

Starbucks' logo timeline:

FAIL: Tickethold.com's Logo

I love when I come across major failures in the "professional" business world. I found this gem of a logo on the homepage of tickethold.com. Apparently Tickethold is my source for "Cheap Permium tickets". Umm, the "r" goes before the "e" in premium people. Not to mention the word "ticket" is the only noun not capitalized in the tagline. Oops. Tickethold generates quite a bit of traffic on their website; it's a good thing first impressions don't mean much these days. I tried to be a good Samaritan by emailing them and pointing out their obvious failure, but it probably won't do any good. If this logo passed upper management they have much bigger problems. This logo is the definition of Karma. That's what you get for contributing to the death of live music by being a shady ticket broker.

The Gap Has A Brand New Brand

So Gap Inc. decides to meddle with their $4 billion brand and change their infamous blue logo into one that looks like an adobe training session. Maybe their trying to become a financial institution? Hedge fund? Not quite sure myself. Abe Sauer, a writer for Brand Channel has a nice take on the situation:

"Its [Gaps] classic blue-boxed logo is missing, replaced with a Helvetica Gap with a box perched behind the 'p' like a window.

Yes, after dominating the late 1990s and early 2000s, Gap has dropped its iconic logo in favor of something that looks like it cost $17 from an old Microsoft Word clipart gallery.

But ditching the classic logo, recognized by everyone, in favor of whatever that new monstrosity is, demonstrates a prototypical brand panic move. With things not going in its favor, the brand decides to change the one valuable element it has going for it.

Ironically maybe, the new logo is perfect for the brand. It communicates exactly the values currently embodied by Gap: A sense of being lost and a lack of clear vision and creativity."

Gap. Seriously. You work in the fashion business. Your industry is driven by creativity. Ditch the ad agency that regurgitates bank logos all day and hire an agency with some originality and a backbone. According to Interbrand's 2010 study, Gap is the 84th most-valuable brand in the world. Lets splurge a little.

If your experiencing any logo envy, just click here. It sure beats hiring a professional.