Here at the blog, we consider it one of our principal goals to keep you educated and up to date on what’s happening within the world of graphic design. After all, what good are we if we can’t even educate you on what’s popular, useful or trending in today’s ever changing times? So in order to keep fresh and current, we’ve created a list of design tips you can learn from just a single but omnipresent logo : Starbucks.

  1. Minimalism is Good(ism): A brief historical overview of the changes that the Starbucks logo has endured throughout the years will show you one thing above all else: Simplifying your logos is almost always a wise move. The original green mermaid was a bit busy and overdrawn, but over the years, the coffee company has trimmed just about everything down to size. The modern logo is now infinitely more concise, hits the point on the head, and yet still maintains the brand recognition that has been so successful.
  2. Don’t Use Generic Imagery: We talked about this in an earlier article about coffee design, but this point is so important, it bears repeating: Don’t use generic imagery like coffee beans in your designs. Sure, it tells the consumer what the company is all about, but it does nothing to tell them about the brand. Starbucks uses no lattes, coffee mugs, or beans in its logo, yet everyone on the planet will recognize it. This is because it’s distinctive, it’s original, and the services and further branding work that can be seen inside the store reinforce the image as an whole. This is what you should be shooting for, so straighten up and peg it good, solider!
  3. Be Quirky: This is another lesson that we’ve harped on before, but that doesn’t make it any less important. Seriously, if you can and have creative license, be as quirky as possible! We don’t care, as consumers, too much about prestige or general glitz anymore. Well, perhaps we do sometimes, but we also respect a good, quirky design and image. We like green mermaids and vague references to Moby Dick. That sort of thing is what gets our cranks going, so be sure to capitalize on this and make the most of it! Be original, off-beat, and above all creative with your logo designs.