Starbucks have just announced that it will be dropping the name and band from it’s logo as it wants to expand away from just selling coffee. Many branding experts think this is a dangerous move and normally I would agree, however here’s why I don’t.

First of all, the name ‘Starbucks Coffee’ cannot really be stamped on a bottle of wine (which is on potential area of growth mentioned by their board.) so their logo certainly does need a change. They could opt for one of the following:

• Keeping the overall look (Green band, Siren and Starbucks name), and either change the word ‘coffee’ per application, removing it altogether or changing it to Starbucks Group/Company etc.
• Changing the logo entirely
• Change the logo enough to show change and development, but keep the overall message.

Starbucks have opted for option 3 which I don’t necessarily agree with, but as they’re changing the logo slightly, why not make a big deal about it? They have decided to keep the iconic crowned siren but I feel removed the part of their logo which makes it stand out from a distance, the green band.

For any other business or company, this is a very brave move, for most companies, a downright stupid idea. But we have to remember we’re talking about Starbucks, better known in the US than most of their car manufacturers, well known in the UK and across the world, frequenting many TV and Film story lines and regularly cropping up in comedic jokes.

Personally I don’t like the new logo, however moving to a single colour will help when printing on a myriad of products, removing the text makes it more globally acceptable and most importantly, it will look absolutely fantastic next to the old logo when we’re looking at those ‘logo origins’ or ‘logo progression’ presentations. Someone who only knows the new logo will spot it very easily on a photograph of today’s high street. Backward compatibility is just as important on the high street as forward recognition. But this is where Starbucks’ strong brand really shines. Remember that the logo isn’t a brand, it is just an anchor to it. Changing the logo doesn’t make the coffee taste different, or change the atmosphere in one of their many bars, or make the coffee service any quicker (sorry ‘or slower’), it is just a logo.

Starbucks’ strong brand will push the logo right past the critics and back onto that pedestal before we know what hit us. Now if Joe’s Icecream tried this, it would probably be suicide, but Joe’s is not yet Starbucks.