In the past, companies like Gap and Apple received negative feedback after redesigning their logos. Now it’s Starbucks’ turn. Its recently redesigned logo has caused quite a stir among its most committed customers. These self-described loyal consumers possess a strong connection to the Starbucks brand and expressed their dislike for the newer, more rounded logo that drops the words “Starbucks Coffee” from the design.
However, Karen Winterich, assistant professor of marketing at the Penn State Smeal College of Business, says that rounded designs tend to be more appealing to consumers in Eastern cultures.
“If Starbucks continues to grow in these cultures, its revised logo, while perhaps upsetting to loyal U.S. customers, may appeal to its newest consumers in these collectivistic markets, and that may just be where it matters most,” says Winterich.
Practitioners view the roundedness of logo elements, as opposed to angular and sharp elements, as an emergent trend that is likely to endure. However, a problem arises if the company’s most committed consumers don’t respond to the logo change.