The Story Behind the Starbucks Siren Logo

Next time you’re in a Beijing Starbucks—whether it’s your first or your thousandth cup—you might notice a woman smiling up at you from your cup. She’s half-hidden in the green logo, looking both innocent and strikingly alluring. Who is she? Some guess she’s a Colombian coffee princess or a Mediterranean sea nymph. But there’s a real story behind that mysterious figure.

The Starbucks siren logo was created in 1971 by Seattle graphic designer Terry Heikkel. That iconic image of a two-tailed sea creature has been part of every Starbucks cup, store, and coffee bag since the company’s earliest days—and she’s based on ancient myths and medieval artwork, not a real person.

Who Is the Starbucks Siren?

The woman on your Starbucks cup isn’t a modern creation. She’s a mythological figure—a siren or mermaid-like creature with two tails. She looks playful and seductive, but her roots go back centuries. Most people know the sirens from Greek mythology, especially from Homer’s Odyssey, where they lured sailors to their doom with enchanting songs. These creatures were dangerous beauties, and that duality is exactly what the Starbucks founders wanted in their logo.

The Design Inspiration: Ships, Sea Myths, and Medieval Art

In 1971, Terry Heikkel was tasked with creating a logo that conveyed Starbucks’ maritime connection—back then, the company sold high-quality coffee beans sourced from around the world, much like old merchant ships did. Heikkel explains he was searching for images of ships and maritime adventure to reflect the romance of the coffee trade. That search led him to the image of a siren, a classic symbol in European art. He chose a two-tailed mermaid figure inspired by medieval depictions, which were common in cathedral carvings and artwork across Europe. This design wasn’t about a specific person or place—it was about the allure and mystery of the sea, and by extension, the adventure of coffee sourcing.

How the Siren Became a Global Icon

When Starbucks launched in 1971, it had just one store in Seattle’s Pike Place Market. Back then, the siren logo was a simple brown illustration on a circular badge. Over the decades, as Starbucks grew from a single shop to a global brand with thousands of locations, the siren went everywhere: on cups, delivery trucks, signage, and packaging. By 1998, an estimated 400 million people had seen her while visiting over 2,000 Starbucks stores or standing in front of bags of freshly roasted coffee beans. Her image evolved slightly over the years—becoming more stylized and eventually green—but the core design by Heikkel has remained the same. That original 1971 logo still informs every version you see today.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Starbucks siren based on a real person?

No, the Starbucks siren is not based on a real person. She is a mythological figure inspired by ancient sirens and medieval European art, particularly the image of a two-tailed mermaid. The design was meant to evoke the romance and danger of the sea, reflecting the early days of Starbucks as a maritime-inspired coffee merchant.

Who designed the Starbucks logo?

The Starbucks logo was designed in 1971 by Seattle graphic designer Terry Heikkel. He was inspired by maritime imagery and medieval depictions of sirens to create the now-iconic two-tailed mermaid figure.

Why does the Starbucks siren have two tails?

The Starbucks siren has two tails because the original design was based on medieval European artwork that often portrayed sirens and mermaids with multiple tails. This design choice was meant to make the figure more striking and mythological, adding to the sense of fantasy and adventure.

When was the Starbucks logo first created?

The Starbucks logo was first created in 1971, the same year the company was founded. It has undergone slight modifications over the decades but remains fundamentally the same design created by Terry Heikkel.

How many people had seen the Starbucks siren by 1998?

By 1998, approximately 400 million people had seen the Starbucks siren logo, either in one of over 2,000 retail stores or while looking at bags of freshly roasted Starbucks coffee beans.

Has the Starbucks siren always been green?

No, the Starbucks siren was originally brown when the logo was first introduced in 1971. The color was later changed to green, which is now the brand’s signature color, but the basic design of the two-tailed siren has remained consistent since the beginning.

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