We can remember way back when Seattle's Best Coffee was still Stewart Brothers, roasted on Vashon Island a mere ferry ride away from downtown Seattle. Purchased in 2003 by our other local coffee giant, Starbucks, Seattle's Best has been quietly growing under the radar. Well, until this morning.
Driving to the office past Starbucks headquarters in the wee hours, more than a few of us at the Hartman Group noticed a big change to the usual Starbucks signage:
It appears Starbucks HQ has been temporarily taken over by Seattle's Best. We smell a relaunch brewing! Indeed, things are happening on the SBC website and Facebook page, including an explanation of the new look and the promise of a forthcoming video of this morning's draped banners:
While our dedication to making premium coffees isn't going to change, we needed a new look to match our optimistic outlook and simplified approach to great coffee experiences...We plan to show up in new ways and different places. Places where great coffee should be. We hope you join us on this journey, starting today.
Blogs are all atwitter with news of SBC's "new look" today. So far it's been received with mixed emotions. One commenter over at Brand New summed up his feelings about the ambiguity of the logo explaining, "makes me want to donate blood." The Seattle Times described it as "an open-mouthed smiley face with a drip of coffee" (just try to un-see it!). Others have suggested it conjures up a paint company or hardware store.
No matter what you read into it, we're intrigued to see what comes next for Seattle's Best, which is expanding to Subway, Burger King stores and AMC Theatres this year.
A really good redeisng, the new logo is so fresh and clean.
Posted by: wall art | Friday, October 07, 2011 at 07:49 AM