Simplified Logos or Powerful Sigils? How the Magic of Modern Symbols Influences Your Mind.
Logos are everywhere. These small, carefully crafted symbols define brands, shape perceptions, and guide consumer behaviour.
The word 'logo' derives from the Greek logos, meaning 'word' or 'reason.' In ancient philosophy, logos referred to the rational principle governing the cosmos. Today’s logos — those sleek symbols representing corporations — function in a surprisingly similar way: they impose a sense of order and identity on chaotic consumer landscapes.
Have you noticed that logos have evolved visually in recent years? Many well-known logos — ebay, Microsoft, Google, Pinterest as well as many fashion brands — have simplified. This is to work better in digital and smaller formats (think of a social media icon) but also to exploit how our brains work. Simple logos satisfy our ever-dwindling attention spans and take advantage of the fact that we are hard-wired to more easily process and remember simple shapes over complex shapes.
Historically, logos were richer in storytelling, evoking curiosity and imagination. Take the original Starbucks logo, for instance. Introduced in 1971, it featured a bare-breasted siren holding her two tails aloft. The image made you wonder: who is this mythical figure? What is her story?
Over the years, this logo underwent significant changes. By 1987, the siren’s breasts were covered by flowing hair. In 1992, she was cropped into a close-up, losing her some of her twin tails (perhaps the lewdest part?) and much of her original mystique. By 2011, the logo was stripped of its wordmark and encased in a simple green circle. Today’s siren is no longer a mythical seductress but a demure, two-dimensional princess figure adorned with a star crown. You’d barely know she was once a siren. The complex story has been sanitised into an uncomplicated, palatable mark.
In some regions, even this toned-down siren is still too racy. In the Middle East, Starbucks’ logo has been reduced to just the crown, floating in a sea of coffee. The siren herself has, symbolically, drowned. It’s a sobering transformation: what began as an evocative tale of allure and mystery is now a straightforward emblem of commerce. You, the consumer, are no longer invited to ponder the intriguing siren’s story. Instead, you play a different role: the protagonist in the narrative of buying and consuming. The siren call is just an echo.
