How a Hidden Design Flaw Makes the Starbucks Logo Look Perfect

When exact symmetry just doesn't work

Inspiration meets innovation at Brandweek, the ultimate marketing experience. Join industry luminaries, rising talent and strategic experts in Phoenix, Arizona this September 23–26 to assess challenges, develop solutions and create new pathways for growth. Register early to save.

It’s an underappreciated fact of good design: Sometimes imperfections are what make a design look perfect.

We’ve seen it with Google’s “G” logo, which isn’t a perfect circle. And now, Fast Company has posted an intriguing article this morning pointing out something most people have never noticed about Starbucks’ mermaid logo—that her face is asymmetrical.

This is counterintuitive. Studies have shown people are more attracted to symmetrical facial features in the opposite sex—that symmetry is a cornerstone of the ideal of human beauty.

AW+

WORK SMARTER - LEARN, GROW AND BE INSPIRED.

Subscribe today!

To Read the Full Story Become an Adweek+ Subscriber

View Subscription Options

Already a member? Sign in