Starbucks Corporation is a coffeehouse chain based in the

United States. Named after a character in the novel Moby Dick,

it is the largest coffeehouse company in the world, with 7521
self-operated and 5647 licensed stores in 39 countries. The
current company logo, modeled after a 15th century Norse
woodcut, is a mixoparthenos, or "twin-tailed mermaid, or siren
as she's known in Greek mythology. The company and the logo
have an interesting history.

Starbucks was founded in Seattle, Washington, in 1971 as a local

coffee bean roaster and retailer called Starbucks Coffee, Tea and
Spices. Howard Schultz joined the company in 1982 and was
inspired on a trip to Italy to develop a similar espresso bar and
coffeehouse culture in the United States. To advance the concept,
he founded the company Il Giornale three years later. In 1987,
Schultz purchased Starbucks, merged it with Il Giornale, and
renamed the company Starbucks Corporation. The logo on the
left is that of the Il Giornale company. As you can see, the Il
Giornale logo is somewhat similar to Starbucks logo i.e being
circular and having a band.

The original logo, as seen on the left, the Starbucks siren was
topless and had a fully-visible double fish tail. The original logo
has raised some controvery because of the bare chest, but the
logo continues to appear on some of the products like the
Starbucks Anniversary Blend 1 lb coffee bags. Both the original
logos seem to be perfect on wooden crates.
 In the second version, her chest was covered by her flowing hair,
but her navel was still visible, and the fish tail was cropped
slightly. The logo also inherited the stars from the Il Giornale
logo.

In the current version, her navel and chest are not visible at all,
and only vestiges remain of the fish tails.

Unilever is an Anglo-Dutch company that owns many of the world's

consumer product brands in foods, beverages, cleaning agents and
personal care products. Unilever employs more than 206,000 people
and had a worldwide revenue of just over US$50 billion in 2005.
Some of their most famous brands are listed below

• Foods : Lipton, Knorr, Ben & Jerry, Walls, Brooke Bond

• Home care : Surf, Sun, Skip

• Personal care : Ponds, Rexona, Lux, Dove, Axe

In 2005, Unilever decided to change their logo to represent their new theme of vitality. The new
logo was also planned to coincide with the 75th anniversary of the company. The new logo tells
the story of Unilever and vitality. It brings together 25 different icons representing Unilever and
its brands, the idea of vitality and the benefits Unilever brings to consumers

For example:
The Sun is our primary natural resource. All life begins with the sun - the ultimate symbol of
vitality
The Heart represents love, care and health - feeling good
The Shirt represents fresh laundry - looking good
A Bird is a symbol of freedom. Relief from daily chores - getting more out of life

The Mastercard logo is one of the most famous logos in the

world. You can probably go to any corner of the world and find a
Mastercard logo pasted on the door of many busineses.
Mastercard Worldwide is the new name of the organization that
was originally called Mastercard International. In 2006, it had an
IPO on the NYSE and since then have also unvieled a new logo.
The new logo is very similar to the old logo that is so popular.
The noticable change is that the circles have been blurred.

According to the organization, this is their interpretation of the new logo -

"The three circles of the new corporate logo build on the familiar interlocking red and yellow
circles of the MasterCard consumer brand, and reflect the company's unique, three-tiered
business model as a franchisor, processor and advisor."

The old logo will still remain the logo that will be used on the
credit cards. The new logo affects only the corporate branding.
Lets just hope that the company's focus does not blur like its
logo. The reaction to the new logo has not been very good from
what I can see.