Review: Seattle's Best Coffee Logo

Can you smell the aroma?

Many have already commented on the new logo for Seattle's Best Coffee, which is now owned by Starbucks.  My immediate reaction to it was negative, but I thought I'd wait a few months before making up my mind up on it.

Now that some time has passed, my view is still the same.  Aesthetics are a part of graphic design, but more important, perhaps, is communication.  And what does a quick look at the new crest-type logo say, or not say?

To me, it says "cheap product."  This is a very different first impression from that given by their detailed previous logo.  Unadorned text and graphics look more appreciate for a discount product.

And it doesn't say "coffee" to me.  This is not helped by staying with red as the primary color in the logo.  While that might work for the previous logo, with its old retail sign style, it loses any remote sense of context here.  What's the first thing you think of when you see red and a drop of liquid?

Overall, a big failure, if coffee is still your main product.