Over the past four decades, the mermaid in the Starbucks logo has been inching ever closer to us, and we didn't notice until it was pointed out.

Logos are extremely important if you want your business to succeed. There are certain symbols we see that make us think of a company or corporation the second we lay eyes on them. Logos don't have to be too complicated either. In fact, on that front, we would probably say the simpler the better.

There are countless examples of logos that back up our argument. Apple's apple, McDonald's yellow arches, and Pepsi's red white and blue symbol, just to name a few. However, just because a logo is instantly recognizable and worldwide known, it doesn't mean you can't change it. Some companies tweak their logos. Not completely overhaul them, necessarily, but just freshen them up from time to time.

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Starbucks is one of those companies that has tweaked its iconic logo from time to time. Although you might not know what the Starbucks logo consists of, most would recognize it as soon as they see it. It's green and white and since the company was named after a nautical character, it features a mermaid. Someone on Twitter recently realized something about the coffee chain's mascot, however.

Chloe Adams pointed out on Twitter that the Starbucks mermaid has been creeping ever closer to us for almost 50 years, and none of us noticed. Ms. Adams lined up Starbucks' last four logos alongside each other in chronological order to demonstrate her point. The mermaid was off in the distance in the first logo back in 1971. However, in the current logo, which was introduced in 2011, she is so close that we can only see her top half.

If the pattern continues, then at some point in the next few years Starbucks' logo might simply be the mermaid's face. If the nautical mascot gets any closer, future coffee lovers might not even realize she is a mermaid at all. It feels as if it's only a matter of time before what we assume are her fins that frame her disappear completely, and the Starbucks mermaid will simply be a Starbucks woman. With a crown, of course.

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