Ibike Korea People-to-People Program
Photo essay: Korea
Coffee Logos
The entire
Seoul and most of the Korean photo essays have come together without a single picture of a coffee
shop. Anyone who has been to Seoul and any other city of substance in
Korea knows this is a distortion. There can be
a coffee shop on almost every block. In fact, they are so common that it is easy to
forget to take pictures of them. To adjust this oversight here is an nod to
Korea's coffee shops. Well not really the shops, but their logo culture.I don't believe that Starbucks Coffee (스타벅스 커피 -- the transliteration being "seutabeogseu keopi") was the first coffee shop in Seoul, but it certain forged the way for a bazillion more. But as interesting that not only did Starbucks create and expanded the coffee culture and cafe market, they also seemed to have established the archetype for logos: definitely round, and ideally with a couple concentric circles and a design in the center. Here are some logos and storefront from Seoul and around the country:
Dedicated to my friend and caffeine fuel cycling companion in Korea, Jan.
Prior
to the cafe culture, ten cent cups of coffee were readily available from vending
machines. These were nearly ubiquitous at convenience stores and could be found
standing alone at rural crossroads. They are starting to disappear (2010).
There are even non-coffee shops that mimic Starbucks design!
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