Starbucks’ ‘brew’tiful cups promote spirit

Courtesy of flickr.com
by LAUREN KIM
As the festive holiday season approaches, Starbucks’ customers have turned the classic coffee cups into a creative canvas.
Last year, coffee-lovers were disappointed with Starbuck’s plain red cups. However, to address the consumers’ concerns, the coffee chain has held a #RedCupContest which allowed customers to design their own holiday cups. It would be the first time in Starbuck’s history that the consumers have taken part of designing the cups.
Thirteen designs were chosen from artists around the world. According to news. starbucks.com, the coffee-chain received more than 12,000 submissions from 13 countries. The selected cups feature whimsical illustrations in many different styles of art. People will be able to enjoy their beverages from cups with patterns of snowflakes, candy canes, poinsettias, reindeer and more. All cups are red and the art has white outlines.

Graphic by HESPER KHONG
“I feel that this year’s designs add more of a holiday spirit towards the coffee and the are eye-catching. The new cups really present the intricate craft ships of the artists and their creativity,” Dustin Vu, sophomore.
The artists were able to show off their skills to the public by depicting wintry mosaics. The company’s decision of having this #RedCupContest has motivated many artists to be creative. The chosen collection expresses shared spirits of the season.
“I like the new cups; they are better than last year’s because these cups are festive and get you in the holiday mood. It is also nice to see different artists and their own styles of art,” said Celeste Tomayo, sophomore.
This year’s holiday season is different from the many other years of this cup tradition because Starbucks released not one cup, but 13 of them. The chain also promoted their cups with the artwork of people around the world instead of that created by the marketing department.
“I think the contest was a unique idea because it represents the artwork of different parts of the world. The cups are different from the previous ones because they are more seasonal and holiday- related. I think they are very pretty and celebratory,” Sofia Loaiza, junior.
The artwork of the new Starbucks’ holiday cups has definitely brought joy to the world.