The Starbucks mermaid has ditched the text and gone minimalist chic.

The Seattle-based coffee chain unveiled a new logo Wednesday to mark 40 years of brewing. The revamped look features the familiar mermaid, but eliminates the company’s name. The change marks a major milestone for the java giant as it joins companies like Nike and Apple as a company that doesn’t need words for instant brand recognition.

In a message to customers, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz said of the logo’s evolution: “Throughout the last four decades, the Siren has been there through it all. And now, we’ve given her a small but meaningful update to ensure that the Starbucks brand continues to embrace our heritage in ways that are true to our core values and that also ensure we remain relevant and poised for future growth.”

Full story at Seattle PI. — Thanks AllTop for the picture and tip on the story and text.

But something interesting I also saw was the two words: “Contains: Milk.” — What? I thought that this was non-dairy creamer? The words Non-Dairy means, without Dairy. And I don’t know if you know this, but Milk is Dairy! … Not that I am lactose-intolerant or anything, but still… c’mon!

If it seems that I am upset about this, I am not really. More than anything I just thought that this was funny and deciding to write a quick blog about it.