Starbucks red holiday cups are back, with a special twist. This year, for the first time, Starbucks red cups will feature designs created by customers with 13 distinct cups in Starbucks stores around the world and two of the customers, Anz and Chloe, are Filipinos. Their designs, ‘Ornaments’ and ‘Birch Forest’, respectively, are now printed on this year’s Starbucks red cups.
Taking a cue from customers who had been using their red holiday cups as a canvas, last December Starbucks invited customers to share their designs on Instagram. In just eight days, Starbucks received more than 1,200 individual submissions from 13 countries.
“We were surprised and inspired by the amount of incredible art submitted by our customers, the designs were beautiful, expressive and engaging,” said Dena Blevins, creative director, Starbucks Global Creative Studio. “We quickly realized that there was potential to use the customer created art for our holiday cups.”
Anz, an interior designer now based in Dubai, made a hobby of doodling Starbucks cups, collecting more than 75 creations. She uses her designs to prove that sometimes, all we need is a change in perspective.
“Every time I draw on my cups, I always imagine myself as another person using the cup I designed. It’s like talking to them through my drawings. I want the other person to feel that whatever situation he/she is in right now, everything’s gonna be okay,” she said. Her winning design, ‘Ornaments,’ shows the joyous holiday season through dream catchers.
Meanwhile, Chloe, a nurse now based in Chicago, created a wintery design which reminds her of her home in the States. “I’ve always had a love-hate relationship with winter since I moved to Illinois. Even though I’ve experienced a blizzard, getting stuck in snow, and extreme winter temperatures, I have come to appreciate the beauty of trees and fields all covered in white snow,” she said.
Chloe also studied multimedia arts and have always been into graphic design. As an avid Starbucks card collector, she shows her creativity by designing envelopes with washi tapes and white pens to surprise fellow collectors she swap with.
The red holiday cup designs, inspired by the stories of Starbucks customers, feature traditional Christmas lights and ornaments, snowflakes and winter landscapes that express the shared spirit of the holidays.
“We loved how the red cups with white designs naturally created a collection. They hang together as one idea but each expression is unique.” said Blevins.