It appears that, at least for now, whether it was Ekiss or Miller who came up with the design first will remain unknown. Looks like a fascinating, yet unsolved, Internet mystery!” A spokesperson for the company said, “As of now, our best assumption is that Gina was the original creator however, we aren’t able to confirm. Solo (who was bought by Dart Container in 2012), doesn’t have the records to verify either story. An internal contest that sparked the design, a desire to move away from anything too geometric and linear, a fondness for teal and purple, and an eye for what would be most practical. As the News-Leader article states, “The design was similar to something she had designed in college, Ekiss said, rejecting the idea that she ripped off another cup company’s design.”Įkiss could not be reached for comment, but both women have similar stories. You didn’t have to worry about edges lining up.”Įkiss disputes that the idea came from someone else. The loose nature of the design had another benefit, beyond being trendy: “The whole idea was that it would be easier to be printed, because the design didn’t have to line up at all. She remembers creating the design, also for an internal contest: “Everything was so linear and kind of boring and I just wanted to do something that was a little more fun and loose than what was on cups before.” She went across the street and bought some ink, and started painting, with a paintbrush that to this day “still has teal on it, it won’t go away,” though any original artwork has been lost with time. I don’t know how that happened, and I don’t know if it had anything to do with me.” She speculated that a salesman found her design, and brought it to Sweetheart, who tweaked it just enough to make it their own. The one I did came out first, as far as I can tell.
Miller says of the design, “I do know that it came out of my head.
A woman named Stephanie Miller, an artist based in Ohio, commented throughout the Reddit thread claiming she was the original designer, that she created the design for a competing company called Imperial Bondware. “It just seems so insane to me,” she is quoted as saying.īut, depending who you ask, the story doesn’t end there. She still has the original charcoal sketches, and is surprised with all the attention it has gotten lately. An internal contest had been held to come up with the design, and Ekiss submitted the jazz design, along with a few others. The Springfield News-Leader sent a reporter out to her house, after some Internet-age sleuthing, and uncovered the answer. Schatz ended his original comment with a plea: “So, I hope you guys can find Gina, because I really like her design, but I also doubt that she understands the emotional impact the cup has on children born in the 80s and raised in the 90s.” There was an online community devoted to the design, people had asked Solo (who purchased the original company that created the design, Sweetheart Cup Company, in 2004) who was behind it, the official response was a woman named Gina from Missouri. One of the top comments, posted by freelance motion graphics artist Douglas Schatz, was a surprising wealth of information. Cheese’s?Ībout a month ago, users on Reddit asked: Who created this design, known as “Solo Jazz”? The fourth design, the Candy Cane red cup, was designed to look like the favorite holiday candy, with the Starbucks wordmark and candy stripes of green, white, and lilac.The splash of teal and purple, across a waxy paper cup - does it remind you of your childhood? Your mom passing you a slice of fruit and a cup of water after a soccer game? A first kiss at an ice skating rink? A sugar-rushed birthday party at Chuck E. The Holiday Light red cup drew inspiration from "the stars on a clear winter's night," and boasts a swirl of ribbons and a jumble of bold, graphic letters. The Ribbon red cup "evokes a familiar scene from the season" with its pieces of ribbon in white and glittery lilac, which are placed against a red background. Inspired by "a perfectly wrapped gift," the Wrapping Paper red cup features a colorful geometric pattern with sparkles and glitter grain in the season's signature shades. Suzie Reecer, Starbucks associate creative director, led the Starbucks Creative team for this year's holiday campaign, stating that "this holiday, we wanted it to feel magical, we wanted it to be warm, and we wanted it to be inclusive." The goal "was to really bring joy to every customer and every partner." What resulted was four new designs - Wrapping Paper, Ribbon, Holiday Light, and Candy Cane, which will arrive on Nov. After debuting red cups in 2020 with the theme of "Carry the Merry," this year's red cup lineup was inspired by all the gifts of the season.