Thousands of Starbucks cups circulating this season have a University of Idaho connection. On Nov. 1 the Seattle-based coffee company released a green cup in the U.S. with a one-line drawing of 132 diverse faces. The cup was designed by Shogo Ota, a 2007 graduate of the UI College of Art and Architecture, according to the university.
Originally from Gifu, Japan, Ota moved to the U.S. 14 years ago to study at the UI after being rejected by five Japanese universities, according to an article at 1912Pike.com, a Starbucks website. He now lives in Seattle, where he owns Tireman Studio. Starbucks began using his art for projects like posters three years ago. The
company commissioned him to create artwork for a cup that would be a symbol of unity and a reminder of shared values “during a divisive time in our country,” according to a news release.
The company’s traditional red holiday cups were also recently released. Among them is a snowy forest design by UI freshman Bronwyn Schumaker, according to Tweet from the university's Twitter account.
Starbucks invited customers to share their cup designs on Instagram last year and received more than 1,200 submissions from around the world, according to its website. Schumaker’s design was one of 13 selected from six countries. She wrote she was inspired by a December hike on a favorite trail.
A green cup designed by UI grad Shogo Ota was released by Starbucks Nov. 1 to remind people of unity “during a divisive time in our country.”
