Gap

image from:

http://money.cnn.com/2010/10/08/news/companies/gap_logo/index.htm

 

After having their existing logo for over twenty years, Gap launched a new logo on their website. The redesign was Gap’s attempt to make their brand more relevant to their customer base. They explained that their products have progressed throughout the company’s existence and felt a new logo was the next step. After one week, Gap changed their logo back to their original design since the modern face lift was not well received by consumers.

Gap explained the new logo would be “a more contemporary, modern expression”. The san serif font gave a bold, upbeat style, completely changing their brand. The blue colored box uncomfortably placed in the corner was not cohesive with the rest of the design. Consumers perceived the new design as cheap because modernism replaced the original sophistication.


The original, classic logo encompassed timeless elegance. The blue box gave the design a solid foundation as the serif font popped subtly from the surrounding color with a nice balance of contrast. An ageless quality existed because of the deep color and simplicity of the design.


Gap’s logo redesign involved minimal costs, since it only launched on the internet. The initial cost in any rebranding process is a new design, but many other costs are involved. Printing for advertising, product packaging and reordering products to show the correct logo are all essential. Gap launched the new design on their website. New packaging potentially ordered, but the immediacy of the consumer response allowed Gap to quickly revert back to the old design and printing orders could be canceled. Gap did pay to redesign and launch a new logo but social media ultimately helped save a lot of money overall.


Gap made the correct decision by reverting back to the prior design. Change in any business takes an adjustment period but social media negatively influence many people’s opinion and to keep the new logo regardless could have further hurt their business. The consumer outcry could have come from the desire of consistency during financial hardship or just that the classic elegance is far greater than modernism. Whatever the case, the old logo is back and Gap’s doors are still open.