Gap: The New Logo and What We Can Learn
Published October 19, 2010 12:12 pm by
Categories: Branding, Design and visual trends, The business of marketing
By now you’ve surely seen the “new” Gap logo in all its glory. And you’ve undoubtedly heard all the comments and backlash surrounding the switch. In fact, after only one week there was so much backlash that GAP ditched the new logo completely in favor of bringing back the original design.
Gap originally launched the new logo with the intent of refreshing their image. Gap’s VP of Corporate Communications, Bill Chandler described the design as “a more contemporary, modern expression.” But when fans of the brand began to bash the new logo on the internet, Gap quickly took to its Facebook page asking fans to submit their own ideas for an improved Gap logo. This quick attempt at a crowd-sourcing project did not go over much better than the new logo.
In a statement last week, President of GAP Brand North America, Marka Hansen said, “We’ve learned a lot in this process. And we are clear that we did not go about this in the right way. We recognize that we miss the opportunity to engage with the online community. This wasn’t the right project at the right time for crowd sourcing. There may be a time to evolve our logo, but if and when that time comes, we’ll handle it in a different way.”
There are some valuable lessons that can be learned from Gap’s situation: do the research before you make a major change to your brand’s identity; if you make a mistake, admit it, listen to feedback, correct it, and move on; and most importantly, listen to your customers – ultimately, they are the ones who make or break your brand.
Although Gap may not have done everything right over the past few weeks, they did do their best to listen to the feedback they received and correct the problem quickly – and that is an admirable thing for any brand to do.
