The GAP Logo Lesson
By Ro
bert Cook
The Gap recently launched a logo redesign that was not very distinctive, and worse, inadequately described by management as ‘forward looking’. The mark meant nothing to The Gap’s customers with its unimaginative font choice and boring blue accent block.
Usually I tread lightly when it comes to criticizing the work of others. We never know the full story, especially the ‘behind-the-scenes’ struggle of creativity and business strategy. And in the case of The Gap’s recent attempt, everyone has an opinion. Most are negative. In fact, I couldn’t find a positive reaction to the effort anywhere. To make matters worse, the company’s reaction was even more embarrassing, and the eventual full retreat was a complete media rout.
The Old Logo:
The New Logo:
Weak planning had been exacerbated by boilerplate corporate lingo put forward to explain the launch. The retreat was entertaining – a sort of public squirming, combined with buzzwords of pseudo control, and pathetic crowd-sourcing for amateur solutions. I don’t question The Gap for making a change. I question the proposed reasoning, and the weak rhetoric surrounding the public reaction and The Gap’s ultimate withdrawal of the mark. It was, in fact, a perfect lesson. A lesson in what to do wrong.
Top five lame reasons to change your logo:
#1. The perception that change is good. Change can be good or bad. Self-induced change can be disastrous with sloppy planning. Change for the sake of change is not a strategic decision. It’s a roll of the dice. And just because someone reads the latest pop-biz book doesn’t mean a sudden understanding of branding gives one the insights needed to fine tune the cumbersome trajectory of a large organization. Identity is part of the intricate web of tangibles and intangibles that make up the brand.
#2. New management. New leadership signifies new employees. A strategic plan that charts a new course for the long-term value of the brand experience is needed to support valid change. Charting that course should be a customer-centric choice. And it should include the understanding that the customer holds the brand identity in a secure and emotional place. If you try to move that place without consideration, you risk incurring the wrath of your best customers.
#3. Hiring a new creative team. Ask a barber if you need a haircut. What do you suppose the answer will be?
#4. Your competitor changes their logo. Don’t be a copycat strategist.
#5. Criticism. It depends on the source. A family member with one semester of Art History doesn’t understand the problem, so they can’t have the right answer. Everyone is a pop culture critic these days. I remember when no one knew what a font was. Not everyone is qualified to understand brand strategy. It’s very complicated. I am always amazed at the broad conclusions drawn from the shallowest of observations.
The lesson to be learned from The Gap incident is that poorly planned tactics come from weak strategy. Enough people that should have known better were involved in the effort. We would have expected a more engaging result.
One last thought on the subject. If changing a logo can get so much negative feedback from customers, imagine what the wrong logo choice can do to affect brand image with a new business.
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