What would happen if I adopted all of the Social Media and digital marketing BS I usually warn you about? Wonder no more. Welcome to Day 7 of the #StepfordTBB experiment.
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This month, The Gap unveiled its new logo and I have something to say about it.
5 reasons why the new GAP logo rocks:
1. It’s new. New is always good. Look it up.
2. It’s all people are talking about. Have you seen mentions of the thing on the twitternets and the facebooks? Everybody is talking about it! Talk about an explosion in impressions!!! I swear, if the Gap had a Social Media program, they could take credit for some pretty solid proof of engagement right now.
3. It is the most copied and adopted logo in the history of October 2010. (So much so that no one noticed that Belk also changed its logo this month.) Everyone is changing their Twitter avatars to emulate the new GAP logo. Have you ever seen this happen? Here are a few examples. There are hundreds more.
Speaking of Belk: Anybody using the Belk logo for their Twitternet avatar? No. Which is weird, because it also uses some of the same principles: Gradients of blue against a white background, with black(ish) letters. Evidently, the agency in charge of Belk’s logo redesign didn’t get the memo: Using a pretty font, a catchy tag line (or. triple. tagline. rather.), and turning a box into a half lotus of fairy wing-like awesome wasn’t necessary. A square and a default font would have done the job.
4. People are talking about the GAP now. A month ago, no one even remembered that store existed. Sure, we all remember it from the 1990’s, but when was the last time you went to the mall?
And if you still buy jeans from the Gap, don’t check out H&M. Ever. Or Express, even. Also, from what I hear, Levi’s is for old people. Keep doing what you’re doing. All is well.
5. It is the only logo that looks like it could have been created in forty-five seconds in Microsoft Word. That’s impressive, no matter how you look at it.
A year ago, I would have written a 72,000 word dissertation on why this logo change sucks, about how it wouldn’t have made it past the first draft review, how it is actually so beyond bad as to be embarrassing, but we’re smack in the middle of the #StepfordTBB experiment so you’re in luck, Gap! This week, I think your new logo is jelly beans and rainbow hearts x infinity.
What have we learned from this? Simple:
1. Change your corporate logo every time you score a new CMO. It will give him something to do, and changing those signs and displays in every store in the country (and the world) is money well spent anyway. Think of all the stupid jobs you could have created or saved with that kind of funding. All the charities you might have endorsed. Good thing you put that cash to better use.
2. When flower-bursts are too hard, go with something corporate and squary-looking. Nothing says “I just bought my seventeenth navy-colored cotton blend sweater from the Gap” like what looks like a default logo in a Mac Paint tutorial.
3. The more average-looking, the better. You don’t want that thing to stand out. Don’t ever stand out. BMW, Apple, Starbucks, the “old” Gap… All way too flashy. Boring is good.
4. When it comes to logo design, either go with dragons and unicorns, or something you can whip up by moving a few boxes around in Powerpoint on your way to your pitch. Graphic designers are so overrated. DIY logos is the way to go! Kudos for being pioneers in that area.
5. Oh, and don’t forget to use a 45% fade effect on your blue square, but without any shadowing or semblance of depth. It always looks awesome just like that. Flat is the new deep.
I know you like me better this way.
#StepfordTBB
Update: The Gap has decided to scrap their new logo. Darn. Man, that was fast!
Brand Building and Online Marketing Blog 
Dick’s “Rule Number One” about graphic design.
When you have to label the comp for the customer as “old” and “new” you’re guilty of stealing money.
I think Banana Republic should change its logo to an actual banana on a flag.
StepfordTBB,
I’m amazed that you forgot #6. When you can’t improve your merchandise and keep customers happy, a gratuitous new logo or packaging can shift the conversation away from what really counts.
(Congratulations to you on your Stepford conversion. I think it is too difficult for me.) GAP just wasted a bunch of shareholder money on nothing. I’m thinking Don Fisher is not resting easy and Mickey Drexler is chuckling over a J. Crew.
Sorry, I thought 6 was implied. 😉
I don’t think Stepford’s can imply, but you’re doing very well in your reformation.
Cheers!
Eh, I don’t like it. It’s too boring, I think. I mean, the old one was boring too, but I don’t like the font….It looks like one that belongs in a boring book. But that’s just my opinion.
The blue box somehow reminds me of Microsoft, which is a company I also don’t like – so maybe that has an affect on my thought.
Nice post though.
Um… Kyle, you realize what we’re doing here, right? 🙂
Haha, this article is awesome.
🙂
too bad you didnt get to say this to the hundreds of designers out there slogging for a buck on the GAP logo contest @ 99designs
Oh yeah. That.
Personally, I like the logo, but I’m guessing American Apparel thinks it sucks. And I wholeheartedly agree with the notion of the DIY logo. I’ve built a couple in my time and they all seem to go down pretty well.
The only logos I’ve ever designed myself were DIY.
it’s like an hair style, if you don’t like it, just wait for two weeks, it’ll magicaly get in shape or you’ll get used to it. anyways, logos are overrated. people are so conservative. i think a autonomic logo that can change itself everday would be the best logo on earth. seriously, i believe so… as i believe in gap’s new content strategy 😀
I think Google does the automatic changing logo… LOL but even they use Graphic Designers….
Damn those Google geniuses. They think of everything.
Like an automatic logo generator? I like it!
google doesn’t count. their logo do not change itself. i propose to design a logo that changes itself; either evolves or adapts or ages or reacts… like a living creature! for example, gap may use a living blue-painted cockroach on store signs rather than that sophisticated blue box, we can see an exciting new logo everyday…
Like the game “Spores,” but for logos? I like it!
Great post! Loving StepfordTBB! Hilarious! 😀
Thanks.
Olivier,
I did see the logo a few days ago on another blog. If it was not for you I would of not realized that the blogger was making fun of Gap.
I remember the last time I bought from GAP religiously was in 2002 my last year of college. I do buy from Banana Republic to this day but every time I pass the Gap it does not inspire me to go in.
If there approach was rebranding how more simple can the previous brand logo get. I think for people who do not visit the GAP or are not up to date on what is going on with them will have a hard time identifying the brand.
Keep up the good work!
Yeah, Gap’s problem isn’t the logo. In fact, their brand is visually strong. Their problems are relevance and value.
1. There isn’t enough stuff in their stores. I understand the boutique vibe, but they’re not a boutique. They’re Gap.
2. Overpriced. I can go to half a dozen stores and get the same quality for half the price, and it might even be more fashion-forward.
3. Sarah Jessica Parker didn’t make me want to shop there, no matter how many winter hats they put on her head.
4. If I want to pay too much for boring clothes, I can cross the street and buy them from J.Crew. At least there, they sell watches.
5. Here’s a brand that so believed its own model, its own hype, that from a style standpoint, has hardly changed since 1998. Hop into your Delorean and go back in time to visit a Gap store six years ago, and you will find yourself in the exact same store as today. That works really well for coffee, but not for apparel.
The changes needed to focus on what goes on inside the store, not outside of it.
And if their clothes are their content, I guess… I guess it means they need a new content strategy. 😉
My impression of the Gap last time I was there was “black, tan and bland.” I don’t go now – but I do remember fondly wearing their stuff in my youth. When it was cute and at least a little bit more competitive with Benetton. 🙂
Another branding rule of thumb: if the company name in your logo can be replaced with any one of your competitors’ names and not a single person would think it incongruent or perplexing, then your logo is generic and ultimately pointless and ineffective.
Extra-credit for using the word “incongruent” in a sentence. Bravo, sir.
Fancy, elaborate logos are corporate masturbation.
To invest all kinds of resources into designing a fantastic, elaborate logo that’s all 3D and 100% original and market tested and blah, blah, blah, is a waste of time.
So what if your competition can duplicate your logo? OMGONOEZ! If your business exists to empower and serve people above all else (even above profit), you aren’t going to have much competition these days.
BOILERPLATE: BUSINESS EXISTS TO MAKE A PROFIT.
Yeah. And that’s why nobody’s buying these days. FU and your lay-off-everyone profits.
Icon is the graphic representation of talk.
Brand is the reality of what you do.
I like that!
See my comment to Raul, just above.
You like that? Does that signal an end to the StepfordTBB?
I’ve enjoyed the past week’s shenanigans, but I’ve had my fill of high fructose social media. 🙂
Funny story about the Gap —
I have a pair of jeans that I bought from the Gap, no joke, in 2001.
Black, stonewashed worker’s cut (i.e., very loose leg, but the waist actually stays at the waist. None of this “waistline hanging below the ass” crap that today’s youth are so fond of).
And I’ll be damned if those still aren’t the most comfortable pair of denim I own, and they’re still going strong. The bottoms of the legs are rather cut to shreds now, but other than that, they’re not threadbare, and they feel great.
And to my knowledge, Gap hasn’t offered the “worker’s cut” jeans since around 2004.
However, because of that one awesome pair of jeans, I’ve sort of stuck with Gap over the years. When I want something nice looking, I go to Macy’s or Banana Repub.
When I want some solid denim to wear, I inevitably go to the Gap.
The real moral of the story? In my mind, Gap’s brand = an awesome pair of jeans that I am loathe to get rid of, and desperately wish they’d bring back the style so I could by 8 more pairs.
It’s not the damn logo. I couldn’t care less what their logo looks like. Get me jeans I like to wear.
(P.S. Any Gap corporate marketing wonks who stumble across this blog post, please feel free to pass my sentiments on worker’s cut jeans back to the COO. Thanks.)
Yep. See my comment to Raul, above. Gap’s problem wasn’t the logo. It’s what’s happening inside the store. (Or not happening, rather.)
Though I have to admit that I am surprised about the 2004 denim style. My perception of the Gap is that they still sold that stuff.
One thing I will say about their jeans. Back when I bough mine from the Gap (around 2004), they were comfortable and durable. No question. That was good stuff.
6 years later though, I can’t imagine wearing the same jeans I wore back then. I wear mine in the yard, but not to go out. They were in style six years ago, but they’re just too baggy for my taste now. It’s like shirts: I used to wear those billowy oxfords too. I’ve thrown all of those away. I favor fitted shirts now. Baggy doesn’t work on someone with my frame. I’ve had to let go of past fashion transgressions. I’ve gladly embraced the tailored look.
Since then, I have discovered a few things: 1. I can get a perfectly fitted pair of jeans from several other places for a fraction of Gap’s prices. 2. And even if they only last one year, it is still cheaper for me to buy 3 pairs at a time than pay for just one pair of denim from the Gap.
By the way… Have you tried Levi’s? Their cuts stay the same. A 501 is a 501. Know what I mean? They aren’t comfortable right away, but they get that way over time. It’s a worthwhile investment and you will never have to worry about certain models being retired or replaced.
Cheers.
This whole thing is a great case study on the new way consumers interact with brands. I blogged on the topic here: http://bit.ly/aWIHCt
What is really sad is the fact that so many businesses think that changing a logo can fix the problem. Instead of recognizing that there are other fundamental issues that need fixing, they go for the cheapass bandaid. You can point to a number of brands that clearly don’t understand that in the end what matters is the product, service and price point.
On the other hand, all the Gap logo needs is a unicorn jumping through the “G”. No?
Well said, and… yes.
TBB,
Obviously, you and everyone else have missed the profound depth of meaning that is craftily hidden behind the deceptive simplicity of the new Gap logo. Have you ever heard of Plato? Socrates? Morons – the design-thought process here is inconceivable except to the most refined thinkers (like myself). If you don’t see the concatenation of string and chaos theory played out in the melodious merging – nay, near melting – of the blue color/shade/line complex so subtly depicted, then you need a renewed course on Abstract Design Theory 101. Or at least an on-line certification. Which I can offer for $999.00, plus 2 FREE webinars AND your own star named after you…
I have you beat: I can offer it for $149,000.00 😉
Dammit Steve!!!!!!
Fresh ID is going to start offering a star named every after social media client we can get on retainer. You always come up with the best ideas first. AND a jar of Nutella!
Kris and Olivier: the key to success here is: Feldspar. It always comes down to feldspar. Everything else is window dressing…
I just have one thing that stuck with me:
“Flat is the new deep”
Whatever the Stepford thing is? Ditch it. I like the second part better.
The second part?
Laughing so hard I can’t type! Oh my magic jelly beans and awesome to infinity.
Thing is with Belk, I have never heard of them, not just forgotten about them – we don’t have them in the UK. To which is why the crushing of a forgotten brand by a rubbish logo works. Attention grabbing re-design, only shown up by their incredibly quick turn around to ask people what ideas they might have.
Like lots of marketing tricks this will get people talking about them for a while but will it make a real difference in the long run? Don’t hear much about Old Spice of late.
If they actually had a way to get people closer to the design of the things they sell you might have something sustainable.
Agreed.
You must have seen the news by now that Gap is canning the new logo after a “social media outcry”. Obviously StepfordBB can’t take any credit, I mean blame, for that…
Link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/business-11520930
Yep. Saw that. They should have canned it the moment they saw it.
A new logo makes me want to shop there, doesn’t it? Because a new logo means they’ve changed the whole store, right? Now they’ve gone back to the old logo and I’m confused. New logo= new store= I gotta have it. New logo back to old logo means what?
My favorite part was the new logo made me feel that even I could design a logo for a major company, just using Microsoft Word. Yeah me!!
And the bigger question to me is, how much money did they waste on this and didn’t they learn from new Coke?
Would you be surprised if I never saw the “new Gap logo” until your blog post here and now — though I did shop at a Gap outlet last week?
Sarah Jessice Parker is very pretty but she does not have a flawless skin complexion *
Sarah Jessica Parker is really very very beautiful specially during her younger years *;:
Lets forget about the design, I want to know who was the genius who sold it!!? I wish I had their convincing powers…
Whoa! Thanks! I always wanted to write at my online site the like.
After reading this article I sincerely support that idea. Genious!