Gap scraps new logo after online furore
Clothes retailer Gap has abandoned its new logo after only a week because of an online backlash over the new design.
The logo was introduced on Gap's US website last week, but it was met with criticism on social networks and online forums by commenters bemused by the new look.
Gap received more than 2,000 comments on its Facebook page, with many critics clamouring for the old logo to be reinstated.
It tried to use its Facebook page to crowdsource a new logo but has now accepted defeat and reverted to its old logo showing the Gap name inside a blue box.
The company said it had taken on board the "outpouring of comments from customers and the online community in support of the iconic blue box logo" and heeded their suggestion.
Marka Hansen, president of Gap North America, said in a statement: “Ultimately, we’ve learned just how much energy there is around our brand. All roads were leading us back to the blue box, so we’ve made the decision not to use the new logo on Gap.com any further.
“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 missed the opportunity to engage with the online community. This wasn’t the right project at the right time for crowd sourcing.”
Rana Khodadoust, strategist at brand consultancy Wolff Olins, suggested that Gap could learn a lot from the experience.
She said: "Crowd-sourcing new ideas in the wake of such heavy criticism could be their saving grace but co-creating logos feels so limiting in the grand scheme of collaboration.
“It would be great to see this project go beyond image and start to act as a platform for participation, from create your own iconic t-shirts through to suggestions for future collaborations. Gap has a heritage in doing so with designers like Valentino and ranges like [RED] so there is something to build on and take further.
“I think it's time for Gap to be bold and brave with its future. It needs to stand out confidently with a new story to tell. Unfortunately the new logo signalled a brand that is anything but confident and even more disconnected than we thought.”