Today, Gap announced that its logo was back to 'normal' - that is to say, the navy blue square with the white writing that we have all come to know and love.
Ever since the logo change, about a week ago, much criticism has been vented towards the brand, as to many, the logo looked more like that of a startup software brand than of a clothing chain.
But according to Gap's President, Marka Hansen, the new logo was about brand evolution. She explained in the Huffington Post:
"The natural step for us on this journey is to see how our logo - one that we've had for more than 20 years - should evolve. Our brand and our clothes are changing and rethinking our logo is part of aligning with that. We want our customers to take notice of Gap and see what it stands for today."
However, to me and many others, this move seemed more like brand panic than anything else. Faced with dwindling sales figures, the brand which was once seen as hip, affordable and cool is now nothing more than an afterthought in many consumers' minds.
Gap, which once stood for quality, now makes clothes that seem cheap and easy to discard. Walking into one of their stores is much like walking into a T.J. Maxx or even worse, Ross. You know you'll find something nice there if only you have enough time and patience to look through the mountains of cheap and ugly clothing available. The problem is, how many of us actually have the time to do that nowadays? The same applied to their website. Not too long ago, it was messy and had very limited customer appeal. That seems to have been resolved, as their website is much more pleasant to browse now and properly showcases their collection. Whilst the product and the stores could use some improvement, at least they have got the website right now.
Here is hoping that this logo fiasco has shown Gap that the problem is not that their logo is outdated, but that the way they are driving the business forward is the culprit. Lower quality clothing lacking in style is not what the cash-strapped consumer wants. They want bang for their buck with well-priced, current pieces that will last.
If Gap expects to return to their former glory, they need to do just that - give the consumer the great quality, versatile basics that they were always well known for. And leave their logo alone.
Gabi Warren - I am a Public Relations professional, specialising in technology. I am also interested in travelling and have lived in many countries, ...
