There have obviously been many things observed/written about the logo formerly known as the new Gap logo.  Clearly,

“My mom could have made it on PowerPoint.”

“Why? They don’t need a new logo.”

“Helvetica... again.  Really?”

“What’s up with the square?”

And of course, this tweet:



... are all funny and frankly good observations.  The follow-up by Gap to the whole fiasco was interesting, as well... and depending on who you ask, the truth about their reaction changes there, too.  I’ve been told:

“Gap just pulled it.”

“Gap tried to say it was an experiment in crowd-sourcing.”

“At first Gap tried to defend it, but gave up about a day later.”

And frankly, the truth to this isn’t entirely important either.  Regardless, several lessons can be learned:

1. If you’re going to make a massive identity change, you better believe in your brand.  What was missing here wasn’t so much the presence of a great new logo as much as it was the presence of a confident brand.  About nine months ago Apple announced a new product that they were proudly calling the iPad. The reaction by at least 50% (most women and some men) of the world was astonishment.

“I only want to think about pads during my period.”

“Doesn’t Apple have any men working for them?”

And of course references to this MADTV gem from 2007 flooded the Internet. In other words, it’s important for brands to appear confident (even when they aren’t).  Nobody jokes about the name iPad anymore because Apple stuck to their guns.  I wonder if Gap had retained their confidence from this era if things would have turned out the same way.

Today, Apple is a leader, Gap is a follower.

2. Before you crowdsource anything... make sure you get the opinion of your most avid advocates.  A massive amount of Twitter and Facebook traffic that was responsible for killing the new (old) Gap logo was from people who likely don’t even shop at the store. Had Gap properly ran their idea by the right people – their advocates, prior to launch:
It would have likely been killed before it was ever launched.

The kneejerk reaction by Gap to kill it wouldn’t have happened, because they would have had more confidence in their decision to go with it.Knowing that you’re talking to the right people is important for more than just old-fashioned focus groups.

3. It’s the brand, stupid. Relevant brands trump “modernized” logos every time. A few years ago Gap understood this. What happened? What are your thoughts?