Gap's Six-Day Logo: What It Teaches About Changing a Brand Everyone Knows

Gap's 2010 logo change lasted just six days, which makes it one of the quickest reversals in branding history. Sixteen years on, it still holds useful lessons for any business changing something people know well.

What happened

According to The Branding Journal, Gap introduced a new logo on 6 October 2010. It replaced the well-known dark blue box with a much smaller box and set the name in bold black Helvetica. There was no advance notice. Criticism came quickly: more than 2,000 comments appeared on Facebook, and a site that let people make their own Gap logo prompted nearly 14,000 parody designs.

Gap then said it would consider customer suggestions, which critics read as a sign of uncertainty. On 12 October 2010 it went back to the blue-box logo it had used since 1990, saying it had learned how much energy there was around the brand.

Some details in secondary coverage conflict, so I have kept to the points the sources agree on.

The timeline in short

• 6 October 2010: the new logo appears with no warning.
• Within days: thousands of critical comments and a wave of parody logos.
• 12 October 2010: Gap returns to the logo it had used since 1990.

The speed matters. Social media meant the public reaction arrived at once and in public, and the brand had no chance to explain itself before the story was set.

Lessons for any rebrand

1. A logo is a shared asset. Customers feel they own a little of a brand they have used for years. Treat that feeling as an asset, not an obstacle.
2. Do not surprise people. A launch with no preparation gives critics the first word. Explain what is changing, why, and what is staying.
3. Test before you launch. A few conversations with real customers could have shown how they felt. See our guide to testing a rebrand.
4. Decide how you'll respond. Asking the public for ideas after the fact looked like indecision. Know in advance who decides and how.
5. Be clear about the problem. A new logo doesn't fix a problem with product, price or service. Read signs your business needs a rebrand before you commit.
6. Quick reversals have a cost. Going back protected the brand, but the episode became the story.

What smaller brands can take from it

Your customers are fewer, so you can ask them. A short conversation, a sample on a shop counter or a preview for regulars is cheap and fast. Evolve what is distinctive rather than throw it out: our guide to rebranding examples and lessons shows how others have done it, and the rebrand process puts the steps in order.

If you're weighing a change, book a free brand consultation and we'll give you an honest view.

Source

• Learning from the Gap logo redesign fail, The Branding Journal

Cover photo by Nick de Partee on Unsplash.