Today, it is almost a shock to see the sort of striking minimalist design that was probably most associated with Massimo Vignelli in the Sixties. It is a reminder that a simple typographic system and color palette, expertly used, can hit you right between the eyes a lot more effectively than many of the graphic gymnastics we are now more familiar with. This Helvetica Hypothesis, by designer Jung Hwan shows how it works.
Dropping its time tested and 20 year old logo, The Gap (now simply GAP) has re-branded with what may be the most boring re-brand since… ever really. Dropping their iconic stretched serif logo for one which is remarkably like American Apparel’s logo (also Helvetica, also black, and also tightly kerned)
What I find most confusing that during this economic decline, why they would decide to throw out something which will require millions of dollars in new signs, promotional materials, clothing labels, etc. Not to mention as environmental graphic designers, we have no idea how one might apply this mark 3 dimensionally without creating a fairly ugly sign box for the gradient?
All in all, we are not impressed with GAP’s re-brand and think it’s more of a marketing stunt (Ala Tropicana’s terrible re-brand of months back) than an actual graphic design solution.