Crowdsource This Blog Post

So this happened and started the ball rollin'.

A helvetica-fonted brand name running into a gradient-shaded blue square.

Ugh.

And after the dust settled, and everyone and their grandma weighed in about how they felt that the new logo was so terrible, speculation began: was it a farce?

Then this happened. The President of Gap, Marka Hansen posted on Huffington Post, dispelling the rumors, sticking up for Laird and Partner's efforts, and playing the role of peacemaker.

At the same time this went live on Facebook. Through all the threats of calls to the AIGA and talk of boycotting, a few groups (them and them) actually stepped up and starting posting designer ideas.

Then, with the threat of the brand losing it's identity through "crowdsourcing", this happened.

Gap fell, like all the other Goliaths to the Davids and their combined slingshots of hate, and returned to using the good ol' blue box.

One question remains, however.

Could this have all just been a publicity stunt?

Harking on the theme I brought up in my first Confessional post, curving the dialogue around the creation of a replacement ugly logo, Gap insured that they would be the on the tip of everyone's tongues.

Could Gap not have been satisfied by the social media bump they experienced after the Groupon spectacle that they had to one-up themselves with this logo fiasco?

If it was just a publicity stunt, it's unclear if this will pay off.

From what I've seen, there's a seething anger coming from designers and consumers alike, calling for boycotts of Gap and claims of being unethical.

Regardless of what it truly was, we'll see how this hurt/helped Gap in the coming months.

Do you think this was some publicity stunt or just another example of the mishandling of a social marketing initiative?

Shout outs to @GapLogo, @OldGapLogo, craplogo.me, and the dozens of other new media machinations created during the brouhaha.

Sean Sutherland, Associate Account Executive/Crowdsorcerer

Previously in logo-speak: Logo Fail of Olympic Proportions; Logolicious.

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Logolicious

Driving down I-95 Sunday, my old lady and I spotted this billboard:


I originally didn't like this ad because it was so hard to read that I nearly slammed into the jersey wall. After my wife and I took turns trying to pronounce "Hungergency", like a poor reenactment of the nitrous oxide scene in Black Sheep, it dawned on me that the ad was actually kind of ingenious.

First, we spent the rest of the car ride home talking about it. That conversation was ultimately cut short by me actually reenacting the scene from Black Sheep starring me as both Chris Farley and David Spade.

She laughed but I don't think it was with me.

More importantly, without any mention of the product or brand, we instantly associated this ad with Snickers. Mostly because they do a good job of carrying their logo and font design from product packaging to a different medium. Just goes to show how important your logo is. It can elicit instant brand recognition or you could end up here.

You could always get a new logo design from these guys, but I question their ability to tie their shoes with a website like that. I'd let them know, but apparently they don't want anyone to contact them.

Logergency? Why wait? Get Renegade. (ed. note: Way to work in a call to action, shill.)

Got any funny words that you've made up? Leave them in the comments so I can take credit for them.

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Olympic Logo FAIL

Unlike the good Cap'n, I'm not ready to get all hari-kari up in here now that the Olympics are over. Truth be told, I'm glad it's done. The act of kicking a foreigner's ass at random sports in the name of national supremacy has really lost its luster over the decades. Where's the soul? Pure, determined...and un-narrated by Bob Costas? It's all advertising now. Just a bunch of well-muscled coporate logos sprinting and jumping and swimming about.

Speaking of logos, WTF is up with the logo for the Olympics across the pond in '12? A design group billed £400,00 to come up with this? That's, like, 3 trillion dollars in American money, or something, right?It looks like a first-grader tried to fingerpaint the KISS logo. Punk Points for those calling foul on this one; and a triple-word score for our pals over at WAS who converted complaints into action, sponsoring an online open mic night for new logo designs. Even I submitted one (below), though admittedly, it's more ad than logo (and more awful than good).The mindset behind it was simple. Understatement. Seemed to mesh with the archetypal (maybe stereotypical) Brit: detached, unimpressed, and exceedingly non-plussed, with just a bit of irony for flavoring. I always think of the Monty Python line delivered by the knight who's just had two arms hacked off in battle, "It's just a flesh wound." So, there it is. Olympic rings, tea, and two minutes with Photoshop.

Carry on, mates...we only have to look at the London Olympics logo for 1500+ more days.

In logo-related news: Starbucks logo roasted for showing its naughty bits.

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