Gap Seeks Wisdom of Crowd over New Logo

Clothing retailer Gap has initiated a crowdsourcing project following a backlash from customers posting on social media sites, about its newly re-designed logo.

The San Francisco-based group, which also owns Banana Republic, Old Navy, Piperlime and Athleta, has been updating its brand and stores to appeal to 'Millennials' - consumers in their 20s and early 30s.

As part of the initiative, on Monday, Gap released the redesigned logo which is to replace its iconic blue logo of 20 years. This move provoked a storm of protests from shoppers, on sites such as Facebook and Twitter, with comments ranging from 'Something a high school student created in MS in 1999', to 'Now your logo screams CHEAP'.

In response, Gap has asked consumers to provide input into the redesign, and already thanked them for the 'buzz' that has been generated since the re-launch.

'We're thrilled to see passionate debates unfolding! So much so we're asking you to share your designs. We love our version, but we'd like to see other ideas. Stay tuned in the next few days on this crowdsourcing project', the firm said on its Facebook page.

The controversial new logo has already been rolled out on its US web site: www.gap.com, while the old version is still adorning the masthead of the European site: www.gap.eu .