The well-known high-street store Gap, recently found to be selling clothes made in Indian sweatshops, has sparked controversy this week by changing its logo from a large blue square with the word "GAP" in front of it to a smaller blue square with the word "Gap" in front of it.
"It's awful. My five-year-old son could do better," said Facebook user Peter Aveyard, before uploading a photograph of a Tellytubby, drawn in red crayon, with "GAP" written across its tummy. "See?" While Gap have invited feedback and ideas on their Facebook page, they have declined to use Mikey Aveyard's design, saying that the glitter hasn't been stuck down properly and would get on all the clothes.
The new logo appears on Gap's website, which was produced by expensive London design studio Stream.0 and is proving unpopular with customers. "I can't look at it," said mother-of-two Jenny Price. However, all the clothing currently in stock, including that manufactured by exploited villagers in the poorest parts of India, still carries the old logo and Gap have reported that sales have remained "healthy". The controversy echoes 1997's redesign of the iconic BBC logo, which was derided as "simplistic", "lazy" and "boring" although now everyone likes it and nobody can remember why they were so upset.
Gap stress that they take this issue with the utmost seriousness, and have promised an internal inquiry into the new logo, to run along side the existing inquiry into workers' pay and conditions in their Indian suppliers.