Gap Logo History: Evaluating the Old Logo and the 2010 Redesign

The essential answer

Gap's best-known mark is the navy blue square containing the wordmark "GAP" in white capital letters. In October 2010 the company introduced a different logo that removed the blue box and placed a small blue gradient square behind the letter "P." Public reaction was strongly negative, and within about a week Gap announced that it would revert to the classic blue box logo. The episode is commonly cited as a case study in brand identity and in how quickly a logo change can be reversed when customers reject it.

What the old logo looks like

The old logo is a compact, rectangular identity built around a solid navy field. The word "GAP" sits centered in white, set in a serif typeface with clear spacing between the letters. Because the design is so simple, it is usually reproduced as a single flat shape rather than a complex illustration.

For vector logo work, this structure matters in practical ways. A clean square background and three letterforms can be described with relatively few paths, which makes the artwork suitable for scaling from small garment labels to large signage. The strong contrast between the dark background and white text also helps the mark remain legible at small sizes and in single-color reproduction.

The 2010 redesign

The redesigned logo kept the name "Gap" but changed the presentation. The blue box was removed, and the wordmark was set in black with a lighter weight. A small blue square with a gradient was placed behind the final letter. Visually, the replacement looked less like the familiar retail badge and more like a generic wordmark.

Media coverage at the time described the reaction as swift and critical. Many comments focused on the loss of the established navy square and on the new mark's resemblance to other common corporate wordmarks. Gap responded by restoring the blue box logo. The short lifespan of the redesign is useful context for anyone preparing logo files: a mark that appears briefly in brand history can still circulate online, but it may not represent the current or authorized identity.

Vector and usage considerations

A filename containing "vector" or an SVG extension does not by itself prove that every visual element is editable vector artwork. Some files mix vector outlines with embedded raster images, and some vector files include only a low-resolution preview. When evaluating a Gap logo file, check whether the blue field, letterforms and any gradient are defined as paths or as placed images.

The classic blue box mark is simpler to verify because its flat color areas and lettering can be inspected as outlines. The 2010 version introduces a gradient, which can be created as a vector gradient but is sometimes exported or shared as a raster effect. If the gradient is important to the reproduction, confirm that it is preserved as an editable fill rather than flattened into a bitmap.

Practical takeaways

• The blue square Gap wordmark is the enduring identity and is the safer reference for most current uses.

• The 2010 logo is historically relevant but was short-lived and is not the mark Gap retained.

• Vector format does not guarantee editable vector content; inspect the artwork for paths, embedded rasters and preview images.

• Being able to download a logo file does not grant permission to modify or use its artwork, fonts or trademarks.

Evidence and gaps

The basic chronology, the appearance of the old blue box logo, the October 2010 introduction of the redesigned mark and the publicized return to the classic design are well documented in business and design coverage from that period. The description of the artwork here is a visual interpretation of the commonly reproduced marks. This article does not reproduce official logo files or provide a source for downloading them, and no claim is made about the internal structure of any specific file that may be circulating.