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17 Rebranding Failures and How Much They Cost | Canny

The Gap rebrand was estimated to have cost them $100 million. Gap performed possibly one of the fastest branding turnarounds of all time when they reverted to their original design, just six days after putting their new logo out into the public.

During the busy Christmas period of 2010, Gap launched a new logo design and rebranded their company to suit. They did so with no warning. The original Gap logo, a design that had served the brand for more than 20 years, disappeared from without warning and was replaced with the new logo – the word Gap in a bold font and a square, fading diagonally from light blue to dark blue. The change was no internet hiccup, it was permanent – or so it seemed.

A small buzz began to reverberate around the design community, quiet [complaining] about the new Gap logo. Soon, the internet was alive with activity and it was clear that people didn't like the new design. Gap responded positively, revealing that their new logo design was in fact the first stage of a crowd sourcing process that allowed them to reinvent the company.

Over a decade later, Gap's failed rebrand is still cited as one of the best examples of how not to rebrand.