Branding Mistakes That Will Ruin Your Customer's Perception Part Two

#3 Deviate Too Far From the Original 

If you are toying with the idea of ​​changing your branding design, don't stray too far from what has made your brand successful and memorable so far. After all, the brand should still be recognizable by the target group even after the redesign. And even the most loyal fans of a brand can be uncomfortable with big, sudden changes which can affect your other branding assets such as business card. 

The Gap logo disaster is the most chilling case. The apparel retailer ditched its well-known traditional square logo in favor of a brand new, streamlined style in 2010: 

The dramatic shift in the logo was meant to lead the brand's image from "traditional American to sleek, sexy, and hip," as a Gap press spokeswoman put it at the time. It didn't turn out as planned. 

To say the new logo didn't go over too well would be the understatement of the year. The negative reactions to the extreme redesign made waves on the internet, and just a week after the new logo design was unveiled, Gap backed out and decided to stick with the original blue square logo. 

So: think about the image and the heart of your company, and don't forget the values ​​your brand stands for if you want to change the brand design.