Design as Conversation

Although design is seen by many as simply a way of making things that appeal to consumers in order to sell them to society, there is much more that can be interpreted from this concept. Design can also be viewed as a type of conversation between consumers and designers in an effort to work together to create a product that is considered successful by both parties. An example of a conversation in society using design is the recent altercation between Gap and the design community about the company's proposed change in logo. Earlier this month Gap announced that it would be 'updating' its logo (of over 20 years) from the traditional big blue box to a new design with a smaller blue box above the 'p':

This change caused an immediate hostile reaction, from a large amount of consumers, claiming that this was the worst idea Gap had ever had and that many customers would no longer buy the brand's clothing if this logo was incorporated into it. The change is being seen as one of the biggest design flops in an extensive period of time and several social networks have begun to mock the company. Even a new website was created, with humorous intentions, as way to make fun of the company's failure: http://craplogo.me/post.php

Using this website, users are able to input whatever text they choose and turn Gap's redesigned logo into a personalized 'crap logo' that says anything users want. It has become a very popular website and has also been evolved into an application that can be easily accessed on networks such as Facebook and Twitter.

Although most reactions by the community were angry, a portion of the community was sad about this change and genuinely concerned with the clothing line and many others were solely disappointed about this poor choice in logo by such a major company. However, despite this violent outburst, Gap treated the situation in a very positive manner. They agreed to rethink the logo and not release the newer version. They also spoke out to the community and asked for ideas from the public in an effort to create a new updated look that will be enjoyed by the majority of their consumers. When I read about this event in the news I was very interested because I had never noticed the impact that company's designs can have on society and how they treat these disagreements. This event definitely helped me realize that design can definitely be interpreted as a conversation between designers and consumers in large and small scales. Although Gap can't address every complaint individually, they realized the discontent in the vast majority of their customers and publicly announced their awareness of the situation and asked the very people who were complaining for ideas that would satisfy them. Overall, I think the ability of design to be a conversation is beneficial for both companies and consumers and can lead to products that are enjoyed by everyone in the community.