Take a Big (Retro) Belt and Cinch It!

Those crazy Germans! Their clean lines, utilitarian design, and crisp precision...Despite some of their past missteps, we can all still learn something from their strong organizational skills.

This shot of a Berlin hotel sign is fantastic! Looks like the text is integral to the overhang - illuminated, properly scaled, restrained of excess color/texture. The subtle graphic quality of pullman conveys its point as the name to remember. It's in bold, and softer, more playful than the rest of the text. And, it reminds me fondly of the original Gap logo, pre-1990s:

So simple and clean. But somewhere along the line, they felt the need to re-brand themselves, create a reborn persona suitable for the mid-90s vibe. Getting serious with the palette of darker shades like navy and maroon. Sounds conservative. Capitalizing to highlight their capitalization on the casual fashion market. Or, are they shouting? Showing distinguishing characteristics with a serif type. Anorexic too. Back then, the 60s weren't cool. The 90s were!

Case in point, the Gap is captured on Saturday Night Live! Like, totally. Back in the heyday of Gap's fashion empire. Everyone and (quite literally) their mom owned a t-shirt, pair of jeans, sweater, or at least socks from The Gap.

Only in retrospect can we soberly evaluate our misjudgments. But, who knows? Pleated printed skirts and cardigans could be all the rage next fall! No fashion faux pas is safe from regurgitation. So maybe there is room for squares...

In closing, my suggestion is...keep 'em both! And interchange as appropriate! Not. I'd rather see the old typeface on the square background - but rotate the color of the square to fit the flavor du jour. It's not like they haven't done that already. 

Easy! 

Until Next Time,

Font Police

(photo credit: Lieutenant TrueType, The Internets)