Mind the Gap

AIGA just posted an interesting opinion piece in the wake of GapGate. The now-infamous Gap rebrand resulted in a wave of criticism and the equivilent of an Internet street riot. But Eric Karjaluoto wonders if we've all worked ourselves into a froth over ... nothing, really.  He notes:

Sure, the form is a little pedestrian, I’ll give you that. Let’s get real, though, it’s not like it’s a silhouette of Mother Teresa performing fellatio on the devil or anything. It’s just a utilitarian typeface next to a square.

OK. So maybe his metaphors are unnecessarily visceral. But he does raise a point. Yes, the logo is quite bad. For many reasons. But Karjaluto's article is the first I've seen that legitimately questions whether we all need to be so damn outraged:

I recognize that this post is being housed on the AIGA site, and this suggests you, my dear reader, are likely a designer and therefore quite visually literate. But I feel inclined to ask: Did you read the brief for this logo? Are you aware of the strategic challenges Gap wanted to address in reworking it? Have you examined the plan for its integration in brand collateral?

It's a clear-headed angle on an issue that's been quite clouded with vitriol and venom.