Zara Turns the Brand "Blanding" Crisis on Its Head
Yet another fashion brand has decided to revamp their logo, but (thankfully) unlike its peers, Zara is staying away from the basic, blocky sans-serif that is currently dominating the fashion industry. Last month, the fast fashion conglomerate got rid of the wide spaces between the logo’s letters in favor for a tightly squished serif text.
The decision is the latest in a long line of recent brand logo overhauls, often in response to appearing more universal and “millennial friendly.” Such changes, commonly called “blanding,” have been widely criticized by consumers as logos have long been seen as part of the very essence of fashion companies’ identity and aesthetic ethos. Logos are certainly a large part of the appeal of a luxury brand to the everyday shopper, particularly as a marker of wealth, style or refinement.
The serif font revolution. Image via
Zara’s new logo is certainly cluttered, not exceptionally unique and maybe hard to read, but I give it an A for effort. While every other brand is trending toward a unified minimalist direction, Zara went big, busy and bold, reflecting their recent efforts to climb the fashion industry clout ladder. Let’s just count our blessings that Zara’s brand isn’t changing in favor of a more “simplified” and “balanced” approach (looking at you, Hedi Slimane… justice for Celine’s accent aigu!).
Feature image via.
