Week One: Lupton "Letter" | Robinson

“GAP” is an international brand which caters to men and women of all ages and races. Although their clientele has narrowed in recent years to include primarily upper-middle class, GAP is an iconic American name. It started as a retailer of blue jeans, for Pete’s sake. What’s more red-blooded than that?

A quick Google search told me GAP uses Spire typeface, Regular. I believe it’s a Modern font because of its straight serifs, vertical axis and “sharp contrast from thick to thin strokes” (Lupton 42). I had never noticed until now that the serifs vary from being straight and wispy, however. It creates a fresh image which appears both casual and classy.

There is definitely some tracking in the logo, otherwise the cap height and narrowness of the letters would be overwhelming. GAP can afford to use such a tall font because its name is so short.

I would generally assume the Spire typeface belonged to a fancy establishment, as the all-caps serif font reminds me of Gucci or Tiffany & Co. But the white on blue color and shortness of the image instills an energetic, family-appropriate vibe. I believe this use of type is extremely successful because you could play Alphabet soup with the name- change the letters to any other three- and still instinctively recognize it as the GAP logo.