Zara’s New Tight-Fitting Logo Has Designers Crying Out, ‘Kern You Not?’
Previous logo (above) VS new logo (below). Images via Wikimedia Commons and Zara
Whereas several luxury retailers have streamlined their logos to their bare, sans-serif cores, Zara has completely gone against the grain.
The fast fashion brand has seemingly forgone its spaced-out wordmark for one with overlapping characters and serifs, along with a flamboyant leg for its ‘R’. It’s the complete opposite of what other companies in the industry have been striving towards.
It’s worth noting why most fashion logos are beginning to look “the same.” They’re designed for readability, and are created to be legible whether resized for tiny mobile screens or stamped on handbags.
Zara’s resistance to conform might have just proven why the simple, sans-serif recipe works. When shrunk down, the new branding seems to read like, “Zaba.”
Designers have understandably mocked the overhaul, with some joking that it reflects the sizes of the retailer’s apparels and models.
“Needs to fit in size zero,” tweets lifestyles and design enthusiast jumabc.
“Reads just like ‘frog”’in Polish (“żaba”),” adds Matthew Morek, designer and UI engineer at the digital team for Co-op. “Lousiest redesign I’ve seen this year, and it’s just January.”
Thankfully for those who dislike the new logo, there is a chance that the revamp is only temporary. The branding was released alongside Zara’s Spring/Summer 2019 campaign, spearheaded by French art director Fabien Baron. According to typeface designer Gareth Hague, Baron used a similar aesthetic for Harper’s Bazaar magazine in the 1990s.
On Baron’s website, though, an entire branding system seems to have been created showing the new Zara logo.
Just as time has confirmed that the rebranding of Celine—formerly Céline—is set in stone, you might have to wait and see if Zara has permanently adopted this new logo. Meanwhile, check out some witty responses to the redesign from both the creative community and shoppers of Zara.
Zara have updated their logo. pic.twitter.com/GhhQziNV1D
— It’s a Fabio ✌︎⁂ (@fffabs) January 26, 2019
The new Zara logo is Fabien Baron being Fabien Baron, a typography he first used for Harper’s Bazaar in the early 1990s and seen consistently since https://t.co/xN9Bt0Cq91 pic.twitter.com/JfhzH69jz7
— Gareth Hague (@gareth_hague) January 27, 2019
It’s getting smaller...
— ’s Bliemsche 🌻 (@EV_Stevee) January 26, 2019
like its models.
ZABA
— Carlos Cusguen (@carmarcus) January 27, 2019
Needs to fit in size zero.
— jumabc (@jumjum) January 27, 2019
Is @ZARA going to push all their display racks together so customers have to squeeze through the clothes to walk through?
— IBookery (@ibookery) January 26, 2019
Not digging this skinny ZARA. So constricted.
In 2035 the logo will have such negative kerning it will flip backwards to ARAZ
— Bobby Goodlatte (@rsg) January 27, 2019
.logo{
— Erik Martín (@ErikMarJor) January 27, 2019
letter-spacing: -10px;
}
Reads just like “frog” in Polish (“żaba”). Lousiest redesign I’ve seen this year (and it’s just January).
— Matthew [oi!] (@matthewmorek) January 26, 2019
This is so bad I had to go to their website to see if this is a parody Twitter. This is real they did this to themselves...is this 2019’s Tropicana debacle?
— marstudio (@marstudio) January 27, 2019
Zara condensed & Zara too condensed
— JA RAD (@jagradients) January 27, 2019
That is the worst piece of type I’ve seen in years. Was this done by one of those new robots that will replace humans?
— erik spiekermann (@espiekermann) January 26, 2019
I think you got an old one from the house of horrors I believe the current logo is this one. pic.twitter.com/6Zrusy85zf
— Luis Coderque (@luiscoderque) January 26, 2019
This new @ZARA logo is wrong in so many aspects that it's hard to synthesise in one tweet
— Breno Frias (@brenofrias) January 27, 2019
Nonsense kerning, absurd letter spacing, lack of uniqueness.............. Loading pic.twitter.com/h9xRd5bBgw
[via Fabio Basile, video via Zara, images via various sources]
