Gap Threads
Creative Direction & UX/Web Design
Project Overview
Role: Creative Direction & Lead Designer, branding, web UX & UI
Team: UX, Head of Crypto, Senior Directors, GapUI, Dev
Duration: July 2021–ongoing
Seeing the hype build up around the metaverse and potential for the NFT space in the long run, Gap decided to step out of its comfort zone and dive into this world. Given the newness and unknown boundaries of the metaverse, it made the most sense to begin with collector NFTs to test the waters and see what the future of this project will turn into.
Objective: Create a landing page to display NFT launches and describe to the public how to purchase and use said NFTs.
Challenge
This is a brand new space for most people. Gap is a big name in the retail industry and there are a lot of unknowns. What we did know is that we were launching a series of NFTs. We needed a place for visitors to learn everything they need to know and give them access to the marketplace where the NFTs can be purchased.
Approach: Create a source of truth for everything Gap NFT related as a modular interchangeable site working as a link-tree to primary and secondary marketplaces along with resources to learn more about NFTs and the mission.
Main Ideation
Initially, we thought to take the e-com approach to not steer too far from the brand's guidelines. Playing it safe.
Branding
Branding for this was a bit challenging due to Gap brand's guidelines but I was able to bring a breath of fresh air and add colors to bring some life to the dark theme we had aligned on.
Logo
Colors
Primary
#00FFF0
#222222
#1B1B1B
#EB00FF
Secondary
#AAD6FF
#D3B8FF
#9DFFF9
Accent
#00FFF0
#EB00FF
Typography
40pt Bold Italic
40pt Bold Italic Outline
20pt Bold Italic
16pt Medium
I got to change the color and dimensions of the iconic Gap logo for this project which is something not many people can say. I am proud of this 😊
Because this project is still ongoing and many details about the upcoming releases are a secret, I cannot share more details on the process or decision making of the business. To see the live site and check out the NFTs, please visit
What I can share is that the first few NFT releases from Gap and Franke Ape partnership have been successful and were sold out in one day.
To see some media coverage on the project, please visit the following articles at:
Learnings & Takeaways
This project has been one of the most interesting challenges I've had in my career. Going from very little knowledge to delivering a whole NFT experience was extremely eye opening. Furthermore, having to find where the brand fits in the market space was another piece that I enjoyed figuring out. Given the different audiences that Gap and the crypto/NFT space attract, I had to find a happy medium to deliver a smooth experience for customers alike.
Personally, I enjoyed the feeling of being challenged in a space that I knew very little about. I have gained a new set of skills and a knowledge base that without this project, I would not have. I can now apply the lessons learned to my next product features and think about my design approach from a different perspective.
Finally, I really enjoyed this project because I had creative freedom to go a little "crazy" given that Gap had never done anything like this. I was also able to have exposure to senior leadership including executive levels and I'm happy that I was able to gain their trust to have a significant influence on the final outcome for an initiative as important as this one.
*Due to NDA made with Gap Inc I cannot provide further details, data in regard to the business gain and/or results that are still ongoing.
Special thanks to Heidi Isern, Sudhakar Potineni, Johnee Evanofski & Dylan Gallup.