[Mageia-dev] Art, Logo and Branding

Thu Sep 23 15:14:56 CEST 2010

Le 23/09/2010 15:00, Graham Lauder a écrit :
+> The artguide and logo guidelines are seriously incomplete and need a lot of 
+> work.  Free software projects have a history of rushing into branding that 
+> they will be stuck with for a very long time, from logo to colour scheme to 
+> pallett.  If it's not thought through and given the consideration it needs, it 
+> can turn into a millstone around the projects neck or a chaotic round of ever 
+> changing looks that confuses the market.
+>
+> The project needs to get it's branding process it's organised.  Until then 
+> everything should be fluid, even the name should be seen as a "Working Title".  
+>
+> So therefore:
+>
+> We need to identify our vision, 
+> Identify the way we want the world to see us. 
+> We need to identify our target market 
+> and then come up with a Brand to suit that market.
+>
+> The brand does not have to be out there until the announcement of the first 
+> release.
+> The brand that is created now, will shackle the Marketing team for all time.  
+> The marketing team will only hang around if the brand is good.  Hackers need 
+> the tools to do their job, if the IDE they are forced to use when making code 
+> is a pile of shit then they'll go elsewhere.  It's the same with marketers, 
+> give them a good brand and they'll come in droves to be part of it.    
+>
+> Ubuntu's strength was in that initial marketing, targeted at 18 to 35 age 
+> group with warm a comforting and attractive pallett (Browns Reds and Yellows) 
+> and a slightly zany way of doing things (Warty Warthog and so on)  They 
+> identified a market of young people of  above average intelligence who were 
+> not satisfied with the cold clinical professional brand of principal market 
+> leader.  
+>
+> This group had several advantageous facets to them.
+> 1) They were leaders and early adopters of new technology
+> 2) They were rebellious to a degree
+> 3) They had a very positive view of themselves
+> 4) They felt that they deserved to be noticed and that the world should do 
+> stuff for them.
+>
+> So Ubuntu's branding is aimed directly at that market and very successfully.
+>
+> The problem that many projects suffer from is that they come up with a 
+> branding that feels good to their own community, while ignoring the market.  
+> And make no bones about it, much of the reason that Ubuntu gets lots of 
+> developers is because of it's wide user base.  That makes it sexy, the 
+> opportunity to be famous:  "I am part of that.."  
+>
+> Now there is a good argument to be made for going after the same market for 
+> all of the above reasons.
+>
+> We can learn some lessons from the way Ubuntu did things.
+>
+> They leveraged their location, used a local language and traditions to give 
+> them a name and a story:  Ubuntu = Humanity to Humans and a logo that reflects 
+> and enhances that story.
+>
+> For me, for this project, I think it's untapped branding strength is in it's 
+> Latin South American Heritage. Connectiva.  
+>
+> Connection, 
+> Computers are about connecting with others and when the world thinks about 
+> South America and connecting they think Dance, .. Tango.  If it was my project 
+> in these circumstances I'd be calling it Tango-Linux. The name even 
+> immediately evokes the branding colours and the pallet, Bold Blacks, Fiery 
+> Reds  and silvers, the colours of passion.  Tango evokes passion, rebellion 
+> but at the same time precision and teamwork.
+>
+> Unfortunately there is already a Tango Linux, not to mention the Tango Icon 
+> project, but you get the idea.
+>
+>
+> To conclude: my point is that there needs to be much more consideration given 
+> to the branding elements at this point before we start voting on logos and the 
+> like and I would like to see everything up for discussion, name included, we 
+> are brand new, the world is watching, this is our unique opportunity we need 
+> to stamp our mark boldly but with serious consideration of our goals.
+>
+> Of course the communities desire maybe just to stay as a small minor player in 
+> the desktop universe, but if that's the case this is not the Mandrake I knew 
+> back at 8.0 when It was on every other computer magazine cover CD, and it was 
+> going after the market in a big way, not worrying about the Ubuntus and 
+> Redhats but out to take down the Redmond machine.  Personally I think that 
+> spirit is still there.  
+>
+>    
+>   
+We're missing experimented people in this matters. Branding, art, logo,
+we all knew this is very important. But what we didn't (for the most
+part of us) is how.
+For the market, I can't answer for the initiator team, I'm just a
+supporter.
+How make an amazing logo, artwork, how make mageia a shining star of
+linux ?
+We all have this goal. Just missing the path
+
+If you want to help us, there is a wiki in which all good wills can
+register : http://www.mageia.org/wiki/doku.php
+Marketing and communication team are waiting you
+
+Marianne
+
+-- 
+Marianne (Jehane) Lombard
+Mandriva User / Mageia Supporter  
+Inside every fat girl, there is a thin girl waiting to get out (and a lot of chocolate)
+
+