[Mageia-dev] Art, Logo and Branding

Thu Sep 23 15:33:54 CEST 2010

Although Ubuntu's target description suits me well, I think, it did not
+catch me. Their palette is in colors of my home, but un my top box I need to
+have somethinng geek, shiny, cool, sci-fi, strong, aggressive...
+That's why I do prefer an orb as logo, because it is so versatile. The
+shape,  materials, the symbols. Easy to remember. But I guess it is taken...
+Is it?
+Ubuntu failed miserably in my case... In look and stability. I think it is
+of a good marketing though.
+Is the name 'Mageia' immutable? Do you suggest to rename it?
+
+On Thu, Sep 23, 2010 at 4:00 PM, Graham Lauder <yorick_ at openoffice.org>wrote:
+
+> 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.
+>
+>
+> --
+> Graham Lauder,
+> OpenOffice.org MarCon (Marketing Contact) NZ
+> http://marketing.openoffice.org/contacts.html
+>
+> OpenOffice.org Migration and training Consultant.
+>
+> INGOTs Assessor Trainer
+> (International Grades in Open Technologies)
+> www.theingots.org
+> _______________________________________________
+> Mageia-dev mailing list
+> Mageia-dev at mageia.org
+> https://www.mageia.org/mailman/listinfo/mageia-dev
+>
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