OpenTK Logo
Posted Sunday, 23 November, 2008 - 18:02 by Inertia inSince the old topic has grown quite large and off-topic, let's draw a line and continue from here.
This topic deals with the letters "OpenTK", font choices and design. All posts regarding the mascot will be (re)moved.
General guidelines (updated):
- It would be good if the website logo and splash screen logo are exactly the same. To increase recognition. That means it should work at very least on the website's background color and white background (so it can work together with GL and AL logos). If it can stand independent of background color (e.g. by a frame) that's even better.
- The logo might be shown next to the OpenGL and OpenAL logos. It should not be too freaked out compared to them.
- The logo should be serious. OpenTK is not a joke.
- Rather work with shapes and color, instead of glow, lensflare or other state-of-the-art effect.
- The logo should be sharp, not too blurry.
- People who use OpenTK are software engineers.
- OpenTK assumes cross-platform through .Net&Mono is the future. No medieval fonts. No anvil. No forge. No brutish tools.
- However Metal as a material is ok, if it does not show dirt, strain or corrosion (rust).
- OpenTK favors productivity over full low-level control. A "simple, yet elegant" logo could imply this.
Suggestions so far:
Fiddler's:
Inertia's:
Puklaus' (click for bigger version):
Flopoloco's:
Nythrix':
Oyvindra's:
Keep in mind that most of these are sketches, not supposed to be final as-is.
Fiddler put it right in his last post, so going to cite:
A general reminder of what we are looking for.
We basically need a way to say "OpenTK" in a distinctive / artistic manner. Inertia has provided a rough idea of what we are looking for. Flopoloco has broken down the different ways to approach the problem.
Maybe I am stating the obvious here, but we are still in the brainstorming stage: gathering different ideas and designs, saying what we like or not, evolving existing ideas. Some designs will be shot down immediately. Others will mutate and survive. In the end, we'll be left with a few refined ideas - then we'll vote for the best and make it our logo.
Since we are talking about art, a subjective topic, it's highly likely that not all of us will be able to agree 100% on a design. Fortunately, there is no immediate pressure for a final decision. Branding may be important, but the project will survive without a logo, as it always has, which gives us the opportunity to do things right. And do things right we should: once we pick a design, it sticks.
It all boils down to this: creating a logo is a creative process. Don't hesitate to propose a design, even if it seems silly at the time. If nothing comes out of it, we are no worse off than before, but there's also a chance that you've hit gold!
Last but not least: we are not payed for this. All contributions are welcome, from design proposals to (constructive) criticism, provided you keep it civil and avoid personal jabs.
Comments
Re: OpenTK Logo
Here's what the competition got:
Well, the closest thing to competition. Let's not debate this.
"OpenTK was the next logical step in evolution after climbing down from the trees." -Darwin
Re: OpenTK Logo
Good initiative Inertia!
Re: OpenTK Logo
I think some people liked my last versions better, with TK in large letters...
Re: OpenTK Logo
oyvindra +
Re: OpenTK Logo
The font is Caracteres L4.
Re: OpenTK Logo
Another idea perhaps?
Re: OpenTK Logo
oyvindra: I think none of your full-size TK variants are because they all feature the octupus.
Re: OpenTK Logo
objarni:
ah, ok... I attached the psd. But I'll get a cleaner version..
++ for nythrix look... But a brown webpage?
Re: OpenTK Logo
There appears to be a tendency to separate "Open" from "TK". I really like Outtekker's outline/wireframe/seethrough of the "Open", because it truely is the opposite of closed.
Re: OpenTK Logo
No, that is the background of the logo. It's just an idea I was playing with. Suggestions are welcome.
Re: OpenTK Logo
The font sure looks interesting, but I think the missing pieces deliver a wrong message about OpenTK.
Re: OpenTK Logo
Or the right message, depending on where you are standing. :)
This looks interesting, but maybe it would be nicer with a few less "bite marks"?
Re: OpenTK Logo
The bite marks kind of remind me of 50's signs.. Neon light. Not that I associate that with either "good" or "bad" - just an impression.
Re: OpenTK Logo
Or the right message, depending on where you are standing. :)
OpenTK is perfect. Version increments just make it more perfect. :P
Re: OpenTK Logo
I'm posting a plain logo and the svg file. I like the font but I'm out of ideas. I made like 15 versions but none got me. I've also tried the short "OpenTK" version but this looks much better IMO.
Anyone skilled?
Re: OpenTK Logo
I kind of like that last one. Simple clean. Reminds me of a Swiss army knife. Maybe you could have OpenGL and OpenAL popping out like blades. :) But seriously, I do like that last one.
Re: OpenTK Logo
Not sure whether "OpenToolkit" could actually be a valid trademark. It's a description, not a name. Also the website URL is "OpenTK" and I think the logo should read that, to avoid confusion. I've used the "planet" theme the past week - and although Fiddler couldn't resist and added some red layer to the shadows - I think it works quite well. But I'd rather see this topic move to a conclusion though and we find a logo that describes OpenTK appropriately.
The way I see the situation, 0.9.2 will not be released until the website overhaul is complete. So let's use this last day of november as the deadline for suggestions. A little reminder: Just posting black&white font examples is perfectly fine. The final logo will also be as simple as possible so it works as website header, as header in papers, as logo for CAD application or for games.
P.S. Didn't notice it before, but it appears everyone who made a suggestion so far used a font with Serifs.
Re: OpenTK Logo
and although Fiddler couldn't resist and added some red layer to the shadows
Not intentionally. :) Not sure where this came from (hadn't noticed it before), but I agree it works quite well - I've been using this the past few weeks, too.
Re: OpenTK Logo
Agree on that, but the OpenTK version of the last one looks like a pill :D
Currently, I'm trying to put together some thoughts that emerged here. That font of mine with outekker's b&w and a bit of oyvindra's lining. Unfortunately, I don't have anything striking yet. One of the reasons is that OpenTK does (is) a lot of things: graphics, audio, math, cross platform, mid-level, ease of use. All of these just don't fit in a "simple, yet elegant" logo.
First look at OpenAL's logo tells you what that library probably does. And that's because it does just one thing. On the other hand the (pressumably professional) OpenGL logo fails to deliver a message even though its scope (portable graphic API) is much narrower than OpenTK's. This "design choice" affects 9 out of 10 logos. People usally go with simpler abstract logos that don't tell much. Which is perfectly fine as long as a full description is provided somewhere.
That said there's two choices:
1) Emphasize one thing this project's really good at (Not sure here, this project is simply great at everything it does :)
2) Make something abstract that will stand on itself.
Choices:
1) Stress on graphics: Inertia's TK in 3D, Puklaus'
2) mine's, oyvindra's, flopoloco's, outekker's, Fiddler's
Maybe we should sort this out first?
I fail to see, how is the logo/maskot discussion holding back the release. And, you should use some kind of future tense, when announcing deadlines. Present tense is bad.
Re: OpenTK Logo
My suggested image might not be as expressive as it should be. I made that logo in 10 mins tops, and 9 minutes of that were spent on pushing the quads around and color them right to create the "TK". The font and background ellipse are just to have *something* there, the 3D object just looked weird without some kind of ground plane. In fact I'd like anything beside the "TK" simple and conservative, with the 3D Object as the little twist that OpenTK has - compared to other libraries. Note that the "TK" is not supposed to have any Texture, fancy shading or something like that. Just plain flat shaded color. The intent is not that it's 100% identifyable on first sight, but that you might get the "Aha!" when seeing it the 3rd time.
Emphasis is obviously on graphics, 5 out of 5 people use OpenGL here. No clue how you would bring all those aspects into a single image.
I don't think there must be an either-or choice, it sure is viable to do a mix between 2D (background, "Open") and 3D ("TK").
Re: OpenTK Logo
I've been posting logos but I haven't been commenting much. So let me put this straight:
1) I dislike 3D a.k.a. projective space in logos. It reminds me of the early 90s when computer graphics boomed and everyone wanted A Wireframe Object (TM) somewhere displayed.
2) 3D is complicated. What with icon sizes?
3) Having a 3D object propagating a graphics library is a bit cliché. I think people around OpenTK (or computers in general) are smart enough to deal with a missing dimension. Telling them "Look, 3D!" is almost offending.
4) Still, while there might be a way for a 3D logo, mixing 2D and 3D text is plain ugly. It's not a matter of spending 10 or 10 000 minutes on it. The logo breaks apart and no colors can keep it together. Or a piece is lost if the other is too visible/big/shaded/3D.
A quick search shows most logos are totally flat or with a very slight shade. Any 3D objects are flattened as much as possible so you really have something like 2.35D. This is the way we should go, stressing on elegance and/or simplicity.
Don't take this the wrong way, it is just my point of view. I'll gladly take back anything I said here If someone proves me wrong with a logo.
Edit: Just for the record, I did try pulling "TK" into space but failed horribly. As soon as First Life backs up, I'll retry.
Re: OpenTK Logo
I think all of them work nicely. Cannot see how any of them insults anyone.
My path of thought that lead to making the "TK" 3D is the same why every bottle of milk has a cow on it: Easy identification of the contents.
Mhmmm If you take Pixar logo's design as a basis, the "O" should be a PQ-Torusknot and "penTK" written in plain text. (I believe historically it was the first non-example program written for OpenTK)
P.S. It's close to impossible to write anything into an icon .. but I think it's possible to render only the "TK" object in such a small size and use that as icon.
Re: OpenTK Logo
Time shortens... :/ I think that there are many ideas on the table until now but it would be wise to close the brainstorming process and focus on design made out of our ideas, as far as I see we reach a creativity dead end. :P
The concepts exist and that is very positive. It's now a more of a specific process trying to link the all of the graphic ideas.
Here is a mashup, using fiddler's and nythrix's ideas. Also I used suggestions by nythtrix and inertia to:
- Drop "TK"
- Use only flat 2D
- Avoid subliminal messages xD (with human genitals)
What I think for the future of the logo?
- Serious plain and simple logo
- Theme: Scientific / Developer / CAD
- Mascott? Should be merged with the text or exist as a separate entity?
P.S. From a skeptic's aspect of view, humans are imperfect, so why their logos should be perfect? The best thing we can do is to make a simple recognizable logo just to fill the void. You guessed right, I study Haskell the past 5 days... :P
Re: OpenTK Logo
So far I like oyvindra's with full-height TK best.
Re: OpenTK Logo
Here goes some 3Dish logo. The idea is: "Open" standing out of the regular plain/plane with "TK" being some robust block you can build on.
The cube can be modified to match flopolocos "scentific/CAD look" and it should fit in an icon too.
Is this any better than a plain text?
Btw: There's only two 3D logos in that list and one of them (UNIGIS) is seriously out of date. So my point still holds I guess.
Edit: The logo should contain some orange. It fits very nicely with the blue around here.
Edit2: I know shadows aren't correct so never mind the looks. Take it as a beta version.
Edit3: As per request
Re: OpenTK Logo
I think we should be careful not to be confused with tk/tcl (tkinter in python) applications when we make an icon later on. I seem to remember a lot of the tk applications had an icon with "tk" as default.
Here is also the logo I think Objarni likes
Re: OpenTK Logo
I like nythrix's logo, but I would suggest getting rid of the shadow under the word "Open" and just keep the shadow of the box.
Re: OpenTK Logo
Indeed, the orange box is pretty good. Ripping the idea with the ground plane from Pixar and cast shadows to fake perspective is much nicer than a simple background. So far I like this approach most from all suggestions, just the box felt to me like a too simple 3D object. Couldn't resist but trying a collage with the twisted TK and this style. (Shadow casts are obviously cheap fakes atm.)
Don't sue, please. ;-) I believe both logos would work on blue background aswell, without the black border around it. The blue -> white gradient on the website can be removed if necessary.
Re: OpenTK Logo
That's not bad either. I really think though that the shadows should be dropped from the 2D "Open" and just kept for the 3D "TK".
Re: OpenTK Logo
Indeed, the orange box is pretty good. Ripping the idea with the ground plane from Pixar and cast shadows to fake perspective is much nicer than a simple background.
I made a couple of ground logos before but just text and shadows. None of them made it to this thread because I wasn't satisfied. Yesterday I started from scratch mixing pixar, gtk, xna and my previous orange TKs.
just the box felt to me like a too simple 3D object.
I'm perfectly fine with us having different tastes. I'm not forcing mine on anyone.
Don't sue, please. ;-) I believe both logos would work on blue background aswell, without the black border around it. The blue -> white gradient on the website can be removed if necessary.
If this goes commercial, I want my share :) As for the rest I'm fine. I'd vote for a green to orange switch on these pages. Would look better probably.
Edit: Damn, I forgot commenting. Can you try a sans-serif font? The T looks like a macho man with huge shoulders and arms. And what did you use? As a beginner I suck with inkscape (or vector graphics for the matter:).