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
I cannot tell which is better, spent too much time on it to be objective. The building block's vanishing points are too close to it, it's almost a hexagon. The twisted TK relies too much on perspective, so the "Open" just looks wrong. Will leave the judgement to someone else :P
@kanato: Not sure if that's better, the shadow gives a sense of depth which is somehow missing in Nythrix updated picture. Pixar's shadows are much flatter, Light and camera are almost parallel to the ground plane. Maybe that's what is missing?
@nythrix: Milkshape 3D, doing another one is too time consuming just for testing :|. Just check the very first phallus I made to get an idea how sans-serifs looks. I agree there is no point arguing over where to draw the line between 2D, 2.35D, 2.5D and 3D. We probably agree anyways that the end result is always 2D. Same goes for taste about 3D objects ;)
Since I do utterly, completely and hopelessly suck at using blender's cameras and lights, the used TK.obj is attached in the hope that someone capable can find better angles for camera and lights. The TK used in the logo is just a capture of Milkshape3D's realtime preview.
Re: OpenTK Logo
I think the chosen logo should work on dark / black backgrounds.
With that in mind, good shadows might be hard to make.
Re: OpenTK Logo
The same problem applies to the OpenAL Logo, which has no official version with black background. I've updated the guidelines accordingly.
Re: OpenTK Logo
Hi...
Re: OpenTK Logo
himek: nice touch with the box ... the box appeals to the "easy to deploy" part of opentk.
Re: OpenTK Logo
Indeed, nice one too. But I think the letter "K" should not be mirrored, the way it is atm it might be simply misinterpreted as black duct tape wrapped around the box without any meaning.
Re: OpenTK Logo
Is this some kind of "ripping nythrix" contest?
No seriously, this one is nice. A+ on skill and finish.
There's still room for tuneup though. Grabbing a paper.
@Inertia:
Of all the people around here, I'd expect you to like the "K". It's multi stage reading and you still get to wonder. Just how you like it :D
Re: OpenTK Logo
Yeah, this is the official "rip from Nythrix who ripped from Pixar, GTK and XNA" contest. Submissions welcome. Prizes will be announced soon.
I do like Himek's work and also Flopolocos 2nd and 3rd TK in the bottom row, but the logo should simply read "OpenTK" or "OPENTK". Not "oPENtk", 0P3|\|T|<", "OTK" or "OpenT>|". It gets too complicated you start introducing a new language. I believe the twisted TK is walking the thin line between those extremes, and it only works because the letters T and K are lit very differently and therefore are still legible.
What's imho the best aspect of the boxes and the twisted TK is that they can be used as icons. Everyone who has seen the full logo on the website will be able to associate them with it, if the only see the 3D portion.
Re: OpenTK Logo
How about: Take Himek's bottom left drawing (box with open flaps), switch the K around as Inertia suggested then put "open" on the flap above the T?
Possible problem: The "open" won't be particularly visible.
Re: OpenTK Logo
Well, the box is open so maybe we don't have to write it :)
Re: OpenTK Logo
More difficult to draw, but what if nythrix's latest logos featured the flat "Open" (without shadows, as I think they just clutter the image), and a "TK" which sort of "peels away" from the 2D plane, starting 2D where the "T" starts and becoming fully 3D at the far right, where the "K" finishes. I think the immediate visual impact of this would be to suggest that OpenTK would truly bring your project into the third dimension, so so speak, and If the "TK" looks iconic enough, that would suffice as a great icon.
I've no artistic skill to try it myself, but I think OpenTK would simply sell itself with a logo like that. It tells a story all by itself.
I've attached an absolutely laughable attempt to recreate what I've described, in the hope that it will make my meaning a little clearer.
Re: OpenTK Logo
This is an interesting idea. I might give it a try once Im done with the pre-exams "need steroids" two week catch-up late night studies. I hope I might have a day off on 25th :)
Re: OpenTK Logo
Re: OpenTK Logo
last one of himeks is quite nice.
Re: OpenTK Logo
I agree, maybe up the distance between "open" and the box, and fatten up the arms of the "k" a little.?
Re: OpenTK Logo
I think himek's last one pretty much does what I was suggesting above anyway, but better. My vote is definitely for that last one, or some evolved permutation of it.
@himek: to include an image in your post, edit it after posting it with the file attachment and include something like this:
Re: OpenTK Logo
The image is there (check the page source), but some browsers don't support SVG (IE, Chrome).
Re: OpenTK Logo
Perspective on the box is now correct, and the font has been modified. Also included a night version. The flaps suck because I'm not good at shading. Himek might give a hand maybe? :)
Logo preview:
Edit: The svg looks strange in Firefox so here goes a png.
Re: OpenTK Logo
Nythrix: cool!
I played a little with the gradients on the flaps ..
Re: OpenTK Logo
I'm having big fun with inkscape. Crashy but addictive. And I've learned a lot of things about 3D faking, most of them coming from dark ages. Hooray for mum's engineering design books...
Re: OpenTK Logo
nythrix: perspective looks much better already. The "T" is a little too far back, and the K a tiny bit to close, my eyes tell me.
Re: OpenTK Logo
The chars on the box need manual tuning. I'm aware of the fact that face centering is not enough. What you see here is already shifted towards the center edge otherwise T and K would be too far apart. Another problem is different char width, so symetric placement (around center edge) is not possible. I'll play some more with it, thanks for the feedback objarni.
Re: OpenTK Logo
Anyone care for more drafts?
Based on the Graphics/Audio/Computing trilogy that OpenTK is now supporting:
I'm getting good at this. Another 2 years and I might put together a real logo :D
Re: OpenTK Logo
Hi nythrix,
The artwork looks good :) Anyway I'm currently working on getting the installer setup and guess what I need some icons and a logo. Anyway a quick search led me to this thread and I'm currently using your 'orange box' icon. Have you got any ideas for a 'real logo', as you put it, keeping in mind that it'd be great if the same theme applied to the icon as well as the bigger logos.
p.s. I like the middle one best :D
Re: OpenTK Logo
Thanks. Yes, that's my favorite by a margin. I already have a better iteration which I can upload in case there's interest.
If you're using logos from this thread, please keep in mind that they're NOT production ready! They are just drafts! If you are going to redistribute them please let me know so I can fix things.
This thread has been dead for some time. Somehow, we never got to a final set of logos, let alone to voting. Since then the number of registered users and traffic has doubled so I'm bumping this discussion.
Re: OpenTK Logo
Anyone care for more drafts?
Based on the Graphics/Audio/Computing trilogy that OpenTK is now supporting:
I'm getting good at this. Another 2 years and I might put together a real logo :D
I used a similiar logo on one of my earlier project but we had to change it :P Mainly because it's the symbol assosiated with BDSM.
Re: OpenTK Logo
Hahaha:D, thanks! Never mind the third one then.
How about the rest? Animal p*rn? Drug manufacturing? Propagation of communism? Pensioners' public transport sitting rights logo?
The world is so small these days you never know who you're infringing ...
Re: OpenTK Logo
I very much like the middle one nythrix.
Re: OpenTK Logo
indeed, middle one rocks for me:) OpenTK demo with spinning those arcs...oh my
Re: OpenTK Logo
Here's one a idea I got yesterday... It seems that the "space" theme is a theme of a new era. I like it...
Ideas:
- OpenTK is a new project for new technology
- Tackles difficult but crucial parts of computer science
- Imagining the future you get opportunities explore and be inspired
Motto:
"By having a clear architecture and solid implementation OpenTK can reach to stars... "
That's why I put a hightech stencil (plays abstractly with O T and perhaps with K) and fill it with an earthly gradient...