[steering-discuss] Request for official statement about dedicated logos for community groups

Hello SC members and deputies,

there has been a request to use a dedicated LibreOffice logo for a local team at Venezuela, that has not been replied by now in a way that I know what kind of logo is appreciated for such a group.

Therefore I'd like to propose my position as starting point for a SC discussion, leading to a decision we can base our work on and upload to the wiki for future reference.

What I think is:

All officially supported dedicated team logos should consist of
- the main LibreOffice logo
- the team's name (and short name, if applicable)
- an area for a graphic especially designed for this team (team related branding element)

For consistency and branding reasons the main visual element should be the LibreOffice logo and the other elements should be positioned in the same area for all the teams. Such a template should be provided by the Design team and can be based on any community members ideas.

A) Dedicated logos for officially supported LibreOffice teams (defined by dedicated TDF resources like http://<team>.libreoffice.org website or <team>@libreoffice.org mailing list) should contain the logo with TDF subline.

B) Logos for LibreOffice conference are similar to A), even if the conference team might not be given a website or mailing lists with the names mentioned in A).

C) Logos for regional marketing teams should contain the line "...... Marketing Team", but as these teams are officially approved by TDF and provided with <team>@marketing.libreoffice.org mailing lists, their logo should contain the TDF subline too.

D) Individual community members (approved by the Membership Committee) should be allowed to use a logo without TDF containing a subline "Community member". This logo could be placed as button on their external website or on a business card (following a design to be provided among our branding resources). This logo is not allowed to be used to behave like an official LibreOffice or TDF spokesperson or representative.

E) Local teams based on individual community members or supporters not being approved as community members by the MC should use a logo that contains "Supporter of" or "<team name> for" (e.g. "Venezuelan user group for LibreOffice"). These logos should respect the branding guidelines (especially background color and whitespace area), but are more free in their design. The design team will provide a template for such logos too.

I'd like to create drafts for each of these logos during the next days, but perhaps you can already understand what I mean:

Official TDF/LibreOffice teams should get an official logo to identify them. Individuals, supporters and non-official teams can use the LibreOffice logo based on the branding guidelines (and on the trademark policy), but not as approval for any official status - except the status as TDF community member.

Best regards

Bernhard

Hi Bernhard, all

Hello SC members and deputies,

there has been a request to use a dedicated LibreOffice logo for a local team at Venezuela, that has not been replied by now in a way that I know what kind of logo is appreciated for such a group.

I thought I answered the list and you about that, sorry if I didn't.

Therefore I'd like to propose my position as starting point for a SC discussion, leading to a decision we can base our work on and upload to the wiki for future reference.

What I think is:

All officially supported dedicated team logos should consist of
- the main LibreOffice logo
- the team's name (and short name, if applicable)
- an area for a graphic especially designed for this team (team related branding element)

Agreed and underlined that we are talking about team.

For consistency and branding reasons the main visual element should be the LibreOffice logo and the other elements should be positioned in the same area for all the teams. Such a template should be provided by the Design team and can be based on any community members ideas.

A) Dedicated logos for officially supported LibreOffice teams (defined by dedicated TDF resources like http://<team>.libreoffice.org website or <team>@libreoffice.org mailing list) should contain the logo with TDF subline.

B) Logos for LibreOffice conference are similar to A), even if the conference team might not be given a website or mailing lists with the names mentioned in A).

C) Logos for regional marketing teams should contain the line "...... Marketing Team", but as these teams are officially approved by TDF and provided with <team>@marketing.libreoffice.org mailing lists, their logo should contain the TDF subline too.

D) Individual community members (approved by the Membership Committee) should be allowed to use a logo without TDF containing a subline "Community member". This logo could be placed as button on their external website or on a business card (following a design to be provided among our branding resources). This logo is not allowed to be used to behave like an official LibreOffice or TDF spokesperson or representative.

E) Local teams based on individual community members or supporters not being approved as community members by the MC should use a logo that contains "Supporter of" or "<team name> for" (e.g. "Venezuelan user group for LibreOffice"). These logos should respect the branding guidelines (especially background color and whitespace area), but are more free in their design. The design team will provide a template for such logos too.

I would be less restrictive about this one. I think that non official teams should be able to use whatever they want provided it's not using official parts of our design.

I'd like to create drafts for each of these logos during the next days, but perhaps you can already understand what I mean:

Official TDF/LibreOffice teams should get an official logo to identify them. Individuals, supporters and non-official teams can use the LibreOffice logo based on the branding guidelines (and on the trademark policy), but not as approval for any official status - except the status as TDF community member.

ok, with the provision of my remark above.

Kind regards
Sophie

Hi Sophie, all,

sophie schrieb:

Hi Bernhard, all

Hello SC members and deputies,

there has been a request to use a dedicated LibreOffice logo for a
local team at Venezuela, that has not been replied by now in a way
that I know what kind of logo is appreciated for such a group.

I thought I answered the list and you about that, sorry if I didn't.

Probably it was just my perception of not knowing exactly how to design a logo like they have requested...

Therefore I'd like to propose my position as starting point for a SC
discussion, leading to a decision we can base our work on and upload
to the wiki for future reference.

What I think is:

All officially supported dedicated team logos should consist of
- the main LibreOffice logo
- the team's name (and short name, if applicable)
- an area for a graphic especially designed for this team (team
related branding element)

Agreed and underlined that we are talking about team.

Of course - and only the official teams.

For consistency and branding reasons the main visual element should be
the LibreOffice logo and the other elements should be positioned in
the same area for all the teams. Such a template should be provided by
the Design team and can be based on any community members ideas.

A) Dedicated logos for officially supported LibreOffice teams (defined
by dedicated TDF resources like http://<team>.libreoffice.org website
or <team>@libreoffice.org mailing list) should contain the logo with
TDF subline.

B) Logos for LibreOffice conference are similar to A), even if the
conference team might not be given a website or mailing lists with the
names mentioned in A).

C) Logos for regional marketing teams should contain the line "......
Marketing Team", but as these teams are officially approved by TDF and
provided with <team>@marketing.libreoffice.org mailing lists, their
logo should contain the TDF subline too.

D) Individual community members (approved by the Membership Committee)
should be allowed to use a logo without TDF containing a subline
"Community member". This logo could be placed as button on their
external website or on a business card (following a design to be
provided among our branding resources). This logo is not allowed to be
used to behave like an official LibreOffice or TDF spokesperson or
representative.

E) Local teams based on individual community members or supporters not
being approved as community members by the MC should use a logo that
contains "Supporter of" or "<team name> for" (e.g. "Venezuelan user
group for LibreOffice"). These logos should respect the branding
guidelines (especially background color and whitespace area), but are
more free in their design. The design team will provide a template for
such logos too.

I would be less restrictive about this one. I think that non official
teams should be able to use whatever they want provided it's not using
official parts of our design.

I wasn't clear enough with my idea: Non official teams can use every piece of our branding material except the logo with TDF subline.
They have to keep the usage guidelines in mind (especially the whitespace rules), but they can use whatever they want, if they don't break trademark issues.

My idea was to give them a template for their logos they could use if they wanted to, that covers all these aspects. With such a logo they would contribute to the consistent look-and-feel of LibreOffice too.

I'd like to create drafts for each of these logos during the next
days, but perhaps you can already understand what I mean:

Official TDF/LibreOffice teams should get an official logo to identify
them. Individuals, supporters and non-official teams can use the
LibreOffice logo based on the branding guidelines (and on the
trademark policy), but not as approval for any official status -
except the status as TDF community member.

ok, with the provision of my remark above.

If there are no other comments / objections: could you consider a decision on this topic for one of your next calls or here on the list?

Best regards

Bernhard

Hi Bernhard,

Therefore I'd like to propose my position as starting point for a SC
discussion, leading to a decision we can base our work on and upload to
the wiki for future reference.

currently working on some older mails... has this already been adressed?

Florian

Hi Florian, *

Florian Effenberger schrieb:

Hi Bernhard,

Therefore I'd like to propose my position as starting point for a SC
discussion, leading to a decision we can base our work on and upload to
the wiki for future reference.

currently working on some older mails... has this already been adressed?

There has been a reply by Sophie, but I didn't make out any formal SC discussion or decision on this topic.

As this covers more than just design and visual identity questions (definition of teams, how to advertise teams and external groups) I don't think that this decision should be left to any of the teams like marketing or design.

Best regards

Bernhard

Hi Bernhard,

There has been a reply by Sophie, but I didn't make out any formal SC
discussion or decision on this topic.

As this covers more than just design and visual identity questions
(definition of teams, how to advertise teams and external groups) I
don't think that this decision should be left to any of the teams like
marketing or design.

I'll try to discuss this during the next SC call.

Florian

Hi Bernhard,

There has been a reply by Sophie, but I didn't make out any formal SC
discussion or decision on this topic.

As this covers more than just design and visual identity questions
(definition of teams, how to advertise teams and external groups) I
don't think that this decision should be left to any of the teams like
marketing or design.

can you maybe put it on the agenda on one of the SC calls, maybe one you can attend?

Florian

Hi Florian, all

Florian Effenberger schrieb:

Hi Bernhard,

There has been a reply by Sophie, but I didn't make out any formal SC
discussion or decision on this topic.

As this covers more than just design and visual identity questions
(definition of teams, how to advertise teams and external groups) I
don't think that this decision should be left to any of the teams like
marketing or design.

can you maybe put it on the agenda on one of the SC calls, maybe one you
can attend?

I tried to find a time-slot yesterday, but had no chance...

Perhaps it will be possible next Saturday (9th of July).

When I'll be able to see my schedule more clearer, I'll add the point to the agenda.

Best regards

Bernhard

Hi,

I tried to find a time-slot yesterday, but had no chance...

Perhaps it will be possible next Saturday (9th of July).

When I'll be able to see my schedule more clearer, I'll add the point to
the agenda.

ok, thanks a lot!

Florian

Hi Bernhard,

I agree - but why kick it to the SC - why not start the discussion on
the general discussion list and lets work out what it would mean to be a
local team - what general rules folks would want in place, what
responsibilities and requirements would be expected and the like.

IMO right now any decision about a logo policy is premature, whether it
is by your team, marketing or the SC, on this particular point - as
there is still no definition of what a local team is, what it can and
can not do. The use of a custom logo is only one piece of that.

I know that there never seems to be enough time for these kinds of
discussions, but that is never going to change - so speaking for myself
I would make time this coming week to actively engage in a discussion
and work on putting a draft together on the wiki with what comes out of
such a discussion.

It's also obvious that the clock is ticking on this issue, the folks in
Paraguay are off and running from what I can see, folks (or folk) in
Venezuela are eager to get going, the German team has always been in
place and dominates here

I'm really concerned that if only a logo use policy is put in place
there is a chance for continued problems from misunderstanding what the
use of such a logo will imply.

Then afterwards that draft could be presented to the SC for adoption.

<snip>

Thanks,

//drew

Sorry guys that was supposed to be a draft - not a send...

So the finished email follows:

Sorry guys that was supposed to be a draft - not a send...

> > Hi Florian, all
> >
> > Florian Effenberger schrieb:
> > > Hi Bernhard,
> > >
> > >> There has been a reply by Sophie, but I didn't make out any formal SC
> > >> discussion or decision on this topic.
> > >>
> > >> As this covers more than just design and visual identity questions
> > >> (definition of teams, how to advertise teams and external groups) I
> > >> don't think that this decision should be left to any of the teams like
> > >> marketing or design.
>
> Hi Bernhard,
>
> I agree - but why kick it to the SC - why not start the discussion on
> the general discussion list and lets work out what it would mean to be a
> local team - what general rules folks would want in place, what
> responsibilities and requirements would be expected and the like.
>
> IMO right now any decision about a logo policy is premature, whether it
> is by your team, marketing or the SC, on this particular point - as
> there is still no definition of what a local team is, what it can and
> can not do. The use of a custom logo is only one piece of that.
>
> I know that there never seems to be enough time for these kinds of
> discussions, but that is never going to change - so speaking for myself
> I would make time this coming week to actively engage in a discussion
> and work on putting a draft together on the wiki with what comes out of
> such a discussion.
>

It's also obvious that the clock is ticking on this issue, the folks in
Paraguay are off and running from what I can see, folks (or folk) in
Venezuela are eager to get going, the German team has always been in
place and hold a dominate position in our organization precisely because they where able to form a strong team, focused on their specific and local concerns during the previous decade.

Hi Drew,

Thanks for waking me up :wink:

drew wrote (01-07-11 19:24)

It's also obvious that the clock is ticking on this issue, the folks in
Paraguay are off and running from what I can see, folks (or folk) in
Venezuela are eager to get going, the German team has always been in
place and hold a dominate position in our organization precisely because
they where able to form a strong team, focused on their specific and
local concerns during the previous decade.

Without having looked at any details, I propose to consider a temporary solution.
The people need something, and obviously over time it will be all thought, worked out, and discussed. In order that they do not have to wait, we can allow them to use logo X for purpose Y just until the moment that we agreed on a more permanent solution, with a maximum of 12 months (not too much stress on our selves :wink: )

Obviously, a temporary use is not perfect, and will give some wrong interpretation in some (corner) cases. But misinterpretation will be around in any case, if only because people do not read finely grained rules, or even consider the existence of such. And also, better some misunderstanding, than the bad of people not able to for their and ouw project what they want and need to do.

Just my 2 €c,

Hi Drew, all

Just short:

I fully agree that the question of defining the LibreOffice teams and
dedicated parts of the community is important.

Only after this definition the question about dedicated logos should be
posed.

Even if I'll probably not be able contribute much to the thread, I
welcome your interest in this discussion.

In my first mail to this thread I already included some proposals how to
look at the different teams and groups. Just leave the logo parts out of
the quote:

I wrote:

A) ... officially supported LibreOffice teams
(defined by dedicated TDF resources like
http://<team>.libreoffice.org website or <team>@libreoffice.org
mailing list) ...

B) ... LibreOffice conference ... similar to A), even if the
conference team might not be given a website or mailing lists with
the names mentioned in A).

C) ... regional marketing teams ... are officially approved by TDF
and provided with <team>@marketing.libreoffice.org mailing lists ...

D) Individual community members (approved by the Membership
Committee) ... not allowed
... to behave like an official LibreOffice or TDF spokesperson
or representative.

E) Local teams based on individual community members or supporters
not being approved as community members by the MC ...

>
Perhaps you can use some of my ideas here..

drew schrieb:

... so speaking
for myself I would make time this coming week to actively engage
in a discussion and work on putting a draft together on the wiki
with what comes out of such a discussion.

Thank you very much for this offer, unfortunately my time is much more restricted than I thought some time ago...

Best regards

Bernhard