Date: Thu, 10 Feb 2005 03:29:43 -0800 From: "Ted Mittelstaedt" <tedm@toybox.placo.com> To: <freebsd-questions@freebsd.org> Subject: RE: Please don't change Beastie to another crap logo suchasNetBSD!!! Message-ID: <LOBBIFDAGNMAMLGJJCKNGEFHFAAA.tedm@toybox.placo.com> In-Reply-To: <1905317067.20050210103050@wanadoo.fr>
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owner-freebsd-questions@freebsd.org wrote: > Ted Mittelstaedt writes: > >> And, I am also concerned about the historical revisionists who >> are claiming FreeBSD never had a logo. That is hogwash. > > Where can I see the logo? > On the cover of any FreeBSD CDROM purchased from Walnut Creek. However, use of the devil image associated with UNIX predates this by nearly 2 decades. >> Nobody ever said that FreeBSD lacked a logo until after a few days >> ago when this ill-conceived competition was leaked - because >> everyone knew the logo was Beastie. > > That's not a logo. Just about every image I've seen of > Beastie has been > different, so it's not a logo, it's a character associated with the > brand (like Mickey Mouse). Logos are simple and instantly > recognizable; they do not mutate from one presentation to the next. The logo image that uses Beastie first appeared on the FreeBSD 1.1 cdrom and was used as a logo in the bottom of every single Walnut Creek CDROM including the ones that came out after BSDI bought them, except it didn't appear on the 2.0 CDROM case. That is the most recognizable logo, and even today appears on the top of the FreeBSD website, to the right of the name FreeBSD. The logo has switched direction a few times. The original WC drawing had him looking left, most WC pressings have him looking left in the logo but a few have him looking right. The images of Beastie on the WC cd's that are in the main part of the CD have changed quite a bit, of course. This is the actual logo of FreeBSD and for years was used, it is still the most recognizable as "the logo" by the userbase. > Most open-source projects don't have logos; even Linux lacks a proper > logo (one could probably be made from the popular penguin character, > but I haven't seen any examples). > > Red Hat, however, _does_ have a logo. > And this is relevant, how exactly? >> Yes I understand that some commercial consultants and such have had >> problems due to the logo being a devil image. > > Logos need to be as neutral as possible, since they will be very > widely used and very heavily imprinted in customers' minds. They > must not conjure up thoughts of anything except the brand they > represent. > You mean like the ATT Death Star. That must be why they aren't doing so well lately. har har. This is YOUR interpretation of a logo. And I have as a matter of fact seen the one you drew that you posted a link to before you responded here so if that is your idea of how a logo should be drawn I think I know what you mean. Perhaps you are aware that fashions in logos come and go - word logos are very common these days, they didn't used to be however. Frankly though the finer points of what typeface and colors are used are utterly lost on most people. I personally find word logos to be very boring. From a business sense they are not very smart because if the business is ever sold, then the acquiring business jettisons all of the name recognition and imprinting you are talking about when they change the name. I wonder if perhaps the reason word logos are popular is due to the egos of the company founders - probably as little boys they were the ones that could pee their names in the snow. >> This logo competition is childish - 99% of the >> FreeBSD community members are not graphic artists and couldn't draw >> their way out of a paper bag ... > > That's why I figured I'd try my hand at it; see > > http://perso.wanadoo.fr/anthony.atkielski/FreeBSDLogo1.jpg > If you pitched the heart (Valentines day must be on your mind) and made a real honest to God devils tail instead, it might have a shot in the competition. > It meets the technical criteria for a logo; the aesthetic aspect is > an open question. > > This logo concept uses ITC Garamond Bold And who do we have to pay royalties to or buy that font from? > > Actually, I think the devil aspect has little impact on public > perception of FreeBSD. It's having a cute little cartoon mascot in > sneakers that has the real impact--it implies that FreeBSD is a toy > for kids, not a serious product for professionals and corporations. > A more serious image of Beastie should be considered for these > venues. And in any case, this mascot is distinct from a logo. The > image used on your book is not a logo. I didn't say that -that- image was a logo nor did I say I was using the FreeBSD logo on the cover of my book - I said I was using the FreeBSD devil image. And if you look again at the book cover you might note that the computer behind Beastie somewhat resembles a PDP. Use of a beastie likeness in artwork does not necessairly assume the use of the beastie logo. As my book was not a product of the Project, it wouldn't have been strictly accurate to use the Project's logo. However, the red devil usage with UNIX predates FreeBSD by many years, and they wern't wearing sneakers on the cover of the UCB UNIX manuals. Ted
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