Subject: Re: Code4Lib logo concepts
Date: Thursday, January 8, 2009 1/8/09 ¥ 11:09 AM
From: Roy Tennant <tennantr@oclc.org>
To: Stephanie Brinley <sbrinley@adeliedesign.com>
Cc: Emily Molanphy <emolanphy@gmail.com>, Ranti Junus <ranti.junus@gmail.com>
Conversation: Code4Lib logo concepts

Stephanie,
There has been general agreement that design B most connotes a key aspect of our group Ñ software coding, and therefore it has emerged as the clear winner. Specific comments included:

ÒI like the segmentation between the three distinct concepts. Curly braces mean programming and the font face demonstrates elegance of design, which (along which innovation) seems pretty relevant to the organization. Ò

ÒMy immediate reaction was strongly in favor of "B." I vaguely recognize the squiggly brackets as something to do with development. I very much like the font and the colors -- it's an immediate gut reaction. Having worked with logos, I know this design would translate really well as a logo across a variety of media. It could be blown up or shrunk without harm to the design. It looks very modern but without faddishness. Ò

ÒI think the curly braces are a subtle but effective graphical motif that connotes programming.  The font is also very elegant and slightly bookish which is a nice offset for the geekiness of the curly braces. I like the balance.  I would like to see some variants on this... though no specific suggestions come to mind.  This seems like the smart and conservative option.Ó

ÒI think of all of them B stood out the most for me. It is simple, elegant, visually appealing and denotes programming.Ó

ÒI'm really drawn to the simple elegance of this one.  I really like how it connotes programming without resorting to Courier New or some Commodore64 retro typeface.  I would like to see some of the negative-space ideas introduced in A1 & A2 played around with in B.Ó

However, we would like to see some variations on that theme before making a final decision. Some things we may be interested in seeing include:

1. Font face - some of us liked the playfulness of the Ninja font, although this sentiment wasn't universal. So perhaps try that one out without the glyphs or some other more playful font with the concept of B?
2. Color - Some liked the colors of B while others of us wanted to know what brighter colors might do to it. Perhaps play with some options?
3. Segmentation/positioning - We were pretty much in agreement that we liked the curly braces, but there was an idea to use color and or space shifting to do more to delineate the segments: code 4 lib
4. Rendering at really small sizes. Someone expressed a concern about not being able to use this at a favicon size of 16x16 or 32x32 pixels. I'm not sure I see a solution for this unless there was a version of the final logo where we just used "c4l" or something. This can wait, though, and it may not have a useful solution.

In summary, although design B was the winner, we also felt like it could use a little "punch up" on the iconography aspect. That is, it comes across a little plain. If we could see some variations along the lines we suggest above (and/or your own ideas) that would be great. We're also aware of the time we're requesting and that you've already donated, so please do not let us take undue advantage. Thanks,
Roy