Getting a snazzy logo for F#

[Mathias Brandewinder]

Dear all,

This is probably slightly off-topic, but... I would really, really like for F# to have a nice, professional and sexy logo, so that I can put stickers on my laptop, maybe have t-shirts, and in general make F# more visible. Haskell, Clojure, Scala all have highly recognizable logos - how about F#?

My thinking would be to get it done via something like 99designs.com - and finance it via a Kickstarter.

Before rushing in and starting a Kickstarter, I thought I would ask the community what they thought about the idea. If 100 people shell out 10$, we could have a pretty nice logo done, and print some stickers for the contributors, and maybe have contributors vote on the design.

Love it, hate it, think it's silly? Any thoughts on 99designs and/or Kickstarter?

Cheers,

Mathias

[Daniel Fabian]

Dear Mathias,

I definitely do like the idea of merchandise, like t-shirts, coffee cups (that would be the most prominent in my office :P), etc. Just of out interest, though, what's wrong with the F# logo on fsharp.org? Or were you not aware that there is one?

Yours

Dany

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[James Moore]

By _far_ the most important thing is that it makes a cute stuffed mascot.  Really, nothing else matters.  It's certainly been a key element in Android's success.  If Go can have a Gopher, surely F# can have a, um,....

Something like these:

https://plus.google.com/u/0/106823874125217736606/posts/bfhpwUVo4cw

--
James Moore
ja...@restphone.com
http://blog.restphone.com/
http://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesmmooreiv

[Mathias Brandewinder]

Hi Daniel,

I am aware of the existing logo of fsharp.org! Your question is a valid one, and is in part why I posted this. I don't dislike the existing logo, but I don't like it, either - In my opinion, it's not very memorable, I would like something with a bit more visual panache to stick on my beloved laptop. Something which gets people to ask me "oh, what's F#?".

Cheers,

Mathias

[Dave Thomas]

If your going to scrape together $1000 then surely it could be better spent than a logo!

Bug bounties to fix existing issues maybe?   There are lots of things that need fixing. 

I do agree that the current logo isn't very good. 

--

[Diego Frata]

Either stickers or bugs, the main issue is finding 100 F# developers with 10 bucks on their wallets. :-)

I would go with stickers first, it helps to spread the word and grow the user base. Then when we could pick more pockets for those expensive little bugs.

I've used 99 designs before and I strongly recommend it.

Enviado via iPhone

[Sergey Yavnyi]

Hi,

This sound interesting. I was actually recently thinking about treating myself with an F# mug, so really looking forward for this to work out!

Can't say there's anything wrong with the logo at fsharp.org -- I think it's actually okay, I like the "part of the program" part. But yeah, it's hard to deny that other languages like Scala and Haskell have more memorable logos.

--

[Robert Pickering]

The logo and stickers that MS hand out are pretty nice, especially the VS2012 style ones, but not sure how you'd get hold of any if you're outside Cambridge or Seattle.

I agree the one on the fsharp.org could be nicer; maybe we could run a competition to choose a new log. I believe the Haskell folks did this and got a lot of entries (although I thought the one they ended up choosing was a little naff).

[Gustavo Guerra]

Hi,

I think the current logo is ok-ish, but we could definitely get a better one. What I actually like the least is the "part of the program" slogan. We could probably come up with a much better catch phrase along the lines of "all your types are belong to us" or "friends don't let friends use null".

Cheers,
Gustavo

---

From: Sergey Yavnyi
Sent: ‎11/‎06/‎2013 09:53
To: fsharp-o...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: Getting a snazzy logo for F#

Hi,

This sound interesting. I was actually recently thinking about treating myself with an F# mug, so really looking forward for this to work out!

Can't say there's anything wrong with the logo at fsharp.org -- I think it's actually okay, I like the "part of the program" part. But yeah, it's hard to deny that other languages like Scala and Haskell have more memorable logos.

--

[Diego Frata]

I would get rid of the slogan altogether. We don't have any marketing skills to create a catchy slogan.

[Michael Newton]

I'm with Diego on this one I'm afraid; the current slogan is ok but a bit naff. Anything more clever would be fun, but probably not appropriate in some of the business areas people are using F# (finance, local government, etc).

A decent logo you can use anywhere.

On 11 June 2013 10:20, Diego Frata <diego...@gmail.com> wrote:

I would get rid of the slogan altogether. We don't have any marketing skills to create a catchy slogan.

Em terça-feira, 11 de junho de 2013 09h59min55s UTC+1, Gustavo Guerra escreveu:

Hi,

I think the current logo is ok-ish, but we could definitely get a better one. What I actually like the least is the "part of the program" slogan. We could probably come up with a much better catch phrase along the lines of "all your types are belong to us" or "friends don't let friends use null".

Cheers,
Gustavo

---

From: Sergey Yavnyi
Sent: 11/06/2013 09:53

[Jack Fox]

As for an F# slogan, I've been experimenting with my personal brand slogan, something that looks like a functional/F# code signature and expresses the advantages of functional/F#, something like

Composability -> Expressiveness -> Correctness -> Testability -> Intention

could also be expressed as piped code

Composability

|> Expressiveness

|> Correctness

|> Testability

|> Intention

[Mathias Brandewinder]

Thanks for all the reactions!

OK, let me try to recap what I heard:

- Obviously, everyone agrees that what would really move F# forward is a Cute Stuffed Mascot.

- Nobody is in love with the current logo; nobody hates it, either, but if something nicer came along, nobody would be heart broken.

- There is an interest in having stickers, mugs, t-shirts, memory sticks [ and of course Cute Stuffed Mascots ].

- Some wouldn't mind seeing the current tagline / slogan ("part of the program.") go.

- Heard: engaging too much resources on trinkets, as opposed to investing in the language itself, might be frivolous

- One good experience with 99designs.com, some dislike it on the grounds of principle ("race to the bottom" like rent-a-coder).

In that frame: I'd like to initiate a campaign to design a new logo for F#; the point regarding frivolity (my words) is well taken, but at the same time I think F# would really benefit from a more visible presence, and a good, distinctive, sexy logo would go a long way in letting people spread the word that yes, they use F# and are proud of it. I'd leave the tagline out of the equation at that point. 

Personally I also really like the idea of having a "community-endorsed" logo emerge. Among many others, the active and vocal community around F# is one of the reasons I love the language.

So - unless there are strong recommendations for alternatives, I'd go with 99designs.com and kickstarter.com.

I think we want 

* a logo which catches the eye, 

* can be used in a professional context but is also "fun" enough that you would want to use it on personal items like a mug,

* can be used on the web, with a small size (so that for instance it can be added to an avatar / picture on Twitter)

* reflects the qualities of the language itself (http://fsharp.org/about/index.html)

* let's deal with the tagline later

My thought on a kickstarter campaign would be to have donors get stickers, and give them a say on the logo selection.

Anything important / obvious missing?

 

On Monday, June 10, 2013 7:31:03 PM UTC-7, Mathias Brandewinder wrote:

[Robert Jeppesen]

I'll back it on Kickstarter. :) 

I see the Clojure logo as good inspiration. It is really successful, and you see it everywhere. Simple, so it scales down nicely. 

[James Moore]

On Sat, Jun 15, 2013 at 10:25 AM, Mathias Brandewinder <mathias.br...@gmail.com> wrote:

- Obviously, everyone agrees that what would really move F# forward is a Cute Stuffed Mascot.

So, focusing on the really important thing: I suggest the F# (Peregrine) Falcon.  (Sharp talons, right?).  You'll find them almost everywhere people are using F# (sorry, New Zealand), they're fast, and even xkcd thinks they're cool:

http://xkcd.com/1211/ 

And they tend to nest in spectacular places (which doesn't really have anything to do with F#, but makes them even more appealing):

https://plus.google.com/u/0/106823874125217736606/posts/UwSHrNHn5Vx

[Diego Frata]

I think it pretty much sums it all.

Just remember to offer a little bit more than the minimum on 99designs and to invite designer which have a portfolio that you think it matches what we're looking for. That's the best way to get the best of 99designs.

Enviado via iPhone

--

[Jack Fox]

A Peregrine F# is an interesting concept…

 

From: fsharp-o...@googlegroups.com [mailto:fsharp-o...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of James Moore
Sent: Saturday, June 15, 2013 11:49 AM
To: fsharp-o...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: Getting a snazzy logo for F#

 

On Sat, Jun 15, 2013 at 10:25 AM, Mathias Brandewinder <mathias.br...@gmail.com> wrote:

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[Diego Frata]

Mathias,

Have you managed to create the Kickstarter project?

[Mathias Brandewinder]

Hi Diego,

Not done yet, but coming soon, once Build is over :) I'll announce it here when it happens.
Cheers,

Mathias

[Dave Thomas]

Don't forget to take into account the kickstarter and payment processing fees which will be around 8-10%

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[Mathias Brandewinder]

Yeah, I need to make a budget and all that, make sure I know what I am committing to here.

[Nicolas]

Peregrine looks like a nice fuzzy animal with some cute mascotte meta-jokes potential

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Falco_peregrinus_on_ship_USFWS.jpg

[Robert Pickering]

I noticed that Rachel Reese posted a photo of someone's F# t-shirt "F# because I'm too lazy to fix bugs":

https://twitter.com/rachelreese/status/354278065171472384/photo/1

[Jack Fox]

That would be Dmitry @mitekm

On 7/9/2013 1:24 AM, Robert Pickering wrote:

I noticed that Rachel Reese posted a photo of someone's F# t-shirt "F# because I'm too lazy to fix bugs":

https://twitter.com/rachelreese/status/354278065171472384/photo/1

On 25 June 2013 14:35, Nicolas <nicolas...@gmail.com> wrote:

Peregrine�looks like a nice fuzzy animal with�some cute mascotte meta-jokes potential

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Falco_peregrinus_on_ship_USFWS.jpg

On Monday, June 24, 2013 6:04:46 PM UTC+1, Mathias Brandewinder wrote:

Yeah, I need to make a budget and all that, make sure I know what I am committing to here.

On Monday, June 24, 2013 9:55:33 AM UTC-7, 7sharp9 wrote:

Don't forget to take into account the kickstarter and payment processing fees which will be around 8-10%

On 24 Jun 2013, at 17:52, Mathias Brandewinder <mathias.br...@gmail.com> wrote:

Hi Diego,

Not done yet, but coming soon, once Build is over :) I'll announce it here when it happens.
Cheers,

Mathias

On Monday, June 24, 2013 4:26:02 AM UTC-7, Diego Frata wrote:

Mathias,

Have you managed to create the Kickstarter project?

Em s�bado, 15 de junho de 2013 20h30min37s UTC+1, Jack Fox escreveu:

A Peregrine F# is an interesting concept�

�

From: fsharp-o...@googlegroups.com [mailto:fsharp-o...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of James Moore
Sent: Saturday, June 15, 2013 11:49 AM
To: fsharp-o...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: Getting a snazzy logo for F#

�

On Sat, Jun 15, 2013 at 10:25 AM, Mathias Brandewinder <mathias.br...@gmail.com> wrote:

- Obviously, everyone agrees that what would really move F# forward is a Cute Stuffed Mascot.

�

So, focusing on the really important thing: I suggest the F# (Peregrine) Falcon. �(Sharp talons, right?). �You'll find them almost everywhere people are using F# (sorry, New Zealand), they're fast, and even xkcd thinks they're cool:

�

http://xkcd.com/1211/�

�

And they tend to nest in spectacular places (which doesn't really have anything to do with F#, but makes them even more appealing):

�

https://plus.google.com/u/0/106823874125217736606/posts/UwSHrNHn5Vx

�

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[Chris Marinos]

Hahaha, awesome shirt!

[Sergey Yavnyi]

Hey guys, was there any progress with the new logo?

The old logo is looking pretty good on a mug so far.

On Tuesday, June 11, 2013 5:31:03 AM UTC+3, Mathias Brandewinder wrote:

[Veikko Eeva]

My children like to play with cute stuffed mascots and take them out too! :)

I'm looking for to depart of $/€ 10.

[Steven Taylor]

I'd like to lose the # sign.  ;-).  A lame suggestion for a tag line:

 f.[sharp] is for doing 

The problem with # in general is that although a musical term people often say colloquially he/she was a little sharp.  F# is also hard to search on

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[Darren Gillis]

You could play off the fact that f# is also used in music.  For instance, the logo could include the lambda symbol as the the clef symbol instead of the treble or bass.

Music is an ultimate expression for creativity and so is a programming language...

---

From: Steven Taylor
Sent: ‎2014-‎01-‎08 4:14 PM

To: fsharp-o...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: Getting a snazzy logo for F#

[Mark Seemann]

It's a great idea with a nice logo.

Has anyone played with this concept?

I don't claim that it's at all professional, and it's just a proof-of-concept I threw together... I just thought it was too good an opportunity to pass up that there's an F hidden in the hash :)

HTH

Mark Seemann

[Mark Seemann]

BTW, here's a monochrome version of the same concept.

[Liviu U]

In the same note:

                     

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[Ryan Riley]

I like the direction. The F#x logo has a similar take. See the logo on http://fsharp.org/community/projects/

Sent from my Windows Phone

---

From: Mark Seemann
Sent: ‎3/‎22/‎2014 2:16 PM

To: fsharp-o...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: Getting a snazzy logo for F#

[Jamie Dixon]

We also need a character.  I am creating a superhero "Captain F#" for my next F# SIG/Dojo.  I was thinking Don's picture with a cape.  Any ideas?

[Jamie Dixon]

Does this look like a cape?  Perhaps a mask too?

[Jamie Dixon]

[Robert Pickering]

Fluffy and cure is good, how about an otter in an F# t-shirt? Will work on something over the weekend.

--

[Robert Pickering]

I meant cute not cure :)

[Robert Pickering]

Otters & F#

[Robert Jeppesen]

I hate to be a nay-sayer, but someone has to. In my opinion, The idea of 'F in #' is ugly, and kind of FP high-brow. If this is what is presented as constraints to a paid designer, I will not contribute. I would not stick that on my MBP. Not to mention Don S in a cape. ;-)

I still think we're envious of the Clojure logo. It takes the cool approach of not even needing to mention Clojure. Can F# afford that kind of arrogance?  

I think a winning concept is getting a hold of some graphic genius, talk to her about the ideas behind F#, and let her roll. A good logo is not going to come from functional programmers. 

[Robert Jeppesen]

Though I do like Roberts Zen-of pooh-inspired drawings! 

Robert Jeppesen
Durius
Maj på Malös gata 27
S-417 67 Göteborg
Cell: +46 734 451920
robert....@durius.se
http://www.durius.se/

--

[Mathias Brandewinder]

Couple of thoughts here:

1) I agree - the Functional Otters ARE really cute :) 

2) I also agree that a good logo is probably not going to come from functional developers. If I want great code, I am not going to look for it in designer forums :) That being said, thanks for sharing ideas! I think the discussion is positive, and, assuming you are all comfortable if your concept / material ends up being used and transformed in the process, it can only help.

3) on the mascot idea in general, given that we will probably have a limited budget for the effort, I believe the smart move is to focus 100% on the logo. Having a great logo would help make F# visible in lots of places, whereas a mascot is somewhat complicated to execute, and much less visible. So my position is: 

- if we raise so much money that we can afford the best designer one can get, let's talk mascot; 

- otherwise, a great logo is the focus and where the money should go. Doesn't mean that we can't talk about mascots, though - these are fun ;)

Cheers,

Mathias

[Robert Pickering]

Hello Mathias,

Completely agree that logo then mascot should be the way to go. 

I had an idea of how to fund this. Perhaps we could create a Zazzle, or other internet t-shirt vendor, account and sell F# mechanize via it, we could start off with some simple slogans, stuff that doesn't need much design and use that bootstrap the logo creation, then sell logo t-shirts to fund the design of a mascot. What do you think?

Rob

[Dave Thomas]

Im still going for the "I am a complete F#er!"   t-shirt.

:-)

[Karlkim Suwanmongkol]

Hi,

   I like the idea of selling official F# merchandises via Zazzle to help funding the logo design. And we should also do the Kickstarter campaign as well to raise awareness. An F# otter like Xamarin's monkey is also a good idea.

Thanks,

--karlkim 

[April Sadowski]

A bit more colorful and on a slant.

[April Sadowski]

I also should add, that 99designs and other bidding sites are insulting to professional designers. Quality rarely comes from spec work and no real relationships are ever developed. Plus, you have a ton of people working that never make a dime. I'm sure you guys work for free on projects all the time in the hopes that maybe someday, someone will like the idea. Also, there is a ton of fraud that develops in spec scenarios. People resort to clipart and vectors from sites that don't allow work to be used in logo designs and you can bet the company, not the designer, is who the authors go after.

[Dave Thomas]

I quite like that, although I think it needs something to make it pop ...

On 14 Apr 2014, at 18:21, April Sadowski <aibrea...@gmail.com> wrote:

A bit more colorful and on a slant.

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[Mathias Brandewinder]

First of, I wanted to thank everybody for the input! 

Then, this thread is becoming pretty massive (which is a good sign); if you are interested in discussing this further, I just wanted to point out that I had started another thread on that topic, focused on getting this actual project off the ground. We would love to keep the discussion going, and/or get feedback:

https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups=#!searchin/fsharp-opensource/lift$20off/fsharp-opensource/2axJt2ImAUM/LkF4VX1nYHkJ

In the immediate short term, before starting crowd-funding, what we need is to identify an awesome designer for this project. We've put together some requirements and information in that other thread (feedback encouraged), and if you know that awesome designer who would be perfect for the job, now would be a great time to put them in touch with us :)

Cheers,

Mathias

[ryan....@panesofglass.org]

Let's please mot ask a designer to “make it pop.” When we ask that, 100 kittehs are massacred somewhere. Brutally.

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