Recently Posted 4/23/2008 :
http://2r2t.com/SpringLogoPackage.zip, please read last post though.
If you would like to review the process, you may do so here.
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v722/ ... %20Design/
Recently Posted 4/19/2008 : YOU DECIDE THE FUTURE, VOTE NOW.
Recently Posted 4/15/2008 Later in the day: Probably the final poll.
Recently Posted 4/15/2008: New Poll due to Zpock's suggestions, I also included his contribution.
Previously posted: New poll. Please Vote.
Previously Posted:
Before we start finalizing any website design, I think we should seriously consider laying out identity guidelines, even if it's as simple as saying, lets take the graphics that AF made for the spring icons and lobby splash screen and use those as our logo on our website.
All major companies have a logo style sheet that suggests the way that the logo should be used and not used. Consistency in branding is something that most people have come to recognize as a sign of quality. Currently, spring is not a consistent experience, it's just a jumble of graphics that people have slipped in and have found to be "good enough".
You may see some of my work here. http://2r2t.com. I would like to form an identity committee Others may join, but It would be best to limit the team to no more than 3 or 4. Any more then that and it's just a shitfest.
Just to give a little information on the rest of the process:
Upon choosing a logo, I will then petition the community for colors and fonts upon which I will compile everything into an "official" standards sheet and release it as a vector for all to use. For those that don't know, standards sheets suggest a font that should be used with the official logo. (As opposed to in the official logo, which should never be changed from the vector form.)
Identity, and Identity Guidelines
Moderators: MR.D, Moderators
Identity, and Identity Guidelines
Last edited by Neuralize on 01 May 2008, 18:08, edited 19 times in total.
Re: Identity, and Identity Guidelines
I would agree such a committee is a good idea especially since most conflict over official identity stems from supporters of mine and your works conflicting or us two conflicting in order to get our own work one step ahead through further design work.
However I believe at the moment that the need to fix the website we're using at the moment is paramount, and it should not be held up by the 'committee report'. We should have ditched this site design years ago but progress has been sparse due to delays and political fighting.
I think a multi page PDF would also be more appropriate. My skills in youtube editing have had very little show time and it would be more convenient to view a pdf than have to shift a progress bar back and forth in a youtube video.
However I believe at the moment that the need to fix the website we're using at the moment is paramount, and it should not be held up by the 'committee report'. We should have ditched this site design years ago but progress has been sparse due to delays and political fighting.
I think a multi page PDF would also be more appropriate. My skills in youtube editing have had very little show time and it would be more convenient to view a pdf than have to shift a progress bar back and forth in a youtube video.
Re: Identity, and Identity Guidelines
Well, I suppose we can work concurrently with the redesign of the website. But why the rush? Is spring on the brink of dying? Why don't we set down realistic deadlines for all of these things rather then saying, this has to be done as soon as possible. It's good to give people some breathing room, and inversely, pressure them to have something to show.
Re: Identity, and Identity Guidelines
I was thinking the same thing yesterday when the whole "AF made a website" thing exploded. Let us know what aspects of community suggestion you will accept because I'd personally like to have input on the matter.
I like your stuff Neuralize and AF... both your style are a little too "corporate identity" for my personal taste so I hope we can find someone with a more "Newgrounds" or "GalCiv2" or "Blizzard" or "Gleemax" or even "Gas Powered" feel to their work to join your efforts.
edit:
This is why it's an ideal time to get all our ducks in a row for a "Grand Re-Opening".
I think the reason we are pushing for a new front page is that if we have a nicer "Image" we could garner the interest (and hopefully talent) of a wider pool of interested parties (aka players who want to play something other then TA in 3D with new units and effects).
I like your stuff Neuralize and AF... both your style are a little too "corporate identity" for my personal taste so I hope we can find someone with a more "Newgrounds" or "GalCiv2" or "Blizzard" or "Gleemax" or even "Gas Powered" feel to their work to join your efforts.
edit:
Personally I think we are on the brink, not of death but of Renaissance! The last version of the client was a milestone, and from what I'm hearing we are really getting to the point where single-player and campaigns will be practical for n00bs to enjoy within a few versions, Argh's (I think) world builder project promises new life, CA is working towards a noble "Main Mod that Isn't TA" goal... things are looking up.Neuralize wrote:Well, I suppose we can work concurrently with the redesign of the website. But why the rush? Is spring on the brink of dying? Why don't we set down realistic deadlines for all of these things rather then saying, this has to be done as soon as possible. It's good to give people some breathing room, and inversely, pressure them to have something to show.
This is why it's an ideal time to get all our ducks in a row for a "Grand Re-Opening".
I think the reason we are pushing for a new front page is that if we have a nicer "Image" we could garner the interest (and hopefully talent) of a wider pool of interested parties (aka players who want to play something other then TA in 3D with new units and effects).
Re: Identity, and Identity Guidelines
2 years and nothing to show for it, need I say more?
Re: Identity, and Identity Guidelines
These are all great ideas, except nobody's going to do / pay attention to them and they'll in turn be useless.
Theory != practice.
For one, spring developers are not a "major company". This is open-source development - if you didn't realize, it's miles different from commercial / closed-source development. That's it right there, the rest of your argument is broken.
Pitch? Are you showing it to Spring stakeholders? Investors? wtflol? Again, I suspect your "pitch" will be directed at the majority of the players here. Um, hello?
Spring already has an identifiable logo. Adding a "powered by Spring" banner isn't too hard. While Spring does need a to set a clear goal for itself (because the current one, seen top-right, contradicts itself).
Theory != practice.
For one, spring developers are not a "major company". This is open-source development - if you didn't realize, it's miles different from commercial / closed-source development. That's it right there, the rest of your argument is broken.
Pitch? Are you showing it to Spring stakeholders? Investors? wtflol? Again, I suspect your "pitch" will be directed at the majority of the players here. Um, hello?
Spring already has an identifiable logo. Adding a "powered by Spring" banner isn't too hard. While Spring does need a to set a clear goal for itself (because the current one, seen top-right, contradicts itself).
Re: Identity, and Identity Guidelines
Does the logo go above below to the elft or to the right of the spring name? Is the spring name in italics bold smallcaps or strikethrough or all of them? What font is the spring name? Is it SpringRTS Spring spring Spring Engine Spring RTS Engine or TASpring? Is it 3D? Is it filled or outlined? What colour is it? Does it glow? Is it the same regardless of size or does the sun move beside the name when it gets small or does the name get abbrieviated? How large is the logo compared to the spring name? What are the usual colour schemes? What are the big nonos regardign colour schemes? How should it be used on fansites? What are the banners supposed to look like?
Re: Identity, and Identity Guidelines
Yeah, I have a history of corporate identity suggestions for Spring. 
Vadi:
According to Wikipedia, Ubuntu is open source. Take a very careful look at their identity (http://www.ubuntu.com) , it is very clear that they have logo standards and above all try and maintain a very strict sense of consistency up front. If I am not mistaken, you use Ubuntu.
As for a pitch, I don't think it's unreasonable to think of those who mod spring and currently play spring as shareholders. Major contributors to spring have most time devoted and therefore, I feel have the most stake.
And please, everyone, remember the first thing I said:
Before we start finalizing any website design, I think we should seriously consider laying out identity guidelines, even if it's as simple as saying, lets take the graphics that AF made for the spring icons and lobby splash screen and use those as our logo on our website.
Vadi:
According to Wikipedia, Ubuntu is open source. Take a very careful look at their identity (http://www.ubuntu.com) , it is very clear that they have logo standards and above all try and maintain a very strict sense of consistency up front. If I am not mistaken, you use Ubuntu.
As for a pitch, I don't think it's unreasonable to think of those who mod spring and currently play spring as shareholders. Major contributors to spring have most time devoted and therefore, I feel have the most stake.
And please, everyone, remember the first thing I said:
Before we start finalizing any website design, I think we should seriously consider laying out identity guidelines, even if it's as simple as saying, lets take the graphics that AF made for the spring icons and lobby splash screen and use those as our logo on our website.
Last edited by Neuralize on 14 Apr 2008, 21:50, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Identity, and Identity Guidelines
How should buttons on the site look? Do they get rivets after they are larger then 50x50px? What pallets of colours should be used? Should corners be rounded or squared? Is the glow on 3D objects on the top or the bottom?
edit:(Link to that style guide: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Artwork/Official )
edit:(Link to that style guide: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Artwork/Official )
Re: Identity, and Identity Guidelines
>_> perhaps I'd be best throwing something together in my own time.
Re: Identity, and Identity Guidelines
Nobody said yet why is the current half-sun logo is bad.
That said, again, you're going way too big. Ubuntu has the userbase of millions. Spring does not work for business experience
That said, again, you're going way too big. Ubuntu has the userbase of millions. Spring does not work for business experience
Re: Identity, and Identity Guidelines
personal opinion... I love the half-sun logo... I don't like it bound in a square like AF does it.
Re: Identity, and Identity Guidelines
Vadi, show me a successful open source source project that you would consider equivalent to spring in size, that doesn't have a consistent identity treatment.
The whole point of these initiatives is to make the Spring community grow, to get more people interested in spring, not to keep our community small.
And it's not that the half-sun logo is bad, we just need to set standards for it, so it looks the same throughout our project, on the website, on our lobby, and in the corner of our screenshots.
The logo and identity I've presented above have already been dismissed, I'm not trying to push them on anyone, I'm only attempting to show you what type of work I've done in the past.
Another thing that's troubled me is that I just opened the latest version of the lobby on the SVN and there is yet another iteration of the spring logo without any half-sun. Hmm.
The whole point of these initiatives is to make the Spring community grow, to get more people interested in spring, not to keep our community small.
And it's not that the half-sun logo is bad, we just need to set standards for it, so it looks the same throughout our project, on the website, on our lobby, and in the corner of our screenshots.
The logo and identity I've presented above have already been dismissed, I'm not trying to push them on anyone, I'm only attempting to show you what type of work I've done in the past.
Another thing that's troubled me is that I just opened the latest version of the lobby on the SVN and there is yet another iteration of the spring logo without any half-sun. Hmm.
Last edited by Neuralize on 12 Apr 2008, 00:06, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Identity, and Identity Guidelines
What in the world are you talking about?
Spring the engine does have a consistent treatment of the logo. It's the same half-sun design that's used on the website, in lobbies, and icons.
Just because it's colored light-grey in one place and different in another doesn't mean people still can't identify it as something similar. They aren't... that stupid.
Edit: yes, everybody here wants to expand spring. But look, all these instances of the logo are fine:
(that one isn't so good - it looks a bit different there)
In short, the logo isn't what needs to be looked at. That's one thing that's actually done right.
Spring the engine does have a consistent treatment of the logo. It's the same half-sun design that's used on the website, in lobbies, and icons.
Just because it's colored light-grey in one place and different in another doesn't mean people still can't identify it as something similar. They aren't... that stupid.
Edit: yes, everybody here wants to expand spring. But look, all these instances of the logo are fine:
(that one isn't so good - it looks a bit different there)In short, the logo isn't what needs to be looked at. That's one thing that's actually done right.
Last edited by Vadi on 11 Apr 2008, 21:53, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Identity, and Identity Guidelines
Haha, what am I talking about? I'm talking about what I go to school for, what people get paid 35-65 dollars an hour to do, depending on experience.
And it's not the same symbol, or logo. It's different typefaces, different positioning, different line weights, smear those all together and you get the feeling that everyone is not on the same page, and the truth is, we're not all on the same page. We're all on the page we want to be on.
I want to bring a team of graphic people together to design springs identity, then we can bring a team of web guys together and plug that design into a new spring website, as well and put all of that stuff into the lobby.
And it's not the same symbol, or logo. It's different typefaces, different positioning, different line weights, smear those all together and you get the feeling that everyone is not on the same page, and the truth is, we're not all on the same page. We're all on the page we want to be on.
I want to bring a team of graphic people together to design springs identity, then we can bring a team of web guys together and plug that design into a new spring website, as well and put all of that stuff into the lobby.
Re: Identity, and Identity Guidelines
I suspected that... let me quote me myself then:
You aren't going to school for advocating open-source games, I assure you. And quit poking the logo, ask your teacher if it's good enoughVadi wrote: Spring does not work for business experience
Re: Identity, and Identity Guidelines
How about you throw a vector version of yours to the masses?
Re: Identity, and Identity Guidelines
Neuralize is right on this one, Vadi. Looking like you know what you are doing is ALWAYS better than looking like a pack of monkeys, even if you are a pack of monkeys :)
Re: Identity, and Identity Guidelines
I'm not going against the whole idea, I'm going against the logo change.
The rest needs to be re-done, the logo, no.
The rest needs to be re-done, the logo, no.
Re: Identity, and Identity Guidelines
Yeah, I can deal with the half-sun, but whoever is changing things up in the SVN with the new lobby splash screen is not really thinking about what they're doing. I'll describe it to you, because screen capture isn't working. There's a krogoth corpse and in rocky font it says Spring. There is no half-sun. This is slated for the .77 lobby.