Re: [Gimp-user] GIMP name, icon and general graphic look

[Pat David <patdavid gmail com>]

Hello!

There's a couple of things at work here, I think.

Wilber has served double duty as both a mascot _and_ a logo for a very,
very long time.  There's a long history of association of the image of
Wilber with the project.  It provides the benefit of being both unique, and
instantly recognizable to anyone that's used GIMP before.

I understand the desire for something "modern" ("minimal" or not, though I
understand that it's the flavor du jour at the moment), but I'm not sure if
the path to a single letter or something similar is in the best interests
of the project.

For one, if I'm looking at a launcher of icons and I see a single "G"
there, my brain currently would associate it with Google first, not GIMP.
The branding for that letter has previously been well established by a
large player  in the computer industry.  Changing the GIMP icon to
something similar would only serve to water down it's meaning and possibly
confuse users more, imo.  This is partially what Alex is referring to with
his "identity loss, followed by existential crisis" I think.

The branding is strong with Wilber at the moment, and I can not find a good
reason to reconsider it, personally.  I'm happy to entertain reasons
otherwise, though.

We are actually discussing splash screen stuff right now in the IRC room.

On Fri, Oct 20, 2017 at 10:08 AM Maurizio Paglia <mpaglia0 gmail com> wrote:

> Ciao Alex and thank you for your prompt reply!
>
> 2017-10-20 15:38 GMT+02:00 Alexandre Prokoudine <
> alexandre prokoudine gmail com>:
>
> > On Fri, Oct 20, 2017 at 4:18 PM, Maurizio Paglia wrote:
> >
> > > 2. ICON - I do not like GIMP icon. I think GIMP should have a new icon
> > > containing the letter 'G'. The 'G' icon will be more modern,
> > identifiable,
> > > and will integrate better in modern flat/minimal desktop environment.
> >
> > You mean we should replace the unique Wilber logo with general 'G'
> > letter to make it more identifiable?
>
> Wilber is not a logo.
> A logo is unique and do not change.
> Wilber appears in several flavours (thinking, joking, with a helmet/hat,
> etc.). Wilber acts like a mascot.
> I think GIMP needs a more modern logo that could be the word GIMP written
> in a particular way, and the 'G' can be used as GIMP icon (for the
> launcher).
>
> > > 3. SPLASH - It could sound strange but splash is incredibly attractive
> > for
> > > a lot of users and - in any case - it is the software intro. I think
> GIMP
> > > needs a more professional/modern/abstract splash. Moreover please keep
> > away
> > > Wilber and put the 'G' icon instead.
> >
> > You are judging splash screens by the ones we have for development
> > versions. But we don't use those for stable versions at all. Splash
> > screens for stable versions are exactly that: abstract. See for
> > yourself: https://www.gimp.org/about/splash/stable.html.
>
> Oh... yes, you are right. Sorry :-(
> But I confirm the need to always put in the splash the GIMP logo/icon
>
> > > 4. UI - I think Wilber should disappear from GIMP GUI (error/messages
> > > windows, etc.) and new modern icons to be used.
> > >
> > > Wilber, in particular, should remain as the GIMP mascot, nothing else.
> > > Like KDE Konqi, the mascot appears on the website, etc. but its role is
> > > always clear: it is a mascot and is never used in the UI where clear
> and
> > > minimal icons are used instead.
> > >
> > > What do you think about this dress change?
> >
> > Identity loss, followed by the existential crisis? :)
>
> Please apologize but I cannot understand this comment.
> Do you think change logo/icon will be an identity loss?
> I think a well done logo will have a big impact on people.
> Moreover I think a modern/minimal logo is more suitable for a software.
> In my opinion Wilber is too much 'vintage' and a little 'childlike'.
> Let's keep Wilber as a mascot (also to remember GIMP roots, why not) but
> GIMP needs a new logo.
>
> > Alex
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