Re: Idea of a Debian Mascot [Was: FW: Bits from the DPL: FTP assistants, marketing team, init scripts, elections]
On Wed, Feb 27, 2008 at 10:14:15PM -0600, cothrige wrote:
> Andrew Sackville-West <andrew@farwestbilliards.com> writes:
>
> > I have to say, there is nothing friendly about that damn gnu. And that
> > statement is in no way a reflection on my views of GNU or it's
> > projects. Just that if we're gonna have a mascot, I lean more towards
> > the penguin/snarky-devil side of the debate than the smelly ruminant
> > side.
>
> I think most open source software tends to look like something from a
> group of high school kids, and one of the reasons is the whole mascot
> idea. That daemon in the tennis shoes, the puffer fish, Tux and that
Hear hear! Not so much high school as infantile. Most of us grew out
of soft toys by the age of 8. If linux weren't so damned brilliant, I
would shun it merely for the retarded graphics.
That said, I suppose a more "corporate" penguin could be designed... As
to the ugly Debian swirl, well I've become used to it, but I do not see
what it is supposed to represent.
Part of our problem is that OS is owned by a community of hackers,
whereas the big firms of proprietary software can employ graphic
designers and PR people to create the slick packaging necessary to sell
their crap.
On the other hand, I have to say that I am also disenchanted with the
continual revamping of corporate "identities", often throwing away
well-known and easily identified logos and house styles for blander more
modern replacements. So I would like to see the Debian swirl
transmogrified into a style that looks professional and reliable rather
than necessarily throwing it out. With my designer cap on, I would
also admit the possibility that the baby-toy penguin, which has become
so intimately associated with Linux, might also be recycled into an
acceptable logo. Knopper to some extent has succeeded in doing this in
the graphics for the Knoppix distros, with the cunning combination of
tech drawing and cuddly plump proportions. I say 'to some extent'
because, in fact, cuddly is not what is needed on the office desk
(during work hours at least). We really should be seeking a more
reliable, sturdy, businesslike image, though preferably without becoming
boring and indistinguishable from the corporate world.
richard
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