Design/Visual Identity Briefing

'''Draft of a briefing for the creation of a new or revised logo and further graphic design. Not officialy approved.'''

General Logo Requirements
A logo should be:


 * distinctive
 * aesthetically pleasant
 * meaningful

In this order, the last being a definitive plus, but optional

As part of a visual language, it should allow variations and deriving other elements from it.

Roles
Broadly speaking, we will be dealing with 3 roles, in potential and actual form:


 * Deciders (at organizations, such as companies, government agencies and associations)
 * Contributors
 * Users

While it might seem desirable to communicate every possible positive characteristic to everyone, this is just not possible. Thus the following lists are about setting priorities and weighting and are ordered accordingly (most important first). Characteristics that can't be expressed directly may still inspire metaphors.

Desired message to deciders
LibreOffice is:


 * stable, reliable.
 * long-lasting (as a project).
 * well supported.
 * interoperable, following open standards.
 * a good option regarding document archival.
 * full-featured.
 * efficient.
 * free of charge.
 * free of licensing hassle.
 * cross-platform.

Metaphors and associations:


 * Library (building, architecture)
 * Infrastructure that can be used free of charge (compare toll-free roads)

Potential means of expression:


 * Reliability and longevity suggest a firm posture, the impression of some weight and magnitude
 * Colors: white, black, gray, beige, brown, red
 * Shapes: bold, stable, geometric, simple, wide stance

Desired message to contributors
LibreOffice is:


 * important.
 * empowering.
 * Free Software.
 * open.
 * welcoming.
 * a community effort, about people.
 * a valuable experience.
 * meritocratic.

Metaphors and associations:


 * University
 * Air (freedom, ubiquity, usefulness)
 * Birds
 * A community of people getting together to build a house

Potential means of expression:


 * Repetitive structures, parts building a whole
 * Shapes: light, wide, open, round, organic, dynamic
 * Colors: white, light blue, orange, red, warm green

Desired message to users
LibreOffice is:


 * about mainly document-centric office tasks.
 * free of charge.
 * state-of-the-art.
 * full-featured.
 * stable, reliable.
 * efficient.
 * maximizing your control over your own documents and data.
 * free of licensing hassle.

Metaphors and associations:


 * (DIN A4) paper
 * office (table, chair, drawers, ...)
 * A crown for the user
 * Broken chain

Potential means of expression:


 * State-of-the-art asks for a contemporary styling, hard corners and precise lines
 * 1 to the square root of two ratio (DIN paper)
 * Colors: white, black, gray, beige, light blue