A new logo for SFML

[eXpl0it3r]

Although it's not really a contribution and that there will always be negative oponions about any idea, I still want to say (again), that I find a mascot a bad idea.
Personally I can't remember logos with mascots better and in many cases it makes things just quite silly and maybe a bit childish.
A mascot is usually used to carry a certain brand, which is a connection between different parts and not one simple library.
I know you want it to be done right, but working on a logo can take forever. Just think about how long a whole team works on new iterations of the Windows or Apple logos. If we have another year to kill, just to find the perfect logo, then "okay", otherwise I think we have to make decisions now on what the vision exactly is and if the community can't match the expectations (no offence to anyone, you're doing a great job!), one could also think about outsourcing it to a company, that specializes on making logos.

It's just very sad to see the code being tagged, the website & tutorials finished and all the progress is stopped due to some silly logo choosing.

[Groogy]

I must say I really liked the bird version

[Nexus]

I totally agree with eXpl0it3r.

Just to summarize our journey to find a SFML 2 logo -- in 2011, we had the logo with multimedia symbols, where 2 candidates were most popular:


At the beginning of 2013, we headed into a new direction, because the multimedia symbols were too heavy. After a long time, we concentrated on a few logos including a power button:
     

Then, we incorporated the arrow:


Every time, people were excited about the logos, and even Laurent said they would look nice. Suddenly, somebody has another idea, and we have to throw away everything.

This process can go on forever, and it's frustrating for people who have put a lot of effort into the logos. Consider the amount of time we have already been searching for an SFML logo. In the last few weeks, there have been a lot of really good ideas coming up. In my opinion, we should invest the remaining time on refining them, instead of wasting it with completely new ideas again and again.

We can still search a new logo for SFML 3, but then we have enough time, don't need to delay the SFML release and aren't forced to find a last-minute decision.

[OniLinkPlus]

I vote for this one.

[Nexus]

Concerning mascots, I don't agree that they are better memorizable, or look better in general. Many professional logos use a simple shape or figure. Just look at the following logos in the field of programming or game development. All of them are pretty unique in their style, and many of them look good. Also, they can be memorized very well.

[Laurent]

It's just very sad to see the code being tagged, the website & tutorials finished and all the progress is stopped due to some silly logo choosing.

Packaging is not finished. So technically, the logo is not blocking the release yet

I think Nexus is right, it's time to stop. We have many good ideas that got positive feedback from everyone, so even if it doesn't feel perfect -- it will never be -- let's choose one.

I personally like this one a lot:



And this one would come second:

[Excellium]

Why not launch a vote ?

[Cornstalks]

eXpl0it3r and Nexus have perfectly expressed my very thoughts.

Why not launch a vote ?

I think that would be great. Laurent, perhaps you could make a voting thread, where you pick the top candidates?

I personally prefer either this one:


Or this one:


With this one being my second choice (I'm not in love the the sine wave, but I think it's aesthetically nice):

[Groogy]

I don't know how well a vote would turn out. I think if that is the case Laurent should go with a "I will take your opinion into consideration but it will not control my final decision"-vote.

In the end, he is the one that will have to live with it and he should at all times have the final say in my opinion ^^

[Nexus]

Ignore the anti-aliasing, it's scaled. Considering only the symbol, the thing I like more in

than in

is that it doesn't look so soft/rounded. The first one makes a more... hm, "self-confident" or "resolute" impression
Also, the thickness of the power symbol matches the font's thickness better. Maybe we can try with a slightly less round symbol?

In Haze's arrow logo, the beginning of the arrow should overlap the "SFML" text, then it looks more symmetric with its end.

[Laurent]

Ok, so let's focus on these two logos. And let's say that I'll make the final decision in 7 days; I promised that the release would happen in april, and I don't want to lie

[Cornstalks]

Ok, so let's focus on these two logos. And let's say that I'll make the final decision in 7 days; I promised that the release would happen in april, and I don't want to lie

Yay!!! I'm really excited for the final release!

In response to some of Nexus's feedback, here are several variations:

1 dark:



2 dark:



3 dark:



4 dark:



5 dark:



6 dark:



1 light:



2 light:



3 light:



4 light:



5 light:



6 light:

[Waylorn]

Aww, I had just finished combining some logo ideas with animals.

They're attached if anyone wants a look.  Either way, a decision sounds like a good idea and I fully support the power pentagons.

1 Dark and 2 Light in particular are nice.

Spine Tailed Swift, fastest bird at level flight

Peregrine Falcon, fastest bird in a freefall


[attachment deleted by admin]

[Nexus]

Cornstalks, I think variation 2 looks quite nice!

Do you have a PSD or something of it? I'd like to test some stuff

[Cornstalks]

Cornstalks, I think variation 2 looks quite nice!

Do you have a PSD or something of it? I'd like to test some stuff

Certainly! Here's a zip of the SVGs and some hi-res PNGs.

If anyone wants, I can provide more stuff. Just let me know.

@Waylorn: Thanks for sharing! I think they're interesting combinations of some ideas.