FreeCAD Logo Design

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TeslaCoil
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Re: FreeCAD Logo Design

Post by TeslaCoil »

chrisb wrote: Tue Aug 30, 2022 11:24 am ... the arguments you state look like another act of self-sabotage. They are the usual marketing stuff, not caring if it is wrong or right. Unprecise statements, which are only eye catching... Ever heard of freedom? And why should FreeCAD care about consumers. FreeCAD doesn't have to sell.
You're right. I used to work for these EvilCorp companies where everything is 'consumers' and 'product'. However, behind a lot of that insidious stupidity there is a psychological process: People do react very strongly to visuals.

FreeCAD may be 'free' but it is in competition with 'paid'. I'd like it to be software that a young person can pick up and teach themselves with.

At the moment, most beginners will open FreeCAD, feel like it's cheap (it's not); close the app down; and then stumble into the hellscape of Fusion360 or some other bait-and-switch trap that further profits EvilCorp and destroys our planet's engineering landscape.

Change is hard; and often resisted. I strongly feel something must be done about the logo and splash immediately. It creates such a horrible impression. It's like dressing Einstein in a clown suit; why do something so demeaning to something so great?
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TeslaCoil
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Re: FreeCAD Logo Design

Post by TeslaCoil »

Zolko wrote: Tue Aug 30, 2022 10:21 am why-not, but at bare minimum re-use the current color scheme.
Here you go:

Image
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MisterMaker
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Re: FreeCAD Logo Design

Post by MisterMaker »

I like that you included rhe splash screen, simple a new logo is pretty useless in my opinion a complete new more modern style would be better also including the workbench icons and website and forum. And yeah that is a lot of work. But in ny opinion is the reason we still use current logo.
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mfro
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Re: FreeCAD Logo Design

Post by mfro »

Turn around the upper inside jaw of your caliper before use - this way it's not going to work (and might produce laughs) ;)

And if you want my opinion: the worst of the bad marketing people could do is to change a well established product name - no matter how stupid it might be.
Cheers,
Markus
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adrianinsaval
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Re: FreeCAD Logo Design

Post by adrianinsaval »

I like the typography you propose but name change to FCAD is not going to happen, you can submit a splashscreen proposal for the next release if you don't like the style, personally I really like the current one.
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TeslaCoil
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Re: FreeCAD Logo Design

Post by TeslaCoil »

MisterMaker wrote: Tue Aug 30, 2022 12:31 pm a complete new more modern style would be better... yeah that is a lot of work. But in my opinion is the reason we still use current logo.
Then I feel it should be done in stages. If the application icon is updated, and no longer matches the website, that is still better than the icon being terrible everywhere. First we could fix the application, then later update the rest. Consistency is important, but not if it means being consistently bad.

I know this seems petty, but I feel this logo and splash-screen situation symbolizes a larger problem for FreeCAD: The FreeCAD logo feels jammed in mediocrity because of some kind of collective-agreement that changing it would mean admitting it does actually matter how the application looks. The same is true for most of the UI.

As a recovered Evilcorp idiot. I am interested in helping. I have experience in the UI design of several major apps. I quit that hellscape and I'd like to redesign the UI on FreeCAD. The universe calls me to it.

I have some programming background too: Can someone point me in the right direction of others working on these problems; or to some more information on exactly where FreeCAD pulls its graphics resources from these days; and how hard it is to swap these out for testing new UI.

I get the feeling FreeCAD may need to be forked to convince the traditionalists that something profound must change with the UI. Then hopefully the two versions can both meet again on the other side of the mountain,

Thanks!
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TeslaCoil
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Re: FreeCAD Logo Design

Post by TeslaCoil »

mfro wrote: Tue Aug 30, 2022 12:33 pm Turn around the upper inside jaw of your caliper before use - this way it's not going to work (and might produce laughs) ;)
It looked typographically odd the 'correct' way around. Consider it a clamp instead.
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MisterMaker
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Re: FreeCAD Logo Design

Post by MisterMaker »

If you did the frontpage and the forum and a freecad theme and splash screen then said now I only need a fitting logo, then it will be done in no time. But not a logo and splash screen that is the easy part!
Also not just pretty pictures but useable stuff, because finding someone to implement your ideas is going to be hard, unless you got a bag of money.
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TeslaCoil
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Re: FreeCAD Logo Design

Post by TeslaCoil »

MisterMaker wrote: Tue Aug 30, 2022 1:09 pm finding someone to implement your ideas is going to be hard, unless you got a bag of money.

I keep coming back to this problem. You are right: Implementation is the key.

I have extensively funded programmers in the past, with mixed results. There is so often a chasm between those who 'program' and those who can empathize with the beginner user. Often it is a struggle to get the 'programmer' to recognize that programmers are not the typical user of any program.

Most programmers feel that people should learn to use the software. However, I feel software should teach itself to the user.

I am beginning to feel that the only solution is for me to finish learning to program. Throwing money at developers can work to some degree; but it's very inefficient. This weird chasm between UI designers and programmers needs to be eliminated. Philosophically, these should not be separate roles.
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Kunda1
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Re: FreeCAD Logo Design

Post by Kunda1 »

Keep conversation on topic: logo design

@TeslaCoil thanks again for your input. For more philosophical discussions on approach to FC UI/UX please open a separate thread with your views. Suggestion: use more neutral language (less inflammatory) if you want to keep your thread on topic.
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