|| On Sat, 23 Dec 2000 03:06:57 +0100 || Peter Gerwinski peter@gerwinski.de wrote:

pg> I'd like to throw in some thoughts:

Okay, if we're at it, I might as well state my personal preferences. *g*

pg> * I agree that a logo must be minimalistic enough to look well pg> in small sizes.

*nod*

pg> * I also agree that a gnu (the animal) is almost a must.

A GNU would be good but I don't think it is mandatory. We needn't confine ourselves to things containing GNUs, I think.

pg> * I like the idea with goddess Europa very much, but I am afraid pg> that "Europa riding a gnu" is too detailed for a logo. Anyway we pg> "must" produce that piece of art. :-)

The idea isn't bad - but I fear we'll run into problems actually realizing it in a good-enough way.

Personally I like & prefer the more abstract and simple things. Which is why I chose the "horned world" as the logo for the Brave GNU World. It is simple, looks good and is easy to scale.

Someone sent a list of links around for Europa & GNU sources of inspiration. Of those

http://www.si.umich.edu/Art_History/demoarea/details/1968_2.64.html

was my clear favorite. Not because I think it is necessarily suited as a logo (it is too big for that, I think) or because we need to have such a massive Europa in front (she IS rather dominating the picture) but because it is minimalistic and to the point. Unfortunately it isn't all that easy to draw things of a similar quality.

As far as I am concerned, anything would work that somehow associates Europa, GNU/Bull, the shape of Europe or maybe even some kind of historical reference.

Whatever it is: it should not be too figurative and not too close to its "inspiring source."

So far for my 2 cents... Georg

Peter Gerwinski va escriure el Sat, 23 Dec 2000 03:06:57 +0100 :

Hi, everybody!

I'd like to throw in some thoughts:

• I agree that a logo must be minimalistic enough to look well in small sizes.

I agree too.

• I like the idea with goddess Europa very much, but I am afraid that "Europa riding a gnu" is too detailed for a logo. Anyway we "must" produce that piece of art. :-)

Yes, I'd love a poster or a mousepad with that image, or a T-shirt. If there are more like me selling that merchandising would be an easy way to raise funds.

By the way, about the feminist etc. debate. Could Europa be given the face (and the figure if we can) of Augusta Ada Byron, Countess of Lovelace?. If I am not confused she was the first programmer in history. So there is a woman, who can represent the Goddess Europe, and she is not there as decoration like many adds but in memory of the first programmer. I hope this does not induce anyone to think of a bias toward the programming language Ada, that bears her name.

In fact I've found different opinions. Some say that the first programmer was Babbage, some that Ada had a clearer notion of a general purpose calculating machine, or computer. I guess this is not uncommon in history.

http://www.ex.ac.uk/BABBAGE/ada.html

http://www.sdsc.edu/ScienceWomen/lovelace.html

About the 12 stars... I agree that it may be too reminiscent of the EU, which is not Europe, so if there would be some other icon of Europe easy to recognize, it would be better, but I can't think of one (a map somehow just don't fits in, and the word "Europe", "Europa", or so depends on language...).

-- Xavier Drudis Ferran xdrudis@tinet.org