[plug] Friends, PLUGers, Artists, lend me your talents!

[Tim Bowden]

Ok, with a bit of luck this one won't get eaten by the ether monster...

You may have noticed the PLUG logo.  More likely you have tried hard not
to notice the PLUG logo eyesore.  Hopefully when you did notice it you
didn't grimace so much it caused you enduring pain.  Lets face it, it's
not the best logo you've ever seen.  Not even close.  It was a "quick
and dirty" job that was pressed into short term service many years ago.
Then inertia took over.  Now that PLUG has some fresh momentum, we
should capitalise on that and get a new logo.  With that...

<drum roll>

.....

Nup, not enough.  This is big.  Really big.

<mega drum roll>

<and again>

(Is there such a thing as too much?)

PLUG is putting up a prize for the best new logo.  Eternal fame and
glory await the talented artist that is able to produce the best new
logo that shows the world just how fabulous PLUG is.  Oh, and you'll
also get a years free PLUG membership.  Just to top it all off.  Feel
free to throw ideas around on the list or beaver away in the corner on
your own.  Whatever works for you.

We don't have many hard and fast rules, though there are a number of
points to consider:

* Whilst Tux (the lovable penguin) is a pretty well known and recognised
brand for linux, it isn't required that he be a part of the logo (though
obviously he's quite welcome!).

* PLUG isn't just for Perth.  Since there are no other LUG's in WA, and
we have members in a number of regional areas, you may want to consider
a design that represents WA as much as Perth.  Having said that, it's
not required that the logo be geographically significant.

* PLUG isn't just about Linux;  If it's FOSS, it's in scope.  If that
gives you more room for ideas, all the better.

* Vector and/or Raster format?  Something in SVG would be good as we
will need to reproduce the logo from small low res web copies to large
format high res printed copies.

* Is it suitable for screen printing (ie, for T-shirts etc)?

* How many colours does it use?  Will it work in greyscale?

* Can it be embroidered on business shirts or Polo shirts?  Not all of
us only wear T-shirts.

* What colour backgrounds does it work with?

* Is the design suitable for easy modification?  From time to time PLUG
may have special projects (such as the AV project) that may want to use
a modified version of the logo.

* Can the logo be animated?  Rotated in 3D?  Progressively rendered? It
will likely get used in some form in the intro's of the video streams
the AV team is working on.

* Software:  There's lots of great free software out there that can be
used to create the logo such as GIMP, Inkscape, Scribus, Blender and so
on.  It's probably a "good thing" if free software is used to create our
logo.  There's nothing like "eating our own dogfood" as they say.


Fine Print:
IP:  You must have all IP rights to the work you create.  No third party
can have any claim on the logo for it to be acceptable for use by PLUG.
Copyright on all entries must be assigned to PLUG.  The final logo may
end up using elements from multiple entries.  PLUG will make reasonable
attempt to give attribution to anyone who contributed to the final
product.

Initial entries need to be submitted by Friday June 10th by emailing
them to logo-comp at plug.org.au.  Depending on what gets submitted and the
feedback they receive, we may then give an opportunity to "fine tune" or
re-work submissions before making a final selection, but don't count on
it.  If there's an outstanding entry that grabs everyone's attention
then I imagine we'd adopt that.

Anyone submitting a serious entry will be awarded a years free
membership.  What constitutes a serious entry will be at the judges
discretion and no correspondence will be entered into on that matter.
Quick 5 minute "stick figure" type entries aren't going to be considered
serious.

If you're not happy with only getting a years free membership, I'm sure
we could rummage around in the old bits bin and throw in something like
an ancient 10mbit network card or really dodgy IDE HDD if we can find
any.  But we won't guarantee they work.  We don't have a budget to work
with!

Eternal fame and glory may depend largely on factors outside PLUG's
control.  It ain't guaranteed!

Happy logo creating!