Hi everyone,

This question grew out of a post on reddit and my comment there.

Since a new set of icons are being made for KDE, I was wondering how much room there is for a new KDE logo and what are the guidelines (if there are any) to be followed for it? KDE logo has changed quite a bit over the years but the letter "K" has been there most of the times. I'm wondering if there is room to do something less traditional/more creative for the logo?

As an example idea, I put one in my comment on reddit. Another idea that I'm thinking is a triangle (representing the three parts of the letter K) with a gear inside (here; maybe the triangle legs can be curved). None of these are aesthetically pleasing but you know what I mean.

Also the idea in this Konq logo is interesting: half gear plus a picture/shape inside.

So what do you think?

I'm personally not against redesigning the main KDE logo, but you have to be careful in doing such a thing since it takes a lot of time to make it "stick". Although the current logo has seen some revamps over the years, the main design is still pretty much the same, and for good reason.

With that said, if a total logo redesign would be in place, my opinion would be to not have a cog involved in it. It just screams "don't use me if you're not a professional" to me, which of course is not great if you want to expand the user base. Just my 5 cents on this.

[As this is my first post on this forum - hi there!]

I really like the combination of type and symbol in the actual logo. In my opinion the letter runs like a common thread through the whole project and therefore fits into the main logo. Nevertheless there should be room for re-design efforts. My approach would be to work on form and texture of the gear and on combination of gear and letter.

The reduced approach of khaki on his sketch linked in the comment is something a like. I don´t think this would fit to a main logo, but -just a thought- possibly in an elaborate form to artworks for marketing.

Well I for one do not like the "K" naming principle, neither do I like the K-logo (especially not since it uses another font entirely from Oxygen Sans)

BUT all that said - this needs to be a very very very careful thing since a logo redesign is by nature tricky and especially when the logo is worked in already. I am not trying to be pessimistic (seriously I'm not) but just be prepared to get a lot of "no's" since this is an issue where the current logo, no matter how weird many of us think it is has a lot of merit simply by being known (which is one of the main things a logo should do).

Just so you know. But create logo's we can't even consider changing them unless there are alternatives

I thought about a replacement of the current KDE logo (but I couldn't figure out how to redesign the current logo - the basic design of the current logo is very good). But it should be revamped to match with the new theme of Plasma:



SVG: https://www.dropbox.com/s/7n09m26gy4frghl/KDE_logo.svg

• Removed background
• Colored to new Plasma Next colors
• (I tried adding a glow, but it looked not "clean" and too much)

In my opinion, now the "old" KDE logo don't look as ... not matching to theme.

In my opinion, perhaps the K could disappear because from now on will be called Plasma Desktop and no longer KDE Desktop
My idea would be something that starts from this http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cFiFGshspOc/U ... 0/logo.png Removing the K, an abstract and colored logo, which once again reminds icon LegnaV for Krita

Good idea: A KDE logo and a Plasma logo
=> The KDE logo stays the same (or is revamped but uses the same design)
=> A plasma icon

... Any ideas?

Just some pictures:

I think that with any redesign there should be a set guideline on what you "should" accomplish. As a designer you can always have ideas and these are certainly valid. But my question is, "where is the objective?" Do we have a set of design guidelines that will help achieve cohesiveness with the rest of the designs? I think KDE's logo can use a revamp, but a revamp and not a replacement. Do we have guidelines for this new redesign on KDE?

rumangerst wrote:I thought about a replacement of the current KDE logo (but I couldn't figure out how to redesign the current logo - the basic design of the current logo is very good). But it should be revamped to match with the new theme of Plasma:



SVG: https://www.dropbox.com/s/7n09m26gy4frghl/KDE_logo.svg

• Removed background
• Colored to new Plasma Next colors
• (I tried adding a glow, but it looked not "clean" and too much)

In my opinion, now the "old" KDE logo don't look as ... not matching to theme.

That's pretty cool work! It respects the current logo by keeping the essential shapes intact, while evolving it forward based on the aesthetics of the new design direction. The KDE logo has evolved over time but the basic elements of the gear and K have always been present. I think this or something like this would be a welcome evolution.

Regarding visual guidelines, they are starting to form and will eventually be available in a wiki format.

If the community is keen on keeping the K and cog motifs, I've always wondered if it's possible to combine them somehow.
It seems to me that great logos are very good at unifying different elements, not just combining them. The logo of VW cars, or Ubuntu One are both clever for example.

My drawings aren't the best, but they hopefully communicate what I mean.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/veu92b6vayhig6v/kcogs.png

I also agree with the previous post that the cog probably appeals to tech-minded people, so it might be a good move to change it for something else (if I get a good idea I will share one )

BBills wrote:My drawings aren't the best, but they hopefully communicate what I mean.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/veu92b6vayhig6v/kcogs.png

Good idea to merge the elements. Especially your second sketch looks promising!

rumangerst wrote:I thought about a replacement of the current KDE logo (but I couldn't figure out how to redesign the current logo - the basic design of the current logo is very good). But it should be revamped to match with the new theme of Plasma:

IMHO this looks very good, it matches whole new theme, and it keeps old elements, just modernizing them. Something similar did Windows with their logo. They went from "flag in the wind" to a more modern and flat design, which I really like. So did this logo, I really like it... And include some monochromatic logo's.

I don't think we should change the official KDE logo.



This is fine, but altering the elements like some of the other proposals do is not something I'd expect to get the green light.

I am not saying anything about using something else (not using KDE logo) for the "start" menu. For that one I have mixed feelings.

ivan wrote:I don't think we should change the official KDE logo.



This is fine, but altering the elements like some of the other proposals do is not something I'd expect to get the green light.

I am not saying anything about using something else (not using KDE logo) for the "start" menu. For that one I have mixed feelings.

I agree with this impression. It should not change, but should it be revamped? Or maybe, don't touch the KDE logo, but do create a revamped/new plasma desktop? I tried putting a spin on the KDE logo, see how it works. The idea is to highlight change and almost as a new dawn, the gear is coming our from on top of the K.

> I agree with this impression. It should not change, but should it be revamped?

I consider that a change. I do not speak legalese, but the KDE logo is trademarked in its current form. (don't know whether the oxygen version is as well, but the previous ones are)