Brand Guidelines (DRAFT)

This is work in progress material that is planned to evolve into a set of brand identity guides. This will supplement the existing logo usage guidelines, which can currently be found on the existing brand guidelines page.

The GNOME brand describes who we are: our mission, our culture, our character. We want the world to see and think of GNOME in the same way that we do: as a dynamic and idealistic enterprise, made up of diverse and skilled contributors. To get there, we all need to be able to speak about what GNOME does and is aiming to achieve.

If you ever speak to others about GNOME, whether it is just to friends, by participating in social media channels or blogging, or by helping out with GNOME marketing activities, these guidelines are designed to help you. They provide a touchstone which will hopefully inspire you when talking about GNOME.

You can use them in your own way, and should try to find your own angle. For example, talking about outreach or mentoring is a great way to emphasize openness and our mission to create opportunities around Free Software. At the same time, if you make sure that what you say about GNOME aligns with these guidelines, you will ensure that our combined voices are louder and clearer.

Who we are and what we do

We are an international project that brings together many companies, volunteers, professionals and non-profits together. We are led by the non-profit GNOME Foundation. We make GNOME 3: a complete free software solution for everyone.

See About Us

The Big Ideas

1. We are independent

Everything in GNOME happens in the open, and everyone has the opportunity to participate in our project. This enables lots of different people and organizations to participate as equals, and that means that we are not controlled by any one entity.

Our independence is reflected in how GNOME is governed. We are led by a non-profit foundation, whose board is elected and has diverse membership.

2. We are principled and open

We believe that software should be free, so that people have the opportunity to learn how it works and participate in its production. We believe that this kind of free software is better for society, is more sustainable, and creates opportunities for those who would not otherwise have them.

We work to bring software freedom to as many people as possible. Everything we do happens in the open, and everyone has the opportunity to participate in our project. We also work closely with other Free Software projects in our efforts to build a better world.

3. We believe in quality

GNOME's software is reliable, efficient, and is maintained by skilled programmers. We invest in technical foundations to create properly engineered solutions, and we fix problems at their source.

4. We are people-centered

Our software can be easily used by anyone, regardless of language or technical and physical abilities, and it is designed to enable people to meet the challenges of modern life. We put people in control of their privacy.

Our Character

Our character is our voice and the atmosphere of the project.

  • We are hard working idealists, making the world a better place.
  • We are innovative and open-minded, looking out to and engaged with the contemporary world.
  • We are friendly and welcoming, informal and caring.

Hints & Tips

  • When talking about GNOME, emphasise the project and our aspirations, and resist the temptation to talk purely about the product. We are selling a vision of the future and a way of working, not just a piece of software.
  • While quality is an important part of the GNOME brand, it is not something that should be literally expressed in our general purpose messaging. For example, you might want to promote a bug fixing initiative, but you probably wouldn't want to write an article stating that GNOME has better quality than its competitors.
  • Try to inflect your language so that it is open and outward facing. For example, don't say "we" too much, as this seems inward rather than outward facing. Likewise, emphasising "community" can make us appear insular. Describing GNOME as a project or initiative sounds more outward looking and forward thinking.
  • Tell people why *you* are passionate about GNOME.

Visual Guidelines

When producing visual materials for GNOME, ensure that they are consistent with the visual identity guidelines:

In many cases, you don't have to produce your own GNOME visual materials. We already have leaflets, presentation slides, posters, t-shirt and sticker designs. We also have source materials so you can adapt these designs to fit your own needs. That said, if you are producing materials for GNOME, or which will be used to promote GNOME, you should follow these guidelines.

  • Follow the logo and trademark guidelines.
  • Try to follow the existing visual style found in the examples.
  • You can reuse many of our visual assets in your own work.

Colors

When designing GNOME visual materials, the following palette should be used.

color-palette.png

Type

GNOME visuals should use the Cantarell font. This is included in GNOME 3 systems; you can also download it:

Working Notes

See /WorkingNotes

Engagement/DraftBrandGuidelines (last edited 2013-08-10 12:09:50 by AllanDay)