The Quest for the Sahana Logo

Now that we’ve established the Sahana Software Foundation, we need to finally decide on an official logo. Some ideas got posted in the past on the wiki, but we were never able to come to consensus on an official logo.

Most of the ideas posted on that page are banners not logos. Banners are great for conference websites and other special events. But they are all too big and have too many words or detail on them to serve as a logo. A logo needs to be more versatile – something small that can be used anywhere. It needs to be more of an emblem or seal - small and graphic (no photos) so it can fit easily in the corner of pages, letters, websites, in e-mail signatures, etc.

So we are going to have another design contest to pick an official logo for the Sahana Software Foundation.

Here are the requirements:

• SVG graphic - no photos
• A yellow sunflower with “SSF” in the middle – something akin to the nsf logo (see below)
• The “SSF” letters should emulate the stylized lettering (and the colors – green/red-orange/yellow) used in the LSF logo (also below) as a tribute to Sahana’s heritage.
  

These three make up the base / emblematic logo. Once this is complete - please:

• Create a version with “Sahana” written underneath the emblematic logo
• Create a version with “Sahana Software Foundation” to the right of the emblematic logo on three lines (again, like the LSF logo).

The winning design will become the base logo for the Sahana Software Foundation.

This versatility allows us to use the appropriate logo based on the space available. But it all begins with the base logo/emblem. Once we have that – larger graphics can be built off of it that includes things like “Sahana Disaster Management System” or “Free and Open Source Software” or even “Free and Open Source Disaster & Emergency Management Software” or other things (e.g. project names - SahanaPy, Sahana-L10N, etc.) Let’s leave all that to after a base logo is selected.

Note: “ ’Coz disasters are never proprietary ” – this is a slogan – not a part of a logo. Let’s please leave that out for now…

However, to allow for some creativity - I've added a fourth section for thinking out-of-the-box ideas that designer may have for a logo that do not match the above specifications - but do keep in mind that being small and scalable are going to be major factors in the decision.

Please submit your design ideas below this line by November 30, 2009. Create a new level three heading under each section with your name so we can track. The winning design will be announced on or before December 7, 2009. The winner will get the first t-shirts, polo-shirts and hats to come off the assembly line with the new logo.

Note: All submitted designs become the intellectual property of the Sahana Software Foundation and may be trademarked according to international trade mark law. By posting a design here, designers are certifying that they hold all rights to the work, that it is original, and that they are granting all usage rights to the Sahana Software Foundation. Designers may be required to sign a document conferring all rights to the logo design to the Sahana Software Foundation.