Open-Sourced Logos • Hacker News Board

Re: Open-Sourced Logos

#41

Post by jiblylabs » Sat, Jan 30, 2016, 5:51 PM UTC

malandrew wrote: post #38

jasim wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No. I'm bootstrapping a product startup, and the only thing I care about now is whether it works and whether people find _value_ in it. Its logo doesn't matter, the copy doesn't matter, glossy startuppy pictures don't matter. The only thing that matters now is whether it is materially useful - whether someone thinks that their life is easier because this tool exist in this world. So when this site came up a long time…

I can't upvote this enough. I know a few of the true stories behind the original logos of some of SV's unicorns and this is spot on (unfortunately, I cannot share them because they were shared in confidence). The parent comment is not wrong about the value of a great brand, but it can easily become a huge frivolous distraction after a certain point when you're should be focusing on building something useful for peopl…

Totally. I think there is plenty of value in design and brand work. The types of startups that don't have the money, or need to get a professional designer to help them out aren't the types of customer any designer would want in the first place. So free resources like these simply fill the gap to make sure startups don't waste $5 on fiverr for crap, instead get something much nicer for free. WHen they have the money and are seeing their company get traction, their brand becomes important and they'll naturally shift towards designers. I think the company behind this resource understands that. bravo.

Re: Open-Sourced Logos

#42

Post by jtolmar » Sat, Jan 30, 2016, 5:54 PM UTC

The amateur game development community would love these. Designing logos for in-universe companies is a thankless chore.

But they're really adverse to using things without an explicit license. This could really use a CC0 stamp somewhere.

Re: Open-Sourced Logos

#43

Post by propter_hoc » Sat, Jan 30, 2016, 5:54 PM UTC

pbhjpbhj wrote: post #18

The pharmacy logo is more or less the logo of Lloyds Pharmacy in the UK. Close enough that it could be deemed to be infringing their TM IMO (it's tricky though with generic imagery).

If you're referring to this device [1], it's a matter of opinion. Personally I wouldn't really agree: the mortar and pestle is a common enough device and the leaf is a nice distinctive element.

The real risk in a situation like this is not really that you get a C&D from using it on your startup's landing page. The risk is that if you eventually tried to file a trademark for it, you would lose: either because some large firm's lawyers would oppose and have no trouble outspending you; or because, if you tried to file a trademark on an open-source logo you found on HN, you probably got bad legal advice.

If I had a natural-supplement startup, for example, I'd be fine using this open-source logo as a placeholder and developing a new logo once I wanted to start a trademark registration process.

http://enjoykingsheath.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/lloyds...

Re: Open-Sourced Logos

#44

Post by wheatbin » Sat, Jan 30, 2016, 6:00 PM UTC

jasim wrote: post #20

mratzloff wrote: post #5

You, too, can have a generic logo that doesn't actually reflect your individual company, message, or values! Simply pair it with a font of your choosing (font and logo need not match), and you have yourself a brand. These kinds of things devalue the actual work that goes into real branding, like crowdsourcing your logo or Marissa Mayer popping out something that she thinks "looks nice" over a weekend. It also has the…

No. I'm bootstrapping a product startup, and the only thing I care about now is whether it works and whether people find _value_ in it. Its logo doesn't matter, the copy doesn't matter, glossy startuppy pictures don't matter. The only thing that matters now is whether it is materially useful - whether someone thinks that their life is easier because this tool exist in this world. So when this site came up a long time…

I liken a brand to a person's name and personality. It helps me differentiate similar products in the marketplace.

Apple computers commands a higher profit margin than their competitors because of their brand. Just a thought.

Re: Open-Sourced Logos

#45

Post by LeifCarrotson » Sat, Jan 30, 2016, 6:01 PM UTC

chejazi wrote: post #40

jasim wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No. I'm bootstrapping a product startup, and the only thing I care about now is whether it works and whether people find _value_ in it. Its logo doesn't matter, the copy doesn't matter, glossy startuppy pictures don't matter. The only thing that matters now is whether it is materially useful - whether someone thinks that their life is easier because this tool exist in this world. So when this site came up a long time…

I'm bootstrapping a product startup as well and I have to agree. My logo is the cent symbol, in Arial font. Lots of other things to be working on!

Good luck! I work at a company where the logo is the founder's last name, in Arial Black, the aspect ratio slightly squished because the original designer was an ME with no software experience to know how to preserve aspect ratio. Now that logo is on 20 years and tens of millions of dollars worth of machines, so it would be hard to change, but it's fine.