GenArchivist's Logo Contest!

[admin]

Now that our forum is close to its second month anniversary, as promised, here is the long-awaited logo contest!
This is a friendly contest where members will be sending their logo ideas and the best one is going to replace the current one in our forum. 

Rules: 

1. The logo must revolve around Genetics, Anthropology, History, Genealogy etc. This is what this is all about, so our logo must represent this view! 
   
2. No Pornography or graphic content of any kind.
   
3. Image format must be .PNG, .SVG or a vectorized image
   
4. The logo can't be "about you" that is, only about your surname, haplogroup or admixture. If you are going to add those things make it more generic. 
   
5. I am not an artist! Can I use AI to generate the logo? Yes! But, the image must be free to use. Some companies that generate images add copyrights to it, that means we could be in trouble for using those. If you are going to generate the image using such tools, you must prove that we can use it as our Forum logo.
   

Rules are pretty simple. You can send your logo via e-mail [email protected], through private message here, or AG's Refugium Discord to me or @AimSmall, basically any form of private contact.
Now, if you are sharing the file itself, a Google Drive link to it or any other link to download the logo, that is on you; we just need to be able to download it in the formats I described above. 

All logos will be posted in this thread and members can use the like function to express which one they like the best, but the final call about which logo is going to be the winner is coming from the staff, so the amount of likes your logo gets doesn't make you the loser or winner.
As always, leave your questions below if you have any. 

The contest starts now and it ends in two months, that is 21/01/24 (01/21/24). Logos may be submitted until January 10th.

Good luck to everyone! 

[JMcB]

Now that our forum is close to its second month anniversary, as promised, here is the long-awaited logo contest!
This is a friendly contest where members will be sending their logo ideas and the best one is going to replace the current one in our forum. 

Rules: 

1. The logo must revolve around Genetics, Anthropology, History, Genealogy etc. This is what this is all about, so our logo must represent this view! 
   
2. No Pornography or graphic content of any kind.
   
3. Image format must be .PNG, .SVG or a vectorized image
   
4. The logo can't be "about you" that is, only about your surname, haplogroup or admixture. If you are going to add those things make it more generic. 
   
5. I am not an artist! Can I use AI to generate the logo? Yes! But, the image must be free to use. Some companies that generate images add copyrights to it, that means we could be in trouble for using those. If you are going to generate the image using such tools, you must prove that we can use it as our Forum logo.
   

Rules are pretty simple. You can send your logo via e-mail [email protected], through private message here, or AG's Refugium Discord to me or @AimSmall, basically any form of private contact.
Now, if you are sharing the file itself, a Google Drive link to it or any other link to download the logo, that is on you; we just need to be able to download it in the formats I described above. 

All logos will be posted in this thread and members can use the like function to express which one they like the best, but the final call about which logo is going to be the winner is coming from the staff, so the amount of likes your logo gets doesn't make you the loser or winner.
As always, leave your questions below if you have any. 

The contest starts now and it ends in two months, that is 21/01/24 (01/21/24). 

Good luck to everyone! 

While I’m very happy with the one we have now, it will be interesting to see what everyone sends in.

[ChrisR]

I find this type of contest for Logo-Designs for community driven projects always good. While I'm no Pro I have some experience in this field, especially also some time ago in the contest of a then popular FOSS project. So I would like to suggest some additional rules to consider:

• definition proportion of the Logo (with Text) here in the forum.
  I see the current image is 658x200px so 3.29:1 so this could be the proposal if best for the MyBB Themes. If more viable 21:9 (2.33:1) or something like that can be defined.
  
• Square/Circle version (1:1): additionally to the Logo (with Text) a "Icon" version is likely to be needed (favicon for browser Tab etc) and should be requested together.
  
• It is not specified if a submitter can submit more then one logo proposal? I usually prefer to single out one favorite internally and only submit that, but sometimes a good second or third one can not harm the outcome of comparisons. 
  
• Proposal for selection process. As I experienced this in the FOSS Logo Redesign process I think this strategy is good for public contests:
  a) All Logo can be submitted to the staff until a certain deadline (maybe end of year)
  b) the staff does a pre-selection excluding those that would never reach consent and posts them for forum member vote for a certain time (4-6 weeks?) + comments of members for improvements and ideas
  c) A group of 4-6 of the best voted (+1 staff wildcard) is selected for the "finals" where submitters can either leave the work as is or include improvements and ideas in their work until another deadline
  d) staff selects the winner (if wanted another voting can be done as it was the case in the FOSS project)
  

I already have a draft idea and add additional thoughts:
1) while the reduced minimalist Logo/Icon trend is not as strong as it was some year ago, it still is good to have very clear objects in the logo, recognizable also at small sizes and so it is better to focus on one topic and not include several into the design.
2) I'm not sure what could be more beneficial: posting the core idea/element here so that other find other ideas and not multiple logos with very similar content will be submitted or just let everyone submit whatever he wants.

[AimSmall]

Don't judge me... lol

[admin]

Don't judge me... lol

Stop the contest, we have a winner

[admin]

I find this type of contest for Logo-Designs for community driven projects always good. While I'm no Pro I have some experience in this field, especially also some time ago in the contest of a then popular FOSS project. So I would like to suggest some additional rules to consider:

• definition proportion of the Logo (with Text) here in the forum.
  I see the current image is 658x200px so 3.29:1 so this could be the proposal if best for the MyBB Themes. If more viable 21:9 (2.33:1) or something like that can be defined.
  
• Square/Circle version (1:1): additionally to the Logo (with Text) a "Icon" version is likely to be needed (favicon for browser Tab etc) and should be requested together.
  
• It is not specified if a submitter can submit more then one logo proposal? I usually prefer to single out one favorite internally and only submit that, but sometimes a good second or third one can not harm the outcome of comparisons. 
  
• Proposal for selection process. As I experienced this in the FOSS Logo Redesign process I think this strategy is good for public contests:
  a) All Logo can be submitted to the staff until a certain deadline (maybe end of year)
  b) the staff does a pre-selection excluding those that would never reach consent and posts them for forum member vote for a certain time (4-6 weeks?) + comments of members for improvements and ideas
  c) A group of 4-6 of the best voted (+1 staff wildcard) is selected for the "finals" where submitters can either leave the work as is or include improvements and ideas in their work until another deadline
  d) staff selects the winner (if wanted another voting can be done as it was the case in the FOSS project)
  

I already have a draft idea and add additional thoughts:
1) while the reduced minimalist Logo/Icon trend is not as strong as it was some year ago, it still is good to have very clear objects in the logo, recognizable also at small sizes and so it is better to focus on one topic and not include several into the design.
2) I'm not sure what could be more beneficial: posting the core idea/element here so that other find other ideas and not multiple logos with very similar content will be submitted or just let everyone submit whatever he wants.

Nice, but I have a few things to add: 
" I see the current image is 658x200px so 3.29:1 so this could be the proposal if best for the MyBB Themes. If more viable 21:9 (2.33:1) or something like that can be defined." 
The entire banner is 658x200, that was the optimal size I found to correctly align the buttons below it (vahaduo redirect, portal etc). The logo being in .SVG or .PNG I can resize it to fit the banner. The bigger the logo, best is the final resolution. 
"additionally to the Logo (with Text) a "Icon" version is likely to be needed (favicon for browser Tab etc) and should be requested together." You don't need to add any text to it if don't want to. The curernt logo is the DNA helix with a bookshelf behind it, the Forum's name and everything else I will be adding alongside with the new logo. about the favicon, I can generate that based on the logo.
"It is not specified if a submitter can submit more then one logo proposal?" Users can submit as many logos as they wish.
" All Logo can be submitted to the staff until a certain deadline" That is a good one. Lets make it until January 10th. I will edit the post. 
" the staff does a pre-selection excluding those that would never reach consent and posts them for forum member vote for a certain time (4-6 weeks?) + comments of members for improvements and ideas" All logos will be posted by me here in this thread and members can do that from start. 
" A group of 4-6 of the best voted (+1 staff wildcard)" I like this one too.
" staff selects the winner (if wanted another voting can be done as it was the case in the FOSS project)" Agreed, if the staff can't decide the winner a poll will be opened
" I'm not sure what could be more beneficial: posting the core idea/element here so that other find other ideas and not multiple logos with very similar content will be submitted or just let everyone submit whatever he wants." 
Honestly, I want people to use as much creativity as they can. Minimalist, Coat of Arms style, flags, maps, charts, languages.. go wild and we will make it work.

[ChrisR]

" I see the current image is 658x200px so 3.29:1 so this could be the proposal if best for the MyBB Themes. If more viable 21:9 (2.33:1) or something like that can be defined." 
The entire banner is 658x200, that was the optimal size I found to correctly align the buttons below it (vahaduo redirect, portal etc). The logo being in .SVG or .PNG I can resize it to fit the banner. The bigger the logo, best is the final resolution. 
"additionally to the Logo (with Text) a "Icon" version is likely to be needed (favicon for browser Tab etc) and should be requested together." You don't need to add any text to it if don't want to. The curernt logo is the DNA helix with a bookshelf behind it, the Forum's name and everything else I will be adding alongside with the new logo. about the favicon, I can generate that based on the logo.

Good, I work in Inkscape (SVG) for almost all Designstuff having Vector-Data/Text. That should also give the best flexibility including PNG, PDF, favicon, etc. exports. So it seems the logo itself (without text) should be 1:1 or a similar size for best combination with the text to a 658x200 size.
I always like to work with Fonts and style them also, so I most certainly will create a combination of Logo with Text (GenArchivist etc.).
Looking forward to see where this contest leads to, best of appealing creativity to all submitters.

[Mitchell-Atkins]

or a square version



monochrome





Sorry about the pixilation,  just throwing out the general idea.

with some 3d effect

[ph2ter]

@Mitchell-Atkins
A good one but I don't like the design of the GA in the middle. G looks greater than A.

I also plan to propose my logo.

[Capsian20]

Well i did logo but i painted in paper only ( I dont think is good )

[admin]

Remember to send the final version of them at the email [email protected] or any other form of private contact. Only the logos that I post will be considered. (that doesn't mean you can't post them here by yourself!)

[Mitchell-Atkins]

@Mitchell-Atkins
A good one but I don't like the design of the GA in the middle. G looks greater than A.

Good critique.

Updated version fixes this issue.  Already emailed to [email protected].

[rmstevens2]

or a square version



monochrome





Sorry about the pixilation,  just throwing out the general idea.

with some 3d effect

I like those, but I'd like to propose that in place of "GA" you have "GenArch". (Kind of like the way the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North America calls itself "GOArch" for short.)

Although I do like the idea of being able to refer to the forum verbally as "GA" (GAH! ).

There is something satisfyingly Neanderthal about that. 

[ph2ter]

My proposals:

[Ambiorix]

My logo proposal: