Working Notes for the GNOME Brand Identity and Strategy

Brand Qualities

GNOME...

• is alternative and independent:
  • We are an association of professionals, volunteers and organizations, led by a non-profit foundation.
  • We are free from control by any single organization.
• is principled and open:
  • Everything we do happens in the open, and everyone has the opportunity to participate.
  • We believe that code should be free, and work to bring free software to as many people as possible.
  • We work with other free projects in order to build a better world.
• delivers quality:
  • Our software is reliable, efficient, and is maintained by skilled programmers.
  • We invest in technical foundations to create properly engineered solutions.
• is people centered:
  • Our software can be easily used by anyone, regardless of language or technical and physical abilities.
  • It is designed to enable people to meet the challenges of modern life.
  • We put people in control of their privacy.

Our Personality Traits

• aspirational: motivated, dedicated, idealistic, ethical
• up to date: innovative, modern, open minded, outward facing, engaged with the contemporary world
• friendly: fun, informal, welcoming, caring

General Guidelines

• Always try and promote the brand associations when you talk about GNOME.
• Promoting the brand associations doesn't mean that you need to talk about them directly, and it is actually more effective if can find you 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.
• 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.
• The personality traits describe the GNOME voice - this is our character; the way we speak. Try to inflect your language along these lines. 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.
• "Collaboration" sounds corporate, and it can be used a shorthand that some people won't understand. It is better to talk about the specifics of how GNOME works: how the project is made up of diverse organizations, and how we work with other Free Software projects.
• Avoid describing GNOME as a desktop: we are much more than a Desktop Environment, and the "desktop" is no longer relevant as a user interface metaphor.

Visual Guidelines

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

• Use the GNOME color palette and font
• Follow the GNOME visual style
• Follow the logo usage guidelines

See https://github.com/gnome-design-team/gnome-marketing/tree/master/brand