Inform about Branding

The Branding Initiative has been brought to live by community members of several OpenOffice.org projects like art, marketing, website and user experience. On this page we want to inform you about our reasons to do so.

What does branding mean?

Branding is one of the most important secondary tasks inside a company (if you define the product as primary task). It's goal is to raise awareness for the product (the brand), recognition in public as well as employee's identification with the brand.

For an open source project like OpenOffice.org branding means a crucial step on the way to professionalism.

People should recognize our product and our community by a consistent design, that transports our main messages on an emotional level. Even if they don't read the name, they should be able to recognize our graphical branding elements as belonging to OpenOffice.org, wherever they look at one or them.

A good branding intensifies identification of our commnity members not only with their own sub-project , but with the general project too. The more our community members are aware of being part of the international OpenOffice.org project, the more strength we gain by the synergistic effects of different groups and projects as well as by people's identification with OpenOffice.org.

Our branding can be supported by graphical means as well as by other activities like definition of our common goals and working on the basic positive attitudes and emotions OpenOffice.org addresses.

There will be a survey soon to ask the community members about what they think are the three most important positive aspects and attributes of OpenOffice.org. Based on this survey we'll be working on a consistent visual design.

What is visual design?

Visual design is the basis of visual identity and therefore the most important part of branding for public recognition. If we present a common graphical language wherever people get in contact with our product (and our project), they start to associate OpenOffice.org with a certain tone of blue or the shape of our stylized gulls in a part of a second, even if they hadn't time to read the wording or if the logo hasn't been provided along with the graphics.

Why should all appearances look alike?

With a consistent look and feel OpenOffice.org appears more professional – especially if we provide a design on a high level of quality. We have a multitude of projects and different ways of presenting our product and project in public. Using the same design language and graphical elements for all appearances enforces the impression of a single product and a vast community of people working together – this is important for the perception of OpenOffice.org in public as well for the feeling of beloning together for the community members. If parts of the community don't feel comfortable with the general branding and stay with their own design, this weakens the brand and the our preception in public.

Local attributes and special elements for a dedicated project or group are possible and should be supported to increase the group member's identification with their task and area. But these elements should be part of the general branding theme, not an alternative or opposition to it.

Therefore it is important to include people from all the areas where OpenOffice.org is represented by visual means in this branding initiative so their interests can be integrated in the general branding theme.

To whom it concerns ...

The community, product, any relations to the public...