As an open community evolves, so does the way in which it expresses its identification to others. And having open conversations about how you would like your group to be acknowledged is a crucial part of group engagement.
Simply put, your group’s model is what folks (particularly potential contributors) see first after they encounter you. So you wish to be sure your model displays your group—its values, its rules, and its spirit.
And, in fact, you need it to be one thing your common contributors take pleasure in taking a look at ceaselessly, one thing individuals are proud to put on on their convention t-shirts and place of their e-mail signatures. You need it to be one thing that grows with the group for years to come back.
The Open Organization group balanced all these issues for months as we developed our personal new brand and model. In this text, we’ll share how working the open approach led to a spectacular new visible identification for our undertaking.
Why rebrand?
In 2015, many people (some for years) had been fascinated with the position open rules can play in organizational transformation, and we would been working to assist others perceive open tradition. But we are likely to have fun one explicit second—publication of The Open Organization by Red Hat’s then-CEO, Jim Whitehurst—because the genesis of the Open Organization group. The concepts in that e book, and the initiative behind the “Ambassador” program, helped us discover one another. So after we wanted an emblem for our collaborative work, we merely adopted the emblem so clearly and boldly positioned on the e book’s cowl.
Yet The Open Organization was just one e book, from one creator, in a single business, in a single a part of the world. Even Jim acknowledged its limitations, noting that the e book:
“… raises the question, what else is possible when we put aside our conventional organizations and begin to tap into the power of participative communities in all aspects of our lives and businesses? The potential is limitless, which is why I invite you to join our journey by engaging in the discussions on opensource.com.”
Our group’s collective expertise with these very participatory communities demonstrated—and continues to exhibit—precisely what else is feasible.
Together, then, we had been capable of increase Jim’s expertise at Red Hat (although we at all times welcomed his perspectives along the way). Over the previous half-decade, the Open Organization group has grown from a small group of passionate folks debating nascent concepts concerning the “cultural side” of open supply to a bustling bunch of thought leaders who’ve actually written the definition of what it means to be an open group. To put it in open supply phrases: Our total upstream undertaking continues to evolve from that founding gesture.
We wanted a brand new look—one which higher communicated our identification as one thing a lot greater.
But to establish and symbolize ourselves, we continued utilizing the emblem from Jim’s e book. And too typically, that meant individuals who encountered our work confused our vibrant group stuffed with so many thinkers, writers, advocates, coaches, consultants, and leaders with … a single e book by a single particular person (albeit an important e book by a well-respected particular person, which we by no means minded!).
We wanted a brand new look—one which higher communicated our identification as one thing a lot greater.
How to get began
Red Hat’s Open Studio graciously supplied our group some branding assist. These are the rockstar designers and model strategists behind all of Red Hat’s company advertising initiatives (together with the high-profile Open Brand Project)—so, naturally, we mentioned sure.
Because understanding the group and what it represents is a crucial first step in creating a coherent model, the Open Studio wanted to get to know us.
They began becoming a member of our month-to-month calls, studied our group historical past and values, and defined that we should always take into account one in all two strategic instructions: evolving what we have constructed and creating one thing model new.
Faced with branding choices, any open group may observe these normal pathways. Here’s how they labored for us.
Option 1: Evolve what you’ve got constructed
How do folks already know you? Does your group reuse the identical colours or patterns within the model it has constructed over time? Ours definitely did!
In our case, the feel and appear of the Open Organization e book considerably influenced our group’s model and identification. We’d used it constantly and repeatedly since launch (simply check out Figure 1), however the typeface and normal colour scheme remained strongly paying homage to Red Hat. The overlapping, outlined shapes symbolize transparency and openness, which definitely resonated with our group’s values, however the scale was all mistaken to be used as a brand. After all, this design was meant to behave as an eye catching e book cowl—but it surely wasn’t constructed to do far more.
Figure 1: Our unique brand and model, in motion
So one possibility obtainable to us was to evolve this design, iterate on it to create one thing paying homage to the acquainted cowl design however nonetheless contemporary and compelling. So the Open Studio confirmed us just a few mockups of what our model may seem like if we selected that path.
Option 2: Start one thing new
Taking a model in a brand new course is always a little risky, as any recognition (or “brand equity,” as we heard the designers say) could be misplaced within the transition. Past work will look completely different, and folks could be confused concerning the affiliation between our work from then and now. But making a clear break with the previous may even have advantages. For starters, it meant we had been extra free to think about one thing wholly new.
So designers within the Open Studio additionally offered us with a second possibility, one which appeared (in some ways) radically completely different than the place we would begun.
Making a selection
So we had a option to make: evolve what we would constructed, or launch one thing new?
Community dialogue was vigorous. We labored with the Open Studio by three rounds of suggestions and iteration, and, in the long run, we determined to forge a model new course (see Figure 2).
Figure 2: Our new brand, icon, and colour scheme
The new model incorporates circles or bubbles, shapes generally used to symbolize collaboration and group. The sq. across the icon represents a conventional group (see how the open rules reduce by it?), and the damaged strokes and white house signify transparency and adaptability. And to make certain the design expressed all 5 traits within the Open Organization Definition, the Open Studio integrated inclusivity by—properly, together with our group in all the design course of itself. We additionally thought the image seems just a little bit like a hug—a robust promoting level for us!
Open Studio additionally provided us with a constant, versatile colour palette, model pointers, and a great deal of recommendations on utilizing our new model powerfully and constantly. We’re extraordinarily grateful for the assistance they supplied.
The clearest measure of our profitable collaboration is simple to pinpoint: Seeing our new brand makes us all smile.
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