Original colors:
5 Likes
I like the current logo shape but I am also a fan of the material design:
(of course… with orange color 
)
I got these samples from: icon8
edit: I like @pmpkk 's ideas but the house icon should be more “visible/distinct” (not to be confused with an arrow)
I really like the idea of having a background with some pattern, not only pure orange
I created it with https://romannurik.github.io/AndroidAssetStudio/icons-launcher.html#foreground.type=image&foreground.space.trim=1&foreground.space.pad=0.2&foreColor=rgb(255%2C%20255%2C%20255)&backColor=rgb(255%2C%2087%2C%2034)&crop=0&backgroundShape=square&effects=shadow&name=ic_launcher
You have to upload the oh logo yourself and can play around
1 Like
It’s important to keep in mind, that a logo should also work if you don’t have any coloring options, like on a stamp. A logo is not defined by a “background with some pattern”. It should also work in black where any background pattern just won’t be visible. Don’t mix up an app icon with a logo.
I can’t stress enough how important it is to stick to a logo if there is no good reason to change it completely. Just out of a new trend, no icon should be thrown away so easily. Especially when the icon is established and broadly known!
Creating something new should only be done, if the old logo has major problems like a similarity to another logo or if the logo doesn’t represent the company/product in a right way (any longer)… A good example therefor is the original Apple Logo. Good thing that they changed it.
So, the openHAB-icon…
- is unique
- is learned
- works with one color and with more colors
- resembles the product in an absolutely perfect way: A house within an enclosing circle which represents the openHAB approach to speak to all the protocols and products in home automation. Everything in that house is covered by that circle. This just IS openHAB! (At least, that’s what I see in the logo!
@pmpkk’s last design draft also goes in that direction, but in my opinion too gentle and too subtle.)
And btw: Don’t change the font also. It’s a great choice: unique, good to read, modern, stands out.
But still I would tweak the logo a little. Make it look modern. Not every design trend has to be taken, but I’m pretty sure that the less polished and skeuomorphic design approach is here to stay. So go for it. Make it flat. Make it simple. Reduce the colors, define two or three design colors. Not only the logo will have a contemporary look and feel, it will look better on websites when used as a small logo picture. The shine through the middle of the icon loses it’s effect in smaller versions of the logo.
Keep in mind that creating a new logo or (almost worse) a change of the primary color could (and probably would) mean a lot of work: Change the logo/colors on the website(s), in the app(s), in openHAB itself, on the stationeries, stamps (if there are any),… There still will be the old logo in some places, it could confuse people. If there is only a tweaked logo, this process would not be so radical and it would be ok if somewhere an old logo ist still around. No one would be confused. It won’t hurt to exchange the logo everywhere gradually.
Cheers!
Norman
5 Likes
Thanks to everyone for voting and also thanks for all the creativity regarding potential logo updates!
I take the vote result as a signal that most people do not have a strong opinion (and rather do not worry much about it), but that many people also share the conception that it might be time for an update.
As I had mentioned here, I will follow up on this in the openHAB Foundation and first get all requirements sorted (we e.g. want at the same time a matching foundation logo, also “foundation member” and “openHAB compatible” logos, etc.). As it will be quite some work, we will also set out a price for the logo contest - we might go with a service like designonclick, which e.g. was also used for the Eclipse SmartHome logo and proved to be pretty useful. Once we have a campaign up, I will certainly also inform all openHAB community members here, so that all talented designers can participate in it.
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I think that we need a celebratory logo/image(?) for the build #1000 that is coming up soon
Last stable build (#999), 10 hr ago
Ah, you mean it is time to break the build 
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Here we go! So everyone with some design skills (@normaniac, @pmpkk and others), feel free to sign up and participate in the contest! I am looking forward to the results 
.
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Hi @Kai,
great news! I really would like to participate, but it’s not possible, because “participation in this project is limited”, which means, that “only designers who have been registered before the project start are able to participate in projects with guaranteed price money.”
I didn’t have an account at designonclick before, so it’s not possible to submit something… I can’t even see the briefing anymore.
Hm, This is unfortunate indeed, I wasn’t aware of that limitation. I will get in contact with their support whether they can add you nonetheless (please let me know your address with which you have registered).
Ok, good news: Their support was helpful and changed the project temporarily to be without a guaranteed price money so that it should be possible for everyone to register and suggest designs. I will switch the project back to guaranteed price money on Wednesday, so please register until then if you want to participate. Thanks!
LOOKS GREAT. It would be great if any one of these is implemented
Is it possible to see the designs as a guest or do I have to create an account?
All designs are labeled as “hidden”. 
The designs are only visible for the project creator; even as participant you can’t see the other designs.
I will make a choice of them public for discussion once we have a good set of submissions and once I have sorted out all the duplicates and “no-chance” designs.
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FTR: Tomorrow morning I will change the project back to “guaranteed prize”, so any designer who still wants to participate should register until then!
We have meanwhile received a couple of designs and I have already done a lot of pre-filtering. I therefore can invite you now to also leave your feedback on the designs.
These are not yet the end results, but rather work in progress, so feel free to also leave comments on what you think can be improved in certain designs. I will keep the contest running for another week, we should therefore see more submissions and further fine-tuning.
Just as a heads-up: I do not intend to directly derive the winner from a public voting in the end (there are many examples where this has miserably failed), but will rather take a thoughtful decision within the openHAB Foundation. Nonetheless, all your feedback is very valuable and is definitely taken into account!
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Lots of great work there, wow!
I thought I’d be liking a minor update on the current logo but seeing some of those… hmm
1 Like