Hi everybody,
over the last weeks I have worked on a couple of logo drafts for OpenRailwayMap which has up to now no project logo. I have already presented prior drafts to rurseekatze, Dakon and bigbug21 – now it is time for your feedback. All drafts base on the feedback I recieved from them.
I have uploaded my draft to OpenStreetMap wiki: https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/File:Openrailwaymap-logo-selection.svg
Some additional comments to my drafts: Prior drafts contained a German/Polish semaphore main signal. Because we want not to look outdated, I decided to use a light signal. The current light signal has lots of German elements but AFAIK such a signal is not used on a German railway line (it may be used by a German subway company). There are signals which look very similar to this in Kalsruhe and around Mannheim on branch lines but these signals have their white speed light signal above the green lamp. The white-red-white pole sign can be found on lots of German main signals.
I do not want to have to much similarities to the OpenStreetMap logo. First, nobody can guarantee that ORM will use OSM as the single data source in future and, second, OSM logo is a trademark registred by OSMF. You can still find elements at my drafts which can also be found at the OSM logo – a folded map and some landuse and boundaries on the map.
I would like to hear your feedback about my drafts.
You can also create own drafts but please publish them under CC-0 or PD- self as SVG.
Btw, I can distinguish red and green and therefore I would like to hear feedback from men who cannot do this.
Best regards
Michael
On 27.07.2015 13:59, Michael Reichert wrote:
Hi everybody,
over the last weeks I have worked on a couple of logo drafts for OpenRailwayMap which has up to now no project logo. I have already presented prior drafts to rurseekatze, Dakon and bigbug21 – now it is time for your feedback. All drafts base on the feedback I recieved from them.
I have uploaded my draft to OpenStreetMap wiki: https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/File:Openrailwaymap-logo-selection.svg
Some additional comments to my drafts: Prior drafts contained a German/Polish semaphore main signal. Because we want not to look outdated, I decided to use a light signal. The current light signal has lots of German elements but AFAIK such a signal is not used on a German railway line (it may be used by a German subway company). There are signals which look very similar to this in Kalsruhe and around Mannheim on branch lines but these signals have their white speed light signal above the green lamp. The white-red-white pole sign can be found on lots of German main signals.
I do not want to have to much similarities to the OpenStreetMap logo. First, nobody can guarantee that ORM will use OSM as the single data source in future and, second, OSM logo is a trademark registred by OSMF. You can still find elements at my drafts which can also be found at the OSM logo – a folded map and some landuse and boundaries on the map.
I would like to hear your feedback about my drafts.
You can also create own drafts but please publish them under CC-0 or PD- self as SVG.
Btw, I can distinguish red and green and therefore I would like to hear feedback from men who cannot do this.
Best regards
Michael
Wayside signals are not universal to railways, and where they are used they differ a lot in appearance.
I'd prefer some symbol universally asssociated with railways. Examples would be the winged wheel, or the cross-section of rail (like in the China Railway logo).
Philipp
Hi Philipp,
Am 2015-07-27 um 18:13 schrieb Philipp Klaus Krause:
Wayside signals are not universal to railways, and where they are used they differ a lot in appearance.
That's why I tried to use a rarely used signal. But I can modify the currently used signal in such a manner that it looks more abstracted (and therefore international).
I'd prefer some symbol universally asssociated with railways. Examples would be the winged wheel, or the cross-section of rail (like in the China Railway logo).
I think that a winged wheel is a too old sign and the large railway companies do not use it anymore. We are an infrastructure map and that's why we (Alex, Peter R. and Eike) decided not to use a train at the logo. That's why I do not want to use a wheel.
I do not like the variant with the rail profile in the logo. I does not fit to the other parts of the logo. While the other parts of the logo are a small-scaled view on the world, the rail profile has a very large. Instead, I add another variants with a signal which is a strang mix. Some may recognize the the shape of Swiss signal type L, other may see a the stripe on the signal pole I have token from a German level crossing signal.
https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/File:Openrailwaymap-logo-selection.svg#
The draft with the blue pencil at the forth column form the left is my favourite followed by the dark yellow pencil (bottom) at the same column.
I would like to keep the debate short (you may comment but please do it soon) because I want to use this logo for a flyer which has to be designed. All this (including printing the flyers) has to happen until I go on my trip with rurseekatze through East Germany on August 14, 2015.
Best regards
Michael
Michael Reichert wrote:
https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/File:Openrailwaymap-logo-selection.svg#
The draft with the blue pencil at the forth column form the left is my favourite followed by the dark yellow pencil (bottom) at the same column.
It must be a blue pencil, the other colors do not have enough contrast to the map. IMHO it should be one with the signal on the map, not beside it. So it boils down to #1, #4, or #5. An entirely unrelated test person I asked also favored #4.
Greetings,
Eike
Hi,
On 27.07.2015 13:59, Michael Reichert wrote:
Hi everybody,
over the last weeks I have worked on a couple of logo drafts for OpenRailwayMap which has up to now no project logo. I have already presented prior drafts to rurseekatze, Dakon and bigbug21 ? now it is time for your feedback. All drafts base on the feedback I recieved from them.
I have uploaded my draft to OpenStreetMap wiki: https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/File:Openrailwaymap-logo-selection.svg
Some additional comments to my drafts: Prior drafts contained a German/Polish semaphore main signal. Because we want not to look outdated, I decided to use a light signal. The current light signal has lots of German elements but AFAIK such a signal is not used on a German railway line (it may be used by a German subway company). There are signals which look very similar to this in Kalsruhe and around Mannheim on branch lines but these signals have their white speed light signal above the green lamp. The white-red-white pole sign can be found on lots of German main signals.
I do not want to have to much similarities to the OpenStreetMap logo. First, nobody can guarantee that ORM will use OSM as the single data source in future and, second, OSM logo is a trademark registred by OSMF. You can still find elements at my drafts which can also be found at the OSM logo ? a folded map and some landuse and boundaries on the map.
I would like to hear your feedback about my drafts.
I think they are too small. You cannot recognize anything of the details when it is resized to a size in which icons are usually used (16x16 to, let's say, 64x64). [0]
I've tried to create an improved version based on your suggestion, see the attached file [1]. I've made the "rails" a little longer to make them more dominant [2]. I also added a white border around the signal because that is something that's part of a signal in quite a few countries, and it makes it a little less "German" :)
The fact that I chose the yellow pencil is rather random, the blue one is fine, too (I don't like the gray one however.) I created this before you posted the columns 5 and 6; I do like the green-yellow thing [3] and the post colors of these suggestions, maybe one could merge that into my design; but I'd like to hear some comments first.
Besides, I don't like the variant with the paper roll; in case this is some kind of vote :)
Marian
[0] of course, one always has to adjust the logo a bit to make it look nice in small sizes, but I think your first drafts are too far away from that. [1] Choose one of Public Domain/CC-0/Beerware. [2] although I'm not sure if this black-white-dashed thing is something that is associated with trains everywhere, maybe it's just a German convention? [3] I suggest putting yellow above green, to have one more detail where it differs from road traffic lights.
Hi Marian,
thank you for your drafts.
Am 2015-08-01 um 18:58 schrieb Marian Sigler:
I've tried to create an improved version based on your suggestion, see the attached file [1]. I've made the "rails" a little longer to make them more dominant [2]. I also added a white border around the signal because that is something that's part of a signal in quite a few countries, and it makes it a little less "German" :)
I like your signal modification but I created a draft which removes the white Five from your draft.
The fact that I chose the yellow pencil is rather random, the blue one is fine, too (I don't like the gray one however.)
I would prefer the blue pencil. But it is easy to switch the colours of the pencil's faces. :-)
I created this before you posted the columns 5 and 6; I do like the green-yellow thing [3] and the post colors of these suggestions, maybe one could merge that into my design; but I'd like to hear some comments first.
I have merged my signal into your design and created variants with the blue pencil. https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/File:Openrailwaymap-logo-selection.svg Column 7, row 2 is your draft. Column 7, row 1 ist the same but with a blue pencil. Column 8 is equal to 7 but without the white Five. Column 9 uses the Swiss signal with yellow above green.
Besides, I don't like the variant with the paper roll; in case this is some kind of vote :)
My current favourite is column 8, blue pencil.
[1] Choose one of Public Domain/CC-0/Beerware.
I decided to use PD/CC-0 to make reuse as easy as possible even if I leave the project. (And I cannot harm the project if I choose PD/CC-0 (ab)using the copyright.)
[2] although I'm not sure if this black-white-dashed thing is something that is associated with trains everywhere, maybe it's just a German convention?
OSM Carto which is a British style uses a black-white-dashed line. The alternative would be a black/dark gray line with small
[3] I suggest putting yellow above green, to have one more detail where it differs from road traffic lights.
The current column-5/6-signal is a Swiss signal with an invalid light order. If I switch green and yellow, I will get a valid signal. That's why I wanted to avoid. But an invalid signal which looks Swiss may disturb Swiss visitors/users/railway experts because it looks "wrong". At the moment I do not know a country which has signals similar to yours.
Best regards
Michael
Besides, I don't like the variant with the paper roll; in case this is some kind of vote :)
My current favourite is column 8, blue pencil.
I think that one looks a bit "naked". Maybe add something like a Zs1 or Zs7 or so ("just some small lights") to make it look less like a normal traffic light?
Eike
On Sa, 2015-08-01 at 20:07 +0200, Rolf Eike Beer wrote:
Besides, I don't like the variant with the paper roll; in case this is some kind of vote :)
My current favourite is column 8, blue pencil.
I think that one looks a bit "naked". Maybe add something like a Zs1 or Zs7 or so ("just some small lights") to make it look less like a normal traffic light?
I would prefer column 9.
Columns 7 and 8 are good, but they look too much like a normal traffic light (especially for people without railway knowledge).
The other icons are not suitable in my opinion. I think that an icon should be closed composition, but these icons are too complex to appear as a single item.
Regards Alex
openrailwaymap@openrailwaymap.org
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Alexander Matheisen -
Marian Sigler -
Michael Reichert -
Philipp Klaus Krause -
Rolf Eike Beer