There have always been some casual recommendations  for how the WordPress logo should be incorporated into logos for WordCamps and WordPress chapter meetups, but we’ve never really had an open discussion about it. Following, you’ll find a proposal from Mel Choyce, Kjell Reigstad, Sarah Semark, Mark Uraine, and Tammie Lister for how the WordPress logo should be used for official events of the WordPress open sourceOpen Source Open Source denotes software for which the original source code is made freely available and may be redistributed and modified. Open Source **must be** delivered via a licensing model, see GPL. project. Please read through the guidelines, and share your feedback and concerns in a comment on this post.

The following pages provide some important context on the WordPress logo, logotype, and the WordPress trademarks

• https://wordpress.org/about/logos/
• https://make.wordpress.org/design/handbook/design-guide/foundations/identity/
• https://wordpressfoundation.org/trademark-policy/

You don’t need to use the WordPress logo.

While you are free to include the WordPress logo, or reference the W, in your logo, you don’t need to do so.

Example:

The WordPress logo has two variants.

If you do use the WordPress logo, know that it comes in two variants: W Mark and Simplified

Here are some examples of the variants in use:

Say “No!” to the Fauxgo.

If you are using the WordPress logo in your WordCampWordCamp WordCamps are casual, locally-organized conferences covering everything related to WordPress. They're one of the places where the WordPress community comes together to teach one another what they’ve learned throughout the year and share the joy. Learn more. logo, please make sure you are using the correct WordPress logo. 

The correct logo has a higher cap height, and rounded serifs:

Don’t change the logo.

Do not:

• Remove the ring around the logo.
• Cut or splice the logo.
• Skew, distort, or add 3d effects to the logo.

Don’t use the Dashicons logo icon.

The Dashicons logo icon is specifically designed for use at smaller sizes; do not use it for your WordCamp logo. Instead, use the official logo files.

Color

Ensure that the logo has sufficient contrast.

Your logo should have sufficient color contrast to pass AA guidelines for text. You can check your design using a tool like Stark (for Sketch) or Logo Rank.

Design your logo in black & white first.

Designing your logo first in black & white is a good way to ensure that your logo will communicate effectively without color. We recommend designing your logo first in black and white, and then adding color near the end of the process.

RGB vs. CMYK

When designing your logo for digital devices, it’s good practice to use the RGB (red, green, blue) color model. When preparing your logo for print, use CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black). Screens differ from tangible paper products by emitting light instead of absorbing light. For this reason, RGB values work as additive colors for the screen and CMYK values work as subtractive colors for print.

Typography

Typography should be easily readable.

Your WordCamp name is one of the most important pieces of information, so make sure people can read it! Generally speaking, it’s best to use a relatively simple typeface without a lot of flourishes. This ensures that text is readable even at very small sizes, or when printed on a badge of which attendees may only catch a brief glimpse.

Avoid using Mrs Eaves.

Mrs Eaves is the WordPress brand typeface. It’s best to avoid using it for your WordCamp to avoid confusion with the WordPress brand.

Inclusion

Consider a range of users when designing.

When designing your logo, think about users who may have trouble reading or parsing your logo. Ensure your text is readable and color contrast is sufficient. It’s good practice to design your logo first in black and white, to ensure that those with color blindness are still able to understand your logo. (See also the color and typography sections.)

Ensure your logo is appropriate for all audiences.

A WordCamp is welcoming to everyone. Part of ensuring a safe, welcoming, and inclusive environment is ensuring that your logo (and other materials) are family-friendly. This means that logos should contain:

• no sexually suggestive imagery
• no profanity
• nothing that would constitute implied or explicit exclusion of a group
• no characterizations of a minority group in your area

Context and Formats

Ensure that your logo is recognizable in a wide range of contexts. 

WordCamp logos typically appear in many different places: on top of websites, on shirts and merchandise, stickers, in social media, signage, etc. Ensure that your logo is adaptable enough to be recognizable and readable in all of these contexts. Your logo should be flexible enough to work when it appears on a giant presentation screen, but also when it appears in a tiny social media icon.  

Provide the final logo in a variety of file formats for different uses.

The logo should be in a scalable vector format (Sketch, Figma, and Illustrator all produce vector graphics). The final file should also be available in the following formats:

• .svg (preferred) or other open scalable graphics format (.eps)
• .png (with a transparent background)

Provide the final logo in a variety of color formats.

To ensure maximum compatibility with different usage contexts, the recommended color formats for the logo are:

• black & white
• RGB (screen)
• CMYK (print)
• Pantone (print, optional)

Feedback?

Please share your thoughts on the proposed guidelines and how best to share them moving forward. 

#design, #meetups-2, #proposal, #wordcamps