A request for a Webform logo and possibly a logo kit for Drupal contributed projects

First off, I want to thank the backers of the Webform module's Open Collective. After my last blog post, Open email asking organizations to back the Webform module and Drupal-related Open Collectives, we have 14 backers and a current balance of $908.44 that needs to be spent.

I also received a comment and an email about the need for some process for paid support. It’s worth noting that the Drupal Association is exploring a paid support model for assisting with security releases. We should recognize that Drupal 8 was a major software change and it is one that is still changing the Drupal community. And while I am thinking about how the Drupal community is changing and how we can develop better support around the Webform module, one of my more immediate concerns is improving the Webform module's Open Collective, and brand is the first thing I want to address.

There are some useful tips and guides for building and maintaining an Open Collective. I appreciate Pia Mancini’s statement that "A collective is not a sprint," which makes me feel comfortable taking time to build out the Webform module's Open Collective.

Defining and strengthening the Webform module's mission will help clarify to backers what they are supporting and getting from the Webform module. The product summary for the Webform module is…

Drupal directly completes with proprietary Content Management Systems and the Webform module is competing with 100's of proprietary form and survey builders. The Webform module is not included on any top form builder lists, even though in a feature comparison we are on par with most of these form builders, with the added benefit that Drupal and Webform is completely free for everyone to use. This is why with the launch of the Webform's Open Collective, I proposed using collected funds to improve the Webform module's marketing and brand.

The Drupal Association is actively working on promoting Drupal. At the same time, we as a community can also promote Drupal's contribute module ecosystem. There are some amazing contributed projects with equally amazing developers contributing and maintaining these projects. Besides writing quality open source software, it’s also essential to consider the big picture of an open source project. For example, the Webform module's project page's information architecture works to address every aspect of the Webform module from encouraging people to watch a video, try the Webform module, and explore documentation. The summation of a piece of software or project is visually represented by a logo.

I did not start this blog post with this direct ask for Webform logo because I feel there is much greater need and opportunity for the Drupal community. That said...

Some Drupal projects have dedicated logos which help establish the project's brand.

• Drupal.tv website has the word TV inside the "Drupal" drop.
• Acquia's Lightning distribution has a lightning bolt inside the "Drupal" drop.
• Token module has very cool looking [T].
• Rules module has an R flow diagram.
• Paragraphs module has a right-pointing pilcrow.

All of the above project logos demonstrate how having a visual representation helps establish a project's brand.

In the spirit of the giving back to Drupal community…

When exploring the existing project logos in the Drupal community, I feel there are two key requirements for a reusable logo kit.

First, the logo should include a visual reference to Drupal. I like the concept of using the Drupal "drop" with some icon or text placed inside the drop.

Second, the logo kit is going to need to leverage a creative common and freely available icon library, which could include something like Seven theme's Libricons or Material Design's icon.

We can use Drupal media kit's logo page as a starting point for the final deliverables.

Right now, the simplest icon which could be used to represent a form builder is a checkbox, but I am open to other suggestions. The logo should also optionally include the 'Webform' project name. The Webform logo may also be used with the Webform UI as a callout.

First and foremost, you need to want to give something back to Drupal and Open Source with the understanding that your contribution will be recognized, although you will most likely not to be fully financially compensated for work.

We have only $900 USD available for this project. It is not a lot and may be too little. It might make sense for us to do a two-phase approach with the Webform logo designed in phase 1 and the Drupal contributed project logo kit part of phase 2.

I know some people or organizations might do willing to do this work for free, but it is important that you are compensated in some way because…

Proposals could be very simple with a general statement of work and timeline. Our entire process is going to be transparently done using the Drupal.org issue queue. Proposals can be posted as comments to Issue #3026111: Create a logo and header for the Webform module. Also, feel free to ping on the Drupal Slack #webform channel if you have questions.

I opened this blog post thanking the existing backers of the Webform because they are making it possible for the Webform module to have a logo. Building a reusable logo kit for all contributed projects most likely requires more funds. Having a Drupal contributed project logo kit will help us strengthen our community's visual brand and presentation.

Strengthen and supporting the Drupal community is a shared goal over every Drupal related Open Collective, whether it is providing testing environments, video recordings, cloud hosting, camps, or a powerful, flexible, and open source form builder.

Please consider backing the Webform module or any Drupal related Open Collective.