[Foundation-l] Re: Wikimedia logo policy

Sat Jan 7 15:17:00 UTC 2006

Mark Ryan wrote:

Hi Mark

I already explained a bit more to Mark on irc, but to clarify...

> Notafish (Delphine) has told me on my talk page that the 3D masthead I
> made for my redesign of the www.wikimedia.org portal (which
> incorporates the Wikimedia Foundation logo) violates a
> newly-publicised Wikimedia Foundation policy about the use of the
> Wikimedia logo.

> Delphine also tells me that the file should also be deleted from the
> Commons as well. Apparently the policy this image violates is that no
> derivative of the logo may be used without the prior approval of the
> Foundation.

There is an unclear sentence on the guidelines page. It seems to imply 
that no derivative will be accepted. While indeed, the reality is that 
some derivative exist, but should be approved prior to their use. And 
certainly prior to their upload on commons, since these are cp logos.

> Is there any chance the Board would approve my derivative of the logo?
> The masthead in question is located at:
> 
> http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Foundation_3D.png

I have no problem with the logo per se, but have a problem with the 
place you intend to use it. This page is the wikimedia portal, and 
there, should stand only the official logo. Not a derivative imho.

> and the logo policy that was made public after my logo had been on the
> portal for several days is:
> 
> http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Wikimedia_visual_identity_guidelines
> 
> Forgive me for being a cynic, but was that policy made public solely
> as a result of my logo derivative, in order to have it removed from
> the portal? Apparently that policy had been on some "Internal Wiki"
> for quite some time beforehand. If someone didn't like the logo
> derivative I made then they could have just told me.

The guidelines have been made about 2 months ago.
We were slow in publishing them :-)
I think noone informed you, because no one realised :-)

> ~Mark Ryan

cheers

Ant