Protecting Logo or brand indentity

I have a question about Logo and brand protection. I hope this is the right place, but I am new here. Hello btw.

In an open source or directory project, I need information about the standards or guidelines regarding the protection of a logo of brand indenty. In fact, is there any information on what is "ethical" to "not" be open. In other words, if I want a user to have total control or ability to custimize my site or application or simply have the "open code," is it possible to protect or lock certain elements that are not traditionally custumized by the user or client admin because they are standardized. I am not refering to the brand indentity of the application on the admin side. I mean on the public site: for instance blog software and services like Blogger.

They don't offer the client the abiity to redesign their logo, of course! But the client isn't producing a Blogger site-it is there site, so obviously they can use a logo if the have one. What if Blogger or any app/cms wanted to lock a feature related to branding or identity? I hope this make sense to someone

Oh, Blogger just came to mind-I don't have any issue with them; just an example, ok?)

The is the "golden rule" in the old world of design is that logo use and graphic standards are essential to any organization or business goals as they serve the purpose of being a signature (among other things). They make it real.

I know where an item/document/product came from or belongs to becuase it is signed consistantly just as my handwriting of my name is my legal mark or stamp. Period.

What about this area? It is not clear to me if the same rules apply. Thank for any information.

What could this possibly have to do with the Open Directory Project?

I'll handle this...

Since I'm not yet an editor, I can spend some time answering questions in the forum instead of editing the Directory...

If you take a look at "this area", you will notice there is branding at the top-left of the upper part of the page. It says "DMOZ Open Directory project", and it is not something that you can change. It gets confusing when a company's marketing department doesn't understand marketing. Like calling a Brandmark an Icon. The Brandmark has words associated with it, while an Icon does not. You cannot shrink a Brandmark to a 16x16 pixel icon, and expect communication between your company and the consumer.

Getting back to the business of your question, you are posting your question in a Forum...not a Blog or CMS. The application is set in stone, serving the purpose of communication between Directory users and editors. The design of the forum was not to provide customization.

From an application development standpoint, I take the side of not allowing customization. Users should not have a choice of changing logos, or mixing up the presentation layer. It makes it very difficult to develop documentation for the application.

I'm not going to argue with you about customization, or the lack of it in this Open Source Directory Forum. What I will say, is that I have successfully wasted 20 minutes of my time. The first 10 was spent reading your post which made no sense, and the last 10 was spent writing this response. It would have been much more fun, if I could have spent that time as a DMOZ Editor! Wooooot!

>...logo use and graphic standards are essential to any organization or business goals as they serve the purpose of being a signature (among other things). They make it real.

Sorry, I simply do not believe that. I have experienced reality (even in organizational contexts), and no logo was involved.

>I know where an item/document/product came from or belongs to becuase it is signed consistantly just as my handwriting of my name is my legal mark or stamp. Period.

There is such a thing as a "digital signature" on the web. But graphic design and branding have absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with it.

Protecting a brand is a legal issue. That is not something that we worry about. And typically (in my experience) any open-source community has an organizational sponser (for the ODP, it's AOL) that deals with legal issues and marketing issues -- presumably they have professionals that can tell them apart. It's not ethical or practical to dump that kind of thing on volunteers, who prefer to focus on reality: any kind of paper-pushing is generally handled by hirelings.

Hi,
it's the first time to me here and i found this post interesting..look there is an easy way to protect your whole website form others..it has to be designed with Flash and from the flash player publish setting window you have to check(prevent from import). this way you can protect your identity.
i hope i was right in what i said

I think you're in the wrong forum

This forum really is only for things strictly to do with DMOZ. There are plenty of webmaster forums out there where you would probably get a lot more lively conversation on this type of thing!

mghanem said:

Hi,
it's the first time to me here and i found this post interesting..look there is an easy way to protect your whole website form others..it has to be designed with Flash and from the flash player publish setting window you have to check(prevent from import). this way you can protect your identity.
i hope i was right in what i said

Click to expand...

You could do that. It would make it less likely to get listed in DMOZ, though, as many editors disable flash.

I think I am not in Kansas anymore

I started my post with this text:

"I hope this is the right place, but I am new here. Hello btw."

I clearly was and am not in the right place. Those of you who took your time to respond are kind. And to "tgilkison" I have say sorry to waste your 20 minutes; you actually were quite helpful (to me...so it wasn't a total waste if you believe that helping others is useful).

I am not a bad guy (non open directory editors??) I am a design working on an OPEN SOURCE project (I AM NOT IN THIS FOR A PROFIT, GET IT?)

I simply don't have the experience in world I found myself in. I asked the question because the Lead on the project, a back end developer and nice guy, does not understand that I can't in good consious do something that is basically the worst possible thing a design could do with a Logo: let anyone change it.

I was an art director and graphic design for ten yeard before the Web was born. I have worked on Web projects for 7 years and yes I code (front end). I am very clear on the principles of brand identity and logo development. (more projects than I care to remember).

So, I though an Open Directory was a directory of open source projects (no one need answer the question. I don't want to waste your time.

All I really needed to know is if the lead was telling the truth or confused when he said the appliocation sn'tl considered Open Source unless you allow everything to be "custumized" I thought he was insane. I now know he is.

Thank you and I love the green your designer used. Where am I am toto?

Customizing an application when it comes to logos generally means the customer has the ability to substitute their logo for yours, not that they can take your logo and change it however they want.

I love the green your designer used.

Click to expand...

If you're talking about here on this forum, it's the same shade of green used on dmoz.org pages (which is why it was used here).

bye everyone

yes, i know this too and have the do the application GUI.
good bye