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logos posts

Filed under: Fun, Ask DLS, Browsers, Humor

Ask DLS: why is every damn web browser logo round?


Maybe you noticed this ages ago, but the thought just occurred to me (and most of the rest of our crew after I pinged the list) this afternoon. Why is it that every web browser has a round icon/logo?

Don't get me wrong - we kicked it around on the list and there's the obvious roundness in the phrase World Wide Web. But is there any other sector where the iconography is this uniform?

Netscape used to have a big, boxy icon, but even that vanished as time went by. With the digging I did this afternoon, I only found one non-round icon: Midori (right). And even it has kind of a squashed-but-still-round look to it.

Oddly, Opera, whose name "sounds" like it should be the roundest logo of the bunch, is noticeably less round than the others I shopped together.

What's the deal? Is the circle just the ultimate shape for a browser logo?

Could there be some kind of Illuminati-run conspiracy at work?

Sesame Street was all about circles the other day, maybe those creepy little muppets are behind it all...

Filed under: Design, Web services

Logoease: quick and easy logo creation

Logoease
Logoease is a simple, web-based logo-creation tool that offers basic stock clip-art and fonts. You start by choosing a logo image from a general set of categories, and then you're taken to the main editing screen where you can add text and arrange your logo.

You can add up to five lines of text of various fonts and colors, and you can change options like bold, italics, and font size. Your logo picture can be colored, and objects can be layered with "send to front" or "send to back" functions.

When your logo is finished, you can download a zip file containing a .jpg, .eps, .tiff, and .png of your logo. You'll need to signup for a free account (surprise) to be able to download the logo. When we first tested the site, we got errors when attempting to save our logos; however, the site appears to work properly now.

[Via makeuseof]

Filed under: Audio, Business, Design, Video, Podcasting, Social Software

What's Free to Go Web 2.0?

Widgets are Web 2.0A couple of years ago, I wasn't completely sure what Web 2.0 was and sought an education. Robert Scoble, here to keynote for ConvergeSouth, sat at my kitchen table and answered the elusive question in a single word. "What's Web 2.0? Widgets." Suddenly, it made sense. Web 2.0 is the interactive Web (so sayeth Dave Winer and he should know) and widgets – a play on our old Econ 101 class' finest example – are the glue that holds Web 2.0 together.

In the Web 2.0 world, it's a lot less about design and a lot more about place and experience. You want your content and not just your Web site to be identified with your brand. Find a designer who thinks like a programmer and your site can reflect the changes of Web 2.0. If your designer talks about a "Flash intro," think about hiring a new one. And find out what's free online.

Are Web 2.0 logos free?
Web 2.0 logos can be free if you're willing to build your own from a step-by-step tutorial. If you've been thinking of redesigning your Web site, now is a good time to go 2.0 ("two-oh"). Learn how to make a 2.0-ish logo (Photoshop tutorial). Take a look at the free 2.0-style buttons for your site here. There are even blank buttons you can use on your new site here (or get a graphics designer to build custom).

Besides, it's time for your site to transition to XML and use an RSS feed for updates and news. You might as well start out with new 2.0-ish site buttons.

What's free to make 2.0 buttons and icons?
If you don't have $1,200 to spend on the newest incarnation of Photoshop, get Gimp. It's free, very Photoshop-like and runs on Windows. If you're not a do-it-yourself'er, you can get previews of free Web icons and buttons suitable for the Web 2.0 theme here.

Visit free online button-generating sites and create some 2.0-ish graphics for your site that use your colors. There are button makers and more button makers and even more button makers that are free.

Read more →

Filed under: Business, Internet, Web services

Cant get enough Web 2.0?

web 2.0 logosWeb 2.0 logos, they are everywhere these days. As discussed in a post last month, we went over the differentiating features of so-called Web 2.0 logos, and how to create them, from their smooth glossy finish, to their subtle shadows. Now there is Web2Logo.com. A website dedicated to showcasing all that is the official look of the new web. Upon entering the website, you are hit with 50 of the most popular logos, and pages and pages of other logos. A cloud on the right hand side displays the many different categories the Web 2.0 companies' fall into. Clicking a logo links you with Web2.0list's outline of the site, what it does, category, URL, traffic rankings, and recent news stories about the company. An interesting little feature is the "Today's Climber". Somehow Web 2.0 companies are ranked and the top gainers have their logos placed in this special section. If you ever need a Web 2.0 reference guide, this is the place to bookmark.

[Via CNet]

Filed under: Business, Design, Fun, Internet, Adobe, Google, IBM, Microsoft, Social Software

Web 2.0 logo redesign experiment

web 2.0 logo redesign on yahooray

Web 2.0 has its very own special look and feel to its design, and especially its logo designs. A smooth glassy look, with brighter colors are often the easiest ways at identifying these W2 companies.

The design forum Yayhorray, has a smooth thread on right now, with members tag teaming logo redesigns of famous brands, conforming to the standard Web 2.0 style. They have done everything from Adobe and Apple, to Harley Davidson, Microsoft, Google and Adidas.

This is a nice look at how we get caught up in fads and make everything look exactly the same. Nonetheless, I think this is a great little design experiment from everyone participating over at Yayhooray.

Filed under: Design, Web services

Picking a font for your Web 2.0 logo

Web 2.0 logosCloset typography geek that I am, Logos of Web 2.0 at Stephen Coles' FontFeed blog tickles my fancy. He's dissected a few dozen Web 2.0 logos that you might recognize from this image that's been floating around and picked out some font trends. If you need a logo for your newest start-up, it's veritable guide to making a modern web site logo. VAG Rundschrift and Arial Rounded Bold are particularly popular in the "softies" category, but Coles has you covered if you're looking for a futuristic or classical look instead.

[Via Waxy.org]

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The World's Hardest Game 2.0 - Time Waster

So, just how good at time waster games are you? Think you've got the stuff? Well, The World's Hardest Game 2.0 doesn't think you do. Yes, amazingly, it's possible to have a sequel to a game called "The World's Hardest Game". It doesn't seem logically possible, since if the first one was actually the world's hardest, how could another one come along and share the moniker? It made me doubt the name in the first place. That is, until I tried the game. The mechanics of the game are very simple. You are a small red square, ...

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