# Last minute proposal

I've been asked to make another design proposal for the
Minidebconf. People have been brainstorming. I could have
asked them to do that months ago. I didn't, because I was
working with my own ideas.

We need to know who and what we are aiming at with the graphic
communication, as well as with the conference. Who is the design for?
What should they do? Why? Who is the conference for? Who should
be interested?

Is the design for people in Barcelona only?
Is it for women only?
Is it for current developers?
Or is it for local politicians? Male or female?
Students? - only?
Does the communication have other goals than getting people
at the venue?
Should the design reflect the organizers - or rather not?
Does the geography have to play a role in the visual imagery?

These are questions that should always be asked. I made
the mistake to answer a lot of the questions myself, based
on my second hand knowledge and guesses. A common mistake,
I've made before and will probably make again. I'm used to
working on my own, that's my poor excuse.

To my mind, the gathering, the meeting in the flesh and the
communication and sharing of knowledge, is far more important
than local landmarks.

I don't feel that strongly for a location oriented
identity design. La Sagrada Familia doesn't have anything to
do with a gathering for free software development, does it. How?

Oh, that was the minidebconf in Barcelona  
Oh, that was the minidebconf arranged by Debian Women  
Oh, that was the minidebconf that made a point out of being inclusive  
Oh, that was the minidebconf that...

The identity design might have more to do with support to the
local group than with any of the other aspects of the
conference. Interesting.

This table of colors shows different ways a blue and a purple
could go. I put the green colors there to have more options
covered for the discussion today. You can see how the different
hues interacts with the red of the logo.
The colors can be referred to like this: B3, C6, A4 etc.
[[!img mdcb2014_colors4.png size=600x]]

Click on the image for full size version.

Here is an idea based on all the purple colors. Fun, uplifting,
feels like many voices. Too many colors for T-shirt print, maybe:
[[!img mdc2014_banner3.png size=400x class=tall]]
[[!img mdcb2014_t-shirt_mock2.png size=600x]]

Here is some ideas of how to implement a minimalistic
solution that I recommend for minidebconfs:
[[!img mdcb2014_t-shirt_mock3.png size=600x]]

My suggestion is that the banner (and everything else
displaying the event) has the logo of the organizers placed on
it. The font used for headlines etc is semantically of another
nature than the logo, though it could be the same. I prefer
neutral fonts, that can be reused by the next minidebconf, and I
suggest a sans serif font. A condensed font makes huge display
easier to fit.

Don't be confused by displayfonts, I aim to show you that type
alone speaks loudly, and if this typography should be recycled,
we should not choose one of them, but go with the "neutral" sans
serif.
[[!img mdcb2014_bannerhor_mock5.png size=400x class=tall]]

I need suggestions of free and good sans serif fonts.

[[!tag english minidebconf color type draft debian]]
[[!meta date=2014-02-28]]