XYplorer Beta Club

admin wrote:No, this is about the new main icon. There also will be a complete relaunch of the web site.

That will be the primary one? I know some people like change now and then but you also don't see sucessful logos/colors changing either even after decades...like McDonald's "golden arches", Cola-Cola's red & white, etc.

As I think I said before, I liked the current logo/colors when I saw it and still do after 4 yrs! So for traditionalists like me, I hope there will be a way to keep what works...

j_c_hallgren wrote:

admin wrote:No, this is about the new main icon. There also will be a complete relaunch of the web site.

That will be the primary one? I know some people like change now and then but you also don't see sucessful logos/colors changing either even after decades...like McDonald's "golden arches", Cola-Cola's red & white, etc.

As I think I said before, I liked the current logo/colors when I saw it and still do after 4 yrs! So for traditionalists like me, I hope there will be a way to keep what works...

I'm not yet Cola-Cola... I simply believe the current icon/logo is not functional (lack of contrast) and also boring and out-dated. The time is right for something new. But I promise: Once I have achieved world domination I won't change it anymore.

admin wrote:No, this is about the new main icon. There also will be a complete relaunch of the web site.

Hmmm Much like JC, I am wary of such grand plans. It will be great if all works out, but it's natural for one to be uneasy about things changing. If anything, such bold steps would be more suitable to coincide with a major point release and there won't be one until v10.0 some time next year. Hmmm again...

Inspired by medieval coats of arms seen in England (with the obvious connotation of power, security, and portability), today I come up with this:

admin wrote:Inspired by medieval coats of arms seen in England (with the obvious connotation of power, security, and portability), today I come up with this:
...

Personally, I associate shields with security software. Also, without knowing why you chose the name XYplorer, is there any meaning in the difference between the X and the Y given that the X seems much more prominent?

(I do think XYplorer belongs very much to the upper class of file management software, BTW. )

admin wrote:Inspired by medieval coats of arms seen in England (with the obvious connotation of power, security, ...

And often violent feuds and bitter fights!!!

Having said that, I much prefer this design to the "buffalo", which one of my editors implied might have been drawn by a primate!

But, like both j_c_hallgren and zer0, I don't see a good reason to change the logo without making a fundamental addition to the program. It looks like "change for changes sake" and might suggest to some people that you don't really know how you want to present XY.

P.S. It might be a good idea to check with Heraldic sites for coats of arms, since a shield and letters could easily be copyright.

nas8e9 wrote:

admin wrote:Inspired by medieval coats of arms seen in England (with the obvious connotation of power, security, and portability), today I come up with this:
...

Personally, I associate shields with security software. Also, without knowing why you chose the name XYplorer, is there any meaning in the difference between the X and the Y given that the X seems much more prominent?

(I do think XYplorer belongs very much to the upper class of file management software, BTW. )

XYplorer is a pretty stupid name, and every other week I think about changing the name as well.
The only thing I like about the name is the X -- hence I made it more prominent. And X is visually a very strong form.

Gandolf wrote:

admin wrote:Inspired by medieval coats of arms seen in England (with the obvious connotation of power, security, ...

And often violent feuds and bitter fights!!!

Having said that, I much prefer this design to the "buffalo", which one of my editors implied might have been drawn by a primate!

But, like both j_c_hallgren and zer0, I don't see a good reason to change the logo without making a fundamental addition to the program. It looks like "change for changes sake" and might suggest to some people that you don't really know how you want to present XY.

P.S. It might be a good idea to check with Heraldic sites for coats of arms, since a shield and letters could easily be copyright.

There are thousands of such coats of arms -- difficult to check since they cannot easily brought into an order. But thanks for the tip.

It's not "change for changes sake" (although that not such a bad reason either depending on the matter), but "change for a better icon/logo". I'm not sooo much into the heaviness of major versions, as also my Standard License model shows (which may run e.g. from 8.30 to 9.20). These are just numbers.

The security aspect of the shield will be backed however by the upcoming addition of file copy verification, which I assume should be yet another strong reason for new users to jump onto the XY train.

Yes, the shield does look like icon for security app. Maybe after several tries we can all agree with something here.
But just a thought, have you looked for icon designers?
I know Deviantart (www.deviantart.com) has good designers.

Some search gave these:
http://gentleface.com/
http://www.icondesigner.net/

admin wrote:

nas8e9 wrote:Personally, I associate shields with security software.

XYplorer is a pretty stupid name, and every other week I think about changing the name as well.

I also think security related appl's when I see a shield so I'm not sure using that style is such a great concept for a file manager...

And while XYplorer may not be the ideal name, we've worked for years to get it known and given that traces of Tracker still exist, I'd most certainly recommend never changing it.

And as to "not functional (lack of contrast)"...well, if functional means being able to instantly spot it on my system without any chance of mistaking it for another appl, I'd say it's fully functional, and the lack of contrast never bothered me...and it may be boring to you, but not to me.

admin wrote:XYplorer is a pretty stupid name, and every other week I think about changing the name as well.
The only thing I like about the name is the X -- hence I made it more prominent. And X is visually a very strong form.

I agree about the standing out, but given XYplorer's current name I'd find a logo with both the initial letters getting equal billing, easier to pick up when scanning the task bar.

admin wrote:The security aspect of the shield will be backed however by the upcoming addition of file copy verification, which I assume should be yet another strong reason for new users to jump onto the XY train.

I don't want to begrudge the safety features (which, without English being my native tongue, seems distinct from security) of XYplorer or the positive marketing connotation of XYplorer being a safe choice, but you may be too late with that shield thing in that the shield isn't only used by security software (Sunbelt Software's VIPRE and GDATA, at least) but also by Windows itself to denote security-specific functionality (UAC). In short. I don't think any shield-like logo would convey XYplorer's purpose on the whole.

nas8e9 wrote: In short. I don't think any shield-like logo would convey XYplorer's purpose on the whole.

I was just thinking that something based on the typical "folder" icon would be more appropriate for a FM...maybe that's kinda dull, but it certainly relates to this type of product as shields = security/anti-virus.

nas8e9 wrote:

admin wrote:XYplorer is a pretty stupid name, and every other week I think about changing the name as well.
The only thing I like about the name is the X -- hence I made it more prominent. And X is visually a very strong form.

I agree about the standing out, but given XYplorer's current name I'd find a logo with both the initial letters getting equal billing, easier to pick up when scanning the task bar.

Hmm, I have to agree to this. Nevertheless I want to show the guitar plectrum shape I made, before I move on to a quite different design... ... Heavy Metal!:

i dont think the shield makes sense for a file manager. shields are more for security programs.

And here comes the mysterious last submission of today: