[TYPO3-marketing] FW: National TYPO3 sites (marketing) -guidelines/how to use TYPO3 CI

[Daniel Haneberg]

Hi all

sorry for that, but I have just another subject to think about in this matter ,-). Hope it's of interest and this list is the right place for that. I have a fundamental question: Are there any brand values defined? Just not to mix up the terms Corporate Identity and Corporate Design.
Maybe that makes the whole issue easier.

Branding is very important. TYPO3 has everything of a great brand. The brand awareness is throughout positive by now: a well organized free community that creates a cutting edge software ... and there is a philosophy.

The new CD-guidelines are very important and what I saw so far is very good work, very professional and convincing. But to transport the value of the brand beneath colours and fonts is another task.

Now my humble opinion is, that besides of a great look, the main task of transporting a brand into the world is to bring the positive values of it as well and let the ideas of the community grow locally on this basis. Once defined brand values in combination with the new CD would be a good guideline for the upbringing of local sites perhaps.

Just wanted to bring this into discussion out of my own experience.

Make me shut up if this has been discussed already ,-).

Cheers

Daniel Haneberg




-----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
Von: typo3-marketing-bounces at lists.netfielders.de [mailto:typo3-marketing-bounces at lists.netfielders.de] Im Auftrag von Erik Svendsen (privat)
Gesendet: Mittwoch, 22. Februar 2006 16:27
An: typo3-marketing at lists.netfielders.de
Betreff: Re: [TYPO3-marketing] FW: National TYPO3 sites (marketing) -guidelines/how to use TYPO3 CI

Hi Sander, Daniel and every other TYPO3 fan,

Sander wrote
> Hi,
> 
> There has been a discussion about a year ago about if local/regional 
> websites should be created that target local markets, or if we just 
> should have all different language versions of typo3.com and 
> maybe even 
> .org. Let me give an abstract and my own view about the matter.
> 
> This whole topic has three dimensions;
> 
> 1. marketing
> 2. organisation / responsibilities
> 3. design / TYPO3 CI
> 
> Ad.1. Every market (country) has its own language, dynamics, 
> economics, 
> CMS players, culture, government etc etc. So the need for localised 
> TYPO3 websites is obviously there.

Fully agree!

> Ad.2. The T3A has clearly stated that they don't want to get involved in 
> local organisations, local marketing, local sub Associations etc. This 
> would al be too much to organise and this level of organisation is not 
> something you wish for in an open-source project. TYPO3 is no 
> multi-national corporation and should not behave like it. 
> Typeheads that organise the local UG's, handle press and take care of tha
local 
> language versions of TYPO3 work quit good. User-Goups that organise 
> themselfses are the perfect form in open-source. Conclusion is -imho- 
> that they are the right people to take the initiative and the lead 
> creating a local -country- portal.

It was never my intention to have the T3A running national sites, and be
involved in local organisation, marketing and so on. Or as I stated i my
first post. "Maybe it's not important whom, but I think they have to commit
to have the site up and running, update it and to cooperate with the
national press contact, typehead and user groups." Also remember that every
country don't have any typehead or usergroups with activity. Where you have
typeheads/usergroup (with any activity) they are best fit to run it. I'd
never mentioned T3A.

> Ad.3. Now there is a new CI and a style guide that comes with it, what 
> you need more? As long as the local TYPO3 websites keep-up with the 
> style-guide and certain quality standards which can be set by the 
> Typehead, it should work-out fine I guess.
> We definitly should not copy .com or .org for local websites, this would 
> be very confusing. Since the local site is no official T3A publication 
> it should not give the impression that it's official. On .com and .org 
> the Active Members of the T3A have everything they publish under control 
> so they can also be responsible for what is put online. Locally this is 
> not the case so this should clearly show in the design.

I think national TYPO3 sites would be seen as somehow "semi-official" sites
by most people. Therefore they should be a part of building the brand TYPO3.
They should not be any copy of .com/.org, but they shouldn't be anything
that give a really different impression. And to tell that national sites
shouldn't be any copy, is a guideline. 

I now know that the new CI/style guide (the complete one?) probably would be
released this week. And if I understand Rasmus correct, it will give some
help, but maybe not on every point. But before I have read it, I can't tell
if I think more guidelines are needed. And if I think more is needed, I
would put my thoughts on the table, and don't expect the design team doing
everything.

My experience is that it's really easy to spoil a good design and CI. And
"semi-official" sites can do that. Therefore T3A should have their own
interest in securing the investment in logo/CI (the new brand).

The first and third point is the main reasons behind putting the question
about guidelines on the table. But probably the finished CI/styleguide will
give the answers.

> So if I combine these three aspects of the topic my 
> conclusions are: 1. Every country needs it's own localised 
> portal; 2. This portal should be organised by the country's 
> Typehead ad created 
> by the local UG;
> 3. The design should stick to the TYPO3 CI and the rules 
> layed-down in 
> the Style Guide but be clearly distinguish from .com and 
> .org. 4. The local site should also be the home-base of the local UG.

Agree, but 2 could be difficult in some country.

> This is what happening right now in the US, Canada, Russia, 
> Netherlands 
> and Belgium. I would recommand others to do the same.
> 'Do not ask what the T3A can do for you, ask what you can do 
> for TYPO3!'

I think thats what I'm doing. Because I think this discussion is important
if we are going to establish TYPO3 as a BRAND in Open Source CMS.

Ciao,

Erik


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