In order to give a face to the name, I decided to create a logo for openfire. While doing this I got quite carried away, so I decided to create some wallpapers and the like too. The official logo is now this:

The logo was created using Paint .NET, an excellent free graphics tool for Windows. The font used is the aetherfox font by Iconian Fonts, and was a great source of inspiration for the styling of the logo.

The Evolution of a Logo

The logo started with the desire to create a simple, minimalist vector based design. My first idea was to use the letter "o" as a view down a rifle, but this quickly proved to be a non-starter after some experimentation. So, I changed direction and started looking for some good fonts I could use as a base, found aetherfox and instantly decided it was the right font for the job. Using just text as a logo is a bit boring so I started experimenting with some gunfire related metaphors. I discovered the ability to create rounded ends on lines in Paint .NET, and immediately thought of having a bullet passing underneath the text as a clever way to underline it. The first effort looked like this:

I quite liked this first attempt, but some criticisms arose that the positioning of the conical gradient made the background look "dented", like someone had given it a good thump with the point of a screwdriver. An easy fix, producing this:

Some did not like the gradient split being down the middle, so I tried a simpler left-to-right grey gradient:

Others also thought it might look better as a kind of bevelled button background. I also tried changing to a grey background:

What about a star burst gradient?

However, at this point the mind started to wander. Wouldn't it be cool if the dotted trail of the bullet faded, as if dissipating? Better than that, wouldn't it be better if it had a visible shock wave and trail? Such outlandish thinking resulted in these:

Some people *really* liked this, and it became the first "special edition" as an alternative to the final logo I selected. Since I was going hog wild, I decided to start really messing about with some shockwave style trails around the bullet. I also wanted to try a version with white text and a "halo" effect around the text and bullet. Along the way, I got some really weird, over-the-top ones like this:

However, in the end, and pretty much by accident, I ended up at the final logo:

Phew! Here's hoping I don't have to go through that kind of creative process again in a hurry :) I also made some wallpapers and the like, which can be accessed from the media link on the left under OpenFire.