Erik Moeller wrote:
As for having one common logo, I agree that this would be the best outcome. I hope that the voters will agree, too. This is basically an experiment in the Wikipedia constitution -- are individual Wikipedias to be treated like nations, or like states within a nation? I personally favor the last option, but in order to accommodate those who seek greater independence for their Wikipedias, I have chosen to make the ratification process reflect that. This was also always the initial proposal -- "Individual Wikipedias will get an opportunity to hold their own votes on whether they will use the 'official' logo." (from [[International logo vote]]).
Erik, I completely agree with everything you say on a conceptual level, but take my case in this particular situation: I'm the all-hands-person for the Romanian Wikipedia (except dev), I have been working in graphic development for years and I find that logo to be horrible. Can you honestly ask me to support that logo for the Romanian Wikipedia? I hate it, I'm sorry, it's nobody's fault, but I do. And the worst thing psychologically for me is that I believe my opinion is based on experience, not only on taste. Changing the logo to match my criteria of usability would mean restyling it beyong recognition, I can't expect Wikipedians who voted for *THIS* logo to accept being cheated on this way, I wouldn't accept that if I liked the chosen logo. That's why I have no option but oppose the logo for the sake of it, and ultimately accept it because of the braindead decision to have at least 10 wikipedians with 10 edits vote. (We don't have this number of contributors, and I expect several other Wikipedias don't, but who cares when you design one-size-fits-all rules? We're probably considered way too small for self-determination--the large Wikipedias must vote for us, look how great we all did working together to choose a logo!)
These are the reasons why I'm extremely frustrated with the chosen logo. I will use it and will not resent Wikipedia because of this, as I said before, it's nobody's fault that, well, after all, *I'm* not happy with this logo. (Wanted to write "it's nobody's fault that we chose a horrible logo", but that'd be POV; I feel however that my POV would be NPOV for logo designers around the world. Feel my pain! :) )
Ok, I'll stop whining and ranting now, and unless provoked I won't open this up again. But I had to get it out, you know how it feels.
Gutza