Survey: W3C brand and visual identity

[started: 2020-04-06 / completion: 2020-04-14]

Studio 24 asked for a survey to help define the visual and brand identity of W3C.

List any important words that you want to associate with the W3C image/brand

Welcoming, Expert, Official, Global, Transparent

Boiled down from:

Welcoming from approachable/friendly/helpful/caring/compassion/inclusive/responsive/understandable/accessible/welcoming/inviting/communicative/collaborative/open
Expert from knowledgeable/informational/smart/educated/wise/expert/serious/professional/mature/precise/accurate/reliable/thorough/technical/rigorous/comprehensive
Official from authoritative/exemplary/official/confident/origin/source/standard/process/persistent/longevity/stable/trustworth/respected/organized/trustworthy
Global from global/world-wide/international/inclusive/connected/universal
Transparent from fair/equality/impartial/neutral/consensual + straightforward/transparent/open/consensual/participatory/grass-roots
? from Idealistic/Purposeful/Public good/value-based/better/ambitious/brave

Full list of survey input follows:

Knowledgeable
Helpful, useful
Professional
Informational
Fair
Serious
Smart
Caring
Compassion
Exemplary
Official
Rigorous
Precise, accurate
Ambitious
Confident
Educated
Wise
Mature
Expert
Reliable
Friendly
Consistency
Eloquent
Sustainable
Origin/source
Standard
Global
World-wide
International
Inclusive
Collaborative
Communicative
Equality
Impartial
Neutral
Consensual
Open
Process
Responsive
Functional
Searchable
Thorough 
Straight-forward
Approachable, accessible
Responsible
Technical
Stable
Persistent, longevity
Idealistic
Better
Experienced
Creative
Trustworthy
Authoritative
Respected
Beneficial
Active
Participatory
Purposeful
Progressive
Transparent
Understandable, understanding
Organised
Innovative
Comfort, speed
Clear
Usable
Comprehensive
Slick
Sober
Fast
Universal design
Accessibility for all
Public good
Anticipative for the future
Better living
Communal, community-oriented
Designer-oriented
Royalty-free
Connected
Clean
Educational
Simple
Classic
Resilient
Engineered
Universal (for everyone)
Leading
Calm
Easy
Practical
Realistic
Welcoming, inviting
Value-based
Grass-roots
Down-to-earth
Bleeding-edge
A good cause

Also, we aspire to be:
Brave
Coherent
Dynamic 
Efficient 
Modern

If W3C was a personality who would it be? And why?

TimBL: geeky, smart, respected, kind

Full list of survey input follows:

* Leonardo da Vinci
The homo Universalis, interested in everything: art, culture, technology, law, language... And good at it, too.

* Daedalus
The perfect engineer, whose brilliant work, despite his best intentions, still caused somebody to die.

* Fred Rogers :)
constructive, helpful, kind

* TimBL
geeky, smart, respected, kind

* Dalai Lama? Pope Francis?
respected; bridging old and new; traditional but progressive

* Barack Obama
because he's firm and transparent in his policies and is also open to different points of view backed by science and evidence

* a little bit Richard Ayoade
not embarrassed to be techy-nerd but also really creative and cool

* Someone who will not be annoying, just doing their job, and go away.

* My wise, knowledgable aunt that always provides good information and advice.

* A good friend that coaches me to deliver high-quality web experiences for all users by using innovative web technologies in the best possible way.

* Bill Nye!
Smart, explains things simply, but still fun :)

* trustworthy, wonky, intelligent neighbor you can always turn to for information, answers and tools. always planning things for the community and willing to help out

* A friend trying to organize a group meal for a few billion people

* Carl Sagan
He explained things simply and clearly, in a relaxing tone.

* Right now? A scholarly hermit
that holds a lot of knowledge, but people don't understand him

* Captain Picard
trusted, humble, grounded

* Neil deGrasse Tyson.
Its role is communicating and educating. It arbitrates between stakeholders in the web and teaches the public about the resulting technology and standards.

* The president of a democratic country
because its authoritative output is the result of a collective effort

* HEYLEL
the most beautiful star of all. She was the protective cherub, made music, and is said to have been the director of Paradise management.

* Dwight Schrute from The Office
but with web browser standards instead of beet farming and paper

* The president of Austria
no-bullshit and reliable, and mostly in the background

* Bernie Sanders
because you have to push boundaries to reach out to people, direct and no BS, no pleasantries, clearly-stated positions

Describe the new website’s desired look and feel by using adjectives and short phrases

Efficient, Approachable, Authoritative, Well-organized, Hopeful, Timeless

Note: The goal of this survey question is to focus on the "feel", so functional requirements are not appropriate to include.

Efficient
Lean
Sober
Elegant
Modern
Minimalist
"more like a magazine than GeoCities"
Accessible
"accessible without commercial knick-knack"
Easy to parse
Readable
Machine-readable
Device-independent
Global in presentation (multi-language)
Fast
Clean
Clear
Sleek
Confident
Utilitarian
Legible
Searchable
Simple
Emblematic
Uncluttered design
Great typography
Trustworthy
Authoritative
Approachable
Positive
Welcoming
Straightforward
Well-organized
Enticing
Consistent
Useful on many devices
Comprehensive
Obvious iconography
Clear and straightforward information architecture
Functional
Bright
Dark mode
Obvious document status and relationships
Usable, easy to use
Direct
Robust
Technical
Understandable for non-technical users
Easy to navigate
Good navigation
Informative
Collaborative
Insightful
Deep dives directly from specific standards
Friendly
Exemplify best practices
To-the-point
Plain language
Dynamic
Reliable
Modular content
Forward-thinking
Simple graphics
Limited colour palette
Sans serif fonts
Looks and feels inclusive
"on brand"
Scientific
Literary
Smart
Corporate
Static
"if you use a hamburger please consider defaulting the menu to open on the desktop"
Progressively enhanced
Customisable
Human
Limited javascript
Information-rich
Serene
Hopeful
Strong
Colour palette: light, good contrast between text and background;
Imagery: preference for images rather than texts. Use a suite of icons to identify sections, projects, themes. Use a lot of pictures of real people to get trust. Don't use stock photos.
Layout: Go outside of standard layouts. Keep the balance between elements of the website. Use layout that tell a story to the user.
Font styles: use modern font styles, Medium like font style. Avoid movement in the website. Be sure the website is fully accessible and responsive.

What is the desired tone of voice?

Competent and knowledgeable; official but welcoming; concise, precise, but easy to understand.

Competent and official, knowledgeable. 
Serious but human. 
Concise, precise, but easy to understand. 
Referencing/acknowledging others, polite. 
Timeless.
Authoritative, understandable, accessible, welcoming.