This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Knowledge & Support Community

Discussed in the "Marketing"-Thread ( http://www.thisisms.com/ftopict-8532.html ), there's some evidence (though preliminary ) that the CCSVI movement could use a logo. It really looks like there's some sort of new organisation forming! So I made some attempts but wasn't satisfied with it myself. Now I've finished it.

But my thoughts were, there also should be a name to the movement - to us. Refering to the board members as "People at TIMS" or something like that pretty much degrades us to the users of a communication tool. But you will agree that it's not about the tool, it's about the people behind it - and they're much much more than some chatters! (No offense intended - TIMS is great!) And there are other people involved who aren't here.

So I've tried to come to a name that covers the main things and is adequate. How to describe this group, consisting mainly of patients and their relevants, caretakers, and very vew specialists? Society is, by all means, not right (and sounds like moldy 19th/20th century ). My thoughts were that "network" fits best for this kind of group of people. And the name should clearly - and proudly - state that it is inofficial and thus, completely independent. Of course CCSVI should be mentioned and that it's international. So here it is:

"Inofficial Patient-driven International Network on Investigation of CCSVI - IPINIC".

There's also some sort of irony in this long name, making it look like something very very official while stating that it is inofficial.

And here's the logo to it:



Really hope you like it, because it's for you and me and everyone here. But of course it isn't carved in stone, if the discussion brings up good ideas for changes, I will make them!

What to do with this logo? Well, one thought was that you now can entitle yourself when talking to the media. "Mr. John Doe, Member of the INIPIC" doesn't sound that bad, does it? It always has some effect.

And of course you can use it on coffee mugs, T-shirts, flyers, posters and so on. You may even sell them. I put this under a creative commons license (I will explain this here later on). There's only one exception: you may not use it as an avatar here - unless Joan and Jeff don't want to use it for that.

I will make a link to a very high res version here shortly (except that there are changes to be made).

This one really is for all of us.

So, what do you think of it?

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Edit: I'm terribly sorry for posting this in this moment. By the time I wrote this I had not seen how severe radecks situation is. Really feel miserable about it. This logo is meant serious, but there are much more serious things than logos anyway. Thought about deleting this post, but that doesn't make sense either. Sorry!

radeck, my thoughts and prayers are with you!

Sorry cah, I can't come up with anything better and I respect the time and effort you must have put into this, yet to me this looks as if "The Onion" made CCSVI their cover story. And frankly everything that borrows heavily from 60ies black power symbolism today is easy prey for ridicule - and right so. I'm sure you can come up with something far better. Just my 2 cents ...

Oops... you're right. Didn't see the black power connotation...

Doing stuff for foreign cultural backgrounds is kinda hard and dropping a clanger is so damn quickly done. There wasn't such a thing as black power in germany at all, so one wouldn't associate it here. (another anecdote example: If you want to draw a tree for anything for Japan, you have to draw a conifer but not a broadleaf as the don't see a tree in it, but a atom bomb mushroom!)

So, a raised fist isn't usable at all? I liked the idea of a fist constisting of a brain and a vein pretty much, but didn't like the "punching" style of the old version as it looked too agressive to me.

To everyone: Don't hesitate telling what you think! Hit me hard if you want to, I'm used to it (think every graphic designer is or at least should be).

Mmmhh.... Personally; no fist, no anger; no "...ism" consonance but rather a smile looking at an opening in the middle of the clouds...

But I am not a designer; so just another thought

Thank you for your time; in any case!

Hi cah - I don't have much to offer, but I just wanted to say that I like where you're going with this! It would be great for all of us to have a logo and a "mission" statement, of sorts. I can help a bit, I think, by saying that I don't think that the word "inofficial" is readily recognized here in America, but rather "unofficial." Another "U" word that could go with this would be "united," as I feel it would also sum up this group. United for a cause. Goodluck and thanks for offering to put your graphic design skills to use for all of us!

Algis, I don't think that it should look joyful - no brain with a smiling face on it

It's a serios issue and moreover, the CCSVI theory has it's opponents and thus the logo should state that we're strong (and willing to fight if we have to). I'll make a new approach later on.

Sharon, instead of in-/unofficial we could use independent? Wouldn't that be still better?

I like the abbrevation IPINIC. It's not used for anything yet and can be vocalized easily.

I think united doesn't fit, though. There's much diversity among us. Some want the treatment now, some want more research, some (well, we all) simply want the disease to be gone. And I think this is what makes this group of people so very special. Almost every position is tolerated - except dull prejudice. It's not like a society, speaking only through his leaders and thus has to "select" what's stated as their opinion. Our "leaders" are made by what they've done, not by some sort of election, and everyone can speak freely.

Cah,
I appreciate what your doing, wish I had some good ideas to contribute.
Besides the fist, the other thing that I'm not crazy about is the abbrevation IPINIC, visually to me, it's to close to I PANIC. lol
I'll put my constructive thinking cap on and see if I can't come up with some ideas to toss out on the soccer field to be kicked around too.
Lora

Didn't see that, too

You (and everyone else) can plainly tell me what's wrong with it even if you can't find your thinking cap right now.

Perhaps we could change the words to "International Patient-driven independend CCSVI information (or investigation) Network", which is IPICIN and close to I pick in