There's two major directions we can go -- either sticking with the hard drive metaphor, which perhaps doesn't muddy the branding, but is a bit lacking when a spinning disk is a rare occurrence and isn't very identifiable.

The alternative approach is to use the fedora logo outline/pill for the basis of the save symbol:

Using the current logo colors it might look like this --

Not sure where the logo redesign is, but in the future it might look like --

Hi @jimmac ! I love the new icon style, it looks amazing and the colors look much more vivid! I'm also excited about the direction since we're brightening the Fedora logo color too, it seems like maybe it will hang better together with the palette above? (it seems very similar to the blue in the map).

Unfortunately I don't really think the 'pill' shape is identifiably Fedora enough for it to really work as a legible representation. (E.g., here in the northeastern US we have the CVS pharmacy chain that uses the same exact shape but in red. )

The final logo proposal is viewable here: https://pagure.io/Fedora-Council/tickets/issue/248

Would you be open to other metaphors? Some ideas:

• Image of a laptop with the Fedora logo on the screen (could be blue screen with the white one color version of the logo on it) => I'm assuming most live installs are done on laptops now, and the laptop itself is more visible than any internal storage devices, and the logo represents the end state of the application, Fedora on the laptop.
• Fedora sticker getting placed on outside of laptop this is a smidge more abstract, but basically closed laptop, and a die cut fedora logo (representing a sticker) hovering over it
• Cropped section of Keyboard showing single color fedora logo on the windows key
• Cropped corner of the laptop case showing a label with the Fedora logo on it (kind of representing a 'powered by' sticker on the laptop)
• Just use the arrow + spinning disk icon but replace spinning disk with a closed laptop?

Happy to sketch any of these out or come up with more.

It might be best to steer clear of specific form factors - showing an image of a laptop might feel a bit odd if you're installing on a desktop, for example.

Some other possibilities to consider:

• An open box with a Fedora logo on it
• An arrow pointing down at a computer drive (something that looks like a generic piece of hardware, rather than a spinning disk)
• A gear with a Fedora logo in the center

I worry with box icons folks will think it is something to do with packaging. But maybe it could be a cooler looking box; off the bat I was thinking open brown cardbox box like an amazon delivery but maybe it could be a fancier box, like those ring boxes with a hinge, or something like that. My last couple of phones and laptops came in fancy boxes that seem designed for unpacking videos anyway!

Gears always make me think of settings.

More ideas, maybe crazy but good brain food?:

• A fedora logo nailed to a door (the likely missed but non essential, real-estate related metaphor here is that your computer is a physical space and a fedora shop has moved in :-p, nailing to the door also another version of installing like installing furniture or whatever )
• Cropped hood of a car with a fedora logo hood ornament
• Fedora logo with a progress bar - most of the time in the installer you're looking at a progress bar its sort of a defining characteristic of any installer - i know this is meant to be a video player icon so maybe it makes it confusing but something like this layout where there's a non descript / generic silver box, a fedora logo on it / on its screen, with a progress bar at the bottom (where the play slider is in this) https://cdn.onlinewebfonts.com/svg/img_471110.png

Thanks for all the suggestions. Here's a couple of quick sketches trying to execute those ideas:

More to come.

The third sketch is promising as it looks more neutral than using specific device.

How about using a monitor only without the base which can represent all screen based devices.

Definitely that one.

I'm also loving that last one with the logo.

I'm a bit uncertain about the progress bar concept: progress bars have negative connotations - they are associated with waiting, boredom, slowness - not great things to associate with a brand, and not an enthusiastic set of meanings to associate with starting to use Fedora.

As a counter-example: one of the ideas behind the package concept I mentioned above was to associate installation with the excitement unboxing a new product.

I won't fight this point if everyone else is enthusiastic about the progress bar concept, though.

Last time such concept of unboxing a new product was attempted showed a cluttered icon hard to notice. The last icon simplifies the representation of an installation and looks more appealing. For that reason, the positive connotations outweighs the negative. Icons are evolving and we can always revisit them for improvement.
Nevertheless, it would be nice to see an illustration of that counter-example.

While I intended to only provide the concepts, I also feel like the boxed progressbar is the weakest of them. I understand the appeal of the logo, but visually the monitor filling up is my favorite. I don't feel like the form factor would be a show stopper when the metaphor is so dynamic.

I'll try to come up with some more.

I guess the monitor ones confuse me bc I thought we couldnt do form factor / specific hw ones. There are also a lot of monitor icons out there, eg for wallpaper, display properties, and representing the system itself on a number of systems so it seems to mean change the desktop wallpaper to me.

The progress bar one actually looks like an installer. Even on android using the play store you get the logo for the app and a progress bar. It's a clear pattern and reads well. So for me its not the appeal of the logo its the legibility of the icon.

Going to post this just for completion.

Apart from the "packaging" vibes the legibility of the logo caused by the obstruction is probably not something we want.

... Even on android using the play store you get the logo for the app and a progress bar. It's a clear pattern and reads well. ...

Oh, I'd be interested to see what that looks like. Where is it in the play store...?

@aday

first it does a bar for downloading then it repeats for installing. on my phone usually the installing part takes longer.

Apart from the "packaging" vibes the legibility of the logo caused by the obstruction is probably not something we want.

Put the logo on the box?

Put the logo on the box?

I don't like how that makes the box either empty or needing something arbitrary inside. Not a fan of the faux perspective requirements here either.

Here's the symbolic and fullcolor variants of the progressbar icon, which you liked, just so we have something to ship F30 with, while looking for a better metaphor.

@jimmac - we can't ship the new logo in F30 - it's not approved by legal yet. I didn't realize this was for 30 :-/

version with the old logo --

Symbolic & Fullcolor variants based on the old logo.

@jimmac thanks, I'm really sorry I didn't realize that upfront :(

(If you want to drop the little TM blip I think that would be OK)

No problem. I just want F30 looking less random :)

Here's the same deal, but with the TM dropped:

Filed a bug in the RH bugzilla -- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1699034

New icon landed on the release -- https://bodhi.fedoraproject.org/updates/FEDORA-2019-552bdad2a3