Add a Mascot for XLibre

[Kreijstal]

x11libre needs a mascot!

We need a designer!

[miranda]

Yeah, sadly, it seems that would be very fitting.

Oh sorry, you said red on blue... I thought you were describing the confederate flag. That would be blue on red.

[marciomaiajr]

A Honey Badger eating a 'W' shaped snake would be fitting.

[Kreijstal]

Yeah, sadly, it seems that would be very fitting.

Oh sorry, you said red on blue... I thought you were describing the confederate flag. That would be blue on red.

do not reference the united states of america, most of the world does not live there and does not care whatever happens in that place

[nirodhvana]

[Emayeah]

do not reference the united states of america, most of the world does not live there and does not care whatever happens in that place

truer words never spoken

[maxwell-kalin]

a dead horse called "flogging"

[Ratkiller446]

A Giant Red X with a Gadsden flag.

It would seem pretty cool.

[zocker-160]

I am not a designer (so please don't laugh), but here is a quick hacky draft based on some of the ideas above, feel free to expand upon or dismiss (WTFPL):

update: small changes to the second one

[metux]

x11libre needs a mascot!

We need a designer!

Some X-Men ? ;-)

[Kreijstal]

Dah da da naaaah!

Cheesy 1950s radio mode

X-Libre Man! Able to draw full screen graphics is less than a nanosecond! Able to render 3D graphics with precision unmatched! With his sidekicks DDX-boy and GLX-girl, he is defender of 2D, 3D, and the UNIX graphics way! Together, they fight back against the FreeDesktops consortium of evil! Wayland-man who seeks to topple UNIX for his own nefarious plans! The Red Hat and his maniacal contraptions of evil software! And the mastermind behind it all, the evil EyeBeeEm! A magnaforce of evil so great, I dare not broadcast it out of fear of the children listening at home!

please draw at least 2 comic panels

[zocker-160]

X-Libre Man! Able to draw full screen graphics is less than a nanosecond! Able to render 3D graphics with precision unmatched! With his sidekicks DDX-boy and GLX-girl, he is defender of 2D, 3D, and the UNIX graphics way! Together, they fight back against the FreeDesktops consortium of evil! Wayland-man who seeks to topple UNIX for his own nefarious plans! The Red Hat and his maniacal contraptions of evil software! And the mastermind behind it all, the evil EyeBeeEm! A magnaforce of evil so great, I dare not broadcast it out of fear of the children listening at home!

login banner suggestion:

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             🦸 DEFENDER OF THE DISPLAY - CHAMPION OF THE UNIX WAY 🦸

             +---------------------------------------------------+
             |  FEATURING THE HEROES OF OPEN RENDERING:          |
             |                                                   |
             |   ⚡ X-LIBRE MAN                                  |
             |      "Able to redraw your screen in 0.0000001s!"  |
             |                                                   |
             |   ⚙️  DDX-BOY                                     |
             |      "Tuning GPUs at the register level!"         |
             |                                                   |
             |   🎇 GLX-GIRL                                     |
             |      "Rendering shaders with dazzling flair!"     |
             +---------------------------------------------------+
  
                     👹 VERSUS THE FREEDESKTOPS OF EVIL 👹
  
             +------------------------------------------------+
             |  ☠️  WAYLAND-MAN                               |
             |     "Buffer this! No clients allowed!"         |
             |                                                |
             |  🎩 THE RED HAT                                |
             |     "Systemd is inevitable..."                 |
             |                                                |
             |  👁️‍🗨️ THE EVIL EYEBEEM                           |
             |     "Your source code is... MINE!"             |
             +------------------------------------------------+

         🖥️ Witness epic battles across /dev/fb0 and /tmp/.X11-unix! 🖥️
         🌀 X crashes! GL context fights! Daemon spawns! DRM wars! 🌀

    >> Now showing in glorious 80x25 character resolution on a terminal near you! <<

                "A threat so vile… I DARE NOT broadcast it,
                for fear of terrifying the children at home!"
                                                        --<insert important name here>, 2025

(I am just messing around, this is a joke, pls don't take is seriously)

[Emayeah]

I am not a designer (so please don't laugh), but here is a quick hacky draft based on some of the ideas above, feel free to expand upon or dismiss (WTFPL):

the first one... WOW I LIKE THE FIRST ONE

[ToneyFoxxy]

Significantly improved version of mine

And here's a slightly less cluttered version

[maxwell-kalin]

its so clutterd i didnt see the difference for a minute in both, its perfect for this codebase

[ToneyFoxxy]

Why not make the L the forward slash, so the tail is under the X?

Because that would mean the L comes first

[eduardflorinescu]

Related, there's a logo Open thread:
X11Libre/xserver#112

[GermanAizek]

@metux, I think you'll like this kind of mascot 😂

[Zeblackcat]

I am not a designer (so please don't laugh), but here is a quick hacky draft based on some of the ideas above, feel free to expand upon or dismiss (WTFPL):

!(https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/0d320686-2b44-4759-ab0a-2661b7e7d88c) !(https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/1ea68eed-22a7-47bf-b0e1-dc8398cdacbd)

update: small changes to the second one !(https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/00405519-93ba-4ce3-b856-6561dcdc0afe)

For not being a designer, I'd say these are pretty good if you ask me.
Though, perhaps this is the one field I can help pitch in. I'll see if I can drop in some design ideas this week. o/

Very new to Linux, but this project certainly got me excited.

[metux]

@metux, I think you'll like this kind of mascot 😂

LOOOL.

I'm having that in my twitter avatar, and there's some serious (but funny) story behind:

Few years ago, some politicians openly denounced those people who're not in line with them as too stupid or uncivilized for using cutlery - especially directed at those who have positive emotions for the home country, the people and the culture, and like to keep their traditional way of life. (these days, that already counts as "right-wing extremist").
(similar bullshit like another politician once said, women who're in danger of being attacked in the streets shall just stretch their arm to keep the attacker on safe distance - didn't say whether one should use the right or the left one).

The reaction on that was a huge wave of people showing how well they can cope with cutlery. Some even making videos of themselves using 10-pieces one, that's only used on special celebrations, nobel restaurants or dinner parties (5-course dinner).

Never anticipated that this meme can also be used for X.

[metux]

I had to remove some posts with a photo of somebody.
Please don't post photos of people without their consent.

[Zeblackcat]

Hah, if people agree with the knife and fork. I can certainly make a few examples using those as our inspiration. Perhaps even combining the red and blue.

Coming fresh from Windows still in my graphics designing, are there any particular file types for these that are used/preferred like *.svg? Happy to research into new frontiers to fit this project better of course. Just let me know! I will have some time this evening/tomorrow to put forth some samples.

[Kreijstal]

svg is probably best tbh

[Zeblackcat]

Yeah I figured it would be. Felt best to make sure in case there were any formats under Linux I wasn't aware of. But I will definitely give this one a whirl then.

[AndersonTorres]

[nirodhvana]

[callmetango]

Thank you for your contribution! We currently restructured the "Ideas" discussions and accordingly this discussion will be moved to the X11Libre 4 Good Ideas For Later category.

[callmetango]

@maxwell-kalin Your comment has been deleted due to the attempt of bullying. This is warning 1 out of 3.

[maxwell-kalin]

oh no, i really want to be the 2nd dev who works on this, shucks

[cristiancmoises]

Owls make excellent choices for logos because they carry a lot of strong symbolic meaning while also being visually distinctive. Here are the main reasons:

• Wisdom & Knowledge 🦉 — Owls are universally associated with intelligence, learning, and insight. A logo with an owl instantly suggests thoughtfulness, expertise, and trustworthiness.
• Sharp Vision 👁️ — Since owls can see in the dark, they symbolize clarity, awareness, and the ability to find solutions even in difficult or hidden situations. This makes them perfect for brands emphasizing problem-solving or foresight.
• Mystery & Elegance ✨ — Owls have a sleek, graceful form and a slightly mysterious aura, which gives logos a sense of sophistication and intrigue.
• Versatility in Design 🎨 — The round face, large eyes, and distinct silhouette are easily stylized into minimalist, geometric, or playful logo forms. An owl can look modern, serious, or even cute depending on the brand’s tone.
• Universal Recognition 🌍 — Owls are recognized across cultures, often tied to wisdom (Athena’s owl in Greek mythology, for example). That makes the symbol relatable worldwide.

[kkofler]

A lot of these suggestions are more logos than mascots.

Maybe, instead of putting it in the name as someone suggested, XLibre could make a phoenix its mascot? PhoeniXLibre the phoenix.

[pugly-tech]

A penguin in coveralls carrying a pane of glass? Or on one of those platforms used to clean windows on a skyscraper?

[eduardflorinescu]

penguin

Only linux, what about BSDs that will use XLibre?

[pugly-tech]

hmm, fair. how about a beaver? a beaver dressed like a window cleaner and sitting in one of those swing platforms for cleanign windows on a skyscraper

I was going to say pug, but grok suggested a beaver is a better choice

The X11 server, being a complex system that manages graphical displays and handles communication between hardware and software, could be likened to a beaver. Beavers are industrious, highly organized, and adept at building and maintaining intricate structures (like dams), much like how the X11 server constructs and manages the graphical environment. Their ability to adapt and coordinate multiple elements mirrors the X11 server's role in juggling input devices, screens, and applications efficiently.

[pugly-tech]

Something like a beaver working a drafting table?

Let's call him Mason.
Mason Framework. Or Mason Timberlay?

[eduardflorinescu]

Looks like AI Slop

[pugly-tech]

It is AI slop, its intended as a reference. Any actual mascot would be much more simplified detail wise but there's no point spending a couple days working on it only for everyone to decide they don't like beaver.

[darkhog]

All I see here are (except the beaver above this post that was likely AI-generated so unsafe from a legal standpoint because copyright) logos, not mascots. For reference, the logo of Linux is this:

The Linux mascot is Tux (hopefully I don't have to post image of him here).

[ArmanHayots]

How about the X-winged fairy? People like the cute creatures, don't they?
X-winged spacecraft is kinda cute too.

[callmetango]

I think if we ever need a mascot then one that is quite conservative and down to earth. The XLibre project is about mission critical infrastructure and nothing fancy like a game or so. XLibre should be best known by its "just works" attribute. The mascot is second and will probably never be shown when running the software. IMO it is "only" important to form the community around the software and give some identity/identification and recognition effect to its members.

[darkhog]

Linux is about mission-critical stuff too, and Tux is adorable AF. The only stuff we need to be serious about is the code quality. And an adorable/cute mascot will help get normies to choose Xlibre over Wayland (when possible). People aren't Vulcans, as much as I'd want that. You need to get them emotionally as well.

[Jaldebehot]

I personally like owls as a totem of wisdom, but some people might think they are an evil omen of Molech, so...

[pugly-tech]

Owls seem more like something you would use for a database application.