OpenAgile.com

As we grow, the use of branding will be very important in differentiating this process from other organizations who view thier processes as products. For example, the Scrum community has successfully co-opted the "cogs" diagram as an explanaition of thier iterative process.

In this badge, I see the potential for a very different, and more meaningful branding that will clearly set us apart from other agile processes. I like the use of the stick-figure as a concept. Perhaps running, for the first level of certification is not correct. When I was thinking about the best way to communicate what this certificate is supposed to represent, I thought of a boy-scout and thier motto "Be Prepared". I'm not artsy enough to think of how to best portray that though.

The team-badge could be our stylized boy-scout running with a group of other boy-scouts.

The Process facilitator badge could be a boy-scout-leader in front of the running scouts.

The Growth Facilitator badge could be a boy-scout-leader drawing a map.

The Tutor badge could be a boy-scout-leader teaching from a podium.

The Catalyst badge could be a boy-scout-leader gathering groups of scouts.

And then Master Levels could be symbolized by the thing that all boy-scouts and leaders wear, a smokey-the-bear campaign hat (http://shabbycottagecollectibles.blogspot.com/2009/12/wanted-smokey-bear...)! Each different level of mastery could have a star on the hat (stars like what a general wears).

All that said, I liked the badges Alexei made also.

v/r,

Mike Van

This is a neat idea. I like having something that people can add to their profiles, etc. Good work Paul and Jim!! Here is some feedback:

- The symbolism in the "person" image is unclear to me. Are you trying to say that the person is taking the first step in a thousand mile journey? Perhaps it is the angle of the step, or the direction the head is facing, but it looks more like the person is running. Rather than someone looking at the ground (like they're trudging through the daily grind), can you make the figure look more optimistic? Like a person looking to the future with hope?

- In the OpenAgile logo, I like the way it symbolizes growth by using the triangle as the dot above the "i". The increasing angle says that we are growing in our capacity. Most other "Agile" institutions like Scrum Alliance and Agile Alliance use a circle to symbolize the iterative process. However, we aren't talking about going around in circles. We're talking about growth. Can we translate that same perspective into the rest of the image?

- I can't discern what is going on in the background. Is looks like a watermark of a pina colada or some fruity tropical beverage with a lime and an umbrella. Regardless, it looks a little busy underneath. I suggest removing that layer. That would also make it easier for printing purposes.

- For clarity, I wouldn't put any words above the OpenAgile logo. Just put "Readiness Certificate" underneath.

- We need a stylized logo for the "OpenAgile Institute". Having it in plain text here looks awkward, like it's just hanging underneath.

- One final note is about the colors. I suggest that we think carefully about our use of color. Perhaps green is a better cornerstone color for us since it symbolizes growth, life, and vitality. The complimentary color to green is red, which symbolizes love, sacrifice, passion, and zeal. We should be aware that using Blue and Orange makes us appear like we're trying to look like other "Agile" institutions like the Scrum Alliance and Agile Alliance. I'm just saying let's be intentional about our use of color and then use those colors consistently.

I think there should also be a version of it which is much smaller. Also, it's a Readiness Certificate, not Certified Basic Readiness.

Very friendly though!