Participatory Branding

So not only is the Debian logo totally awesome in raised plastic like that, but it’s totally awesome that this is a downloadable, shareable design, just like the OS it promotes!

It’d be easy for Microsoft or Macintosh to make a slick, beautiful mass-produced plastic logo.  Open Source software doesn’t have that kind of monetary leverage, usually.  The corporate backers of various Open Source products are a different story of course, but what about, say, a logo for the quirky, awesome, and somewhat obscure Pencil animation program?

Economies of scale make amazing things possible, but they also have a tendency to squeeze the small fry and promote the big fish.  Technologies like cheap 3D printing tilt the scales a little, not by knocking down what the big fish can do, but by giving the small fry a lift.  I can’t help but think that’s good for the ecosystem overall…