The closest thing to a mascot that we have is http://maven.apache.org/images/maven-logo-2.gif "Arse on desk behind laptop while waiting for Maven to finish downloading the interwebs"
I would like to call a vote in a couple of days to adopt M. Couché-Tard (my own creation) as our mascot http://people.apache.org/~stephenc/maven-logo-contest/maven-owl-5-large.png "M. Couché-Tard" In addition I am suggesting that we change the logo font to Alte Haas Grotesk Bold with italic applied by Inkscape I am also suggesting that we change the emphasis colour letter to the v... as in version... and we all know that Maven helps manage versions of things... versions are very important to Maven. The emphasis colour would be #cc0000 to match the scarf worn by "M. Couché-Tard" My proposal would be to make these changes as a single vote, i.e. not three separate votes, the vote would be for all these changes in one go... in order to avoid design by committee. Having said that, community is more important than a new logo or even having a mascot, so hence this discuss thread before actually calling a vote. This is something that not just the developers of Maven should have a say in... if we have a mascot and a refreshed logo we can use these as aid to help drive a site refresh that makes Maven easier to understand for newcomers and helps existing users find what they are looking for easier and faster. For anyone not following the dev list, here is my reasons for picking "M. Couché-Tard" as a mascot... The definition of a maven is "an expert or connoisseur"... in the context of Apache Maven, the idea is that Maven knows the conventions for different types of software projects and is an expert in applying those conventions. M. Couché-Tard is a wise fellow, sleeping-in while he waits for the interwebs to finish downloading... he may look cute but if crossed or used incorrectly he will bite a chunk off your hand... but do right by him and he will do right by you. So WDYT? should I just call the vote already or do people want to think it over a bit more!
