Mageia Has an Official Logo

After months of careful consideration, lots of contributions, and a set process, the Mageia project has decided upon a logo. Some may find it a bit understated, while other may find it offensive. In any case, the new bubbling cauldron is it.

There were so many beautiful entries in contention for the new face of Mageia, but this simple design prevailed. The winning entry was submitted by Olivier Faurax. He says of the winning logo, "The cauldron with bubbles could imply magic - not really a theme to attract most potential users. Or it could refer to the development process - a sort of inside joke, which wouldn't be understood by most without explanation."

The "cauldron" refers the developmental branch of Mageia, a mirror or reflection of Mandriva Cooker - where it is often said that packages are cooked. A cauldron is also a cooking vessel, but has become a symbol of witchery through centuries of folklore and imagery. This is where some might baulk.

Linux has had a small niche of distributions of using symbols and phrasing from myth and magic. Mandrake is a common root used in magical spells and home remedies in literature and reality. Mandrake Linux changed their name to Mandriva because of prior use by Mandrake the Magician. Images of eldery wizards weren't uncommon in Mandriva and other distributions. An offshoot of Gentoo, Sorcerer Linux, exploited the use of magical phrasing in all its work. Package management was done through incantations called "spells." Source Mage is a decedent of Sorcerer. A mage is a term synonymous with a magician, voodooist, or witch. It's just all in fun.

The process for choosing the winning logo started with a request for submissions, followed by two short-lists, and a vote by Mageia founding members. The submission process was frozen in November after receiving 430 proposals, by about 113 artists. The winning logo: