Open design can mean different things to different people. To keep us aligned and working towards a shared vision, we have design principles. Our principles are the fundamentals that build a strong foundation for open design to thrive.
Identify the problem well before you start to solve it. Know why you're designing. If you don't, ask questions to gain insights. Those answers will lead to better questions or new directions.
The goal of this RHEL product art direction is to show that our customers landscapes are complicated and that RHEL can be the common layer enabling innovation, regardless of workload or environment. The possibilities are endless for our customers to build up and out on RHEL.
Know who you're designing for and what they need; talk to them if you can. When you understand their motivations, you're able to demonstrate real empathy for the user, and the most impactful choices become clear.
The annual Summit is a good opportunity for experience teams across Red Hat to collect important customer, partner, and user research.
Offer as much relevant information to your audience as possible. When you've clearly communicated the impact and importance of the information, you build lasting trust.
The Open Culture Guide is a toolset that enables Red Hatters and others to follow open culture practices according to their own organization's needs.
Build on other people's contributions, no matter who they are. Seek out and be open to a wide range of perspectives. Take every project as an opportunity to evolve the way you include and support other abilities, backgrounds, and personalities beyond your own.
Take risks, even when it's scary or difficult. Suggest something unexpected, remove something unnecessary, or even know when to try again — facing the challenge results in the best work possible.
The Open Brand Project started with the formation of a task force to redesign the Red Hat logo, bringing together people from different disciplines at Red Hat. And we worked with Paula Scher, a partner at design firm Pentagram, to help us focus.
To design effectively, you must embrace regular feedback. When designers engage with each other's work at every stage, we build a helpful and safe environment of understanding across our community.
At Red Hat, designers are encouraged to seek feedback at all stages of their design, from designer peers to stakeholders.
The right solution does not sacrifice quality of craftsmanship. The hard work to achieve well-crafted solutions is how we improve Red Hat design as a whole.
When we need to represent Red Hat in a small space, or when the context of the Red Hat® brand is already clear, we can use the hat separately from the Red Hat logo.
When creating new icons, we use 12° angles because they match the angle of the ascenders and descenders in our font. This helps to build continuity in our visual system.
Acknowledge the work that came before you. Remember that your work is part of a larger system that you can start from, add to, iterate on, or improve.
The effects of design decisions made by teams across Red Hat affect the work done by other teams: from icon libraries to the specs of the Brand language.
