FIRST Logo with Transparent Background?

Technical Computer Graphics
1

Hey all,

does anyone have the FIRST logo as a .png (or similar format) with transparent background? The FIRST website only has .jpg logos (with white background), which look very out of place on non-white backgrounds.

I know I could cut the logo out of the jpg, but since the circle is also white this is very tedious.

If I’m just blind, let me know.

Thanks,
FN

2

what you are looking for might be hard to find as it will violate the FIRST logo standards. I suggest you read them before proceeding with your project. http://www.usfirst.org/community/resourcecenter.aspx?id=650

3

Changing the background does not seem to violate their standards, as per the document. They even give instructions on which logos to use for what background color (only for .eps files). I’ll try using those, as soon as the Illustrator demo is done downloading…

4

The FIRST logo standards do not specifically state background colors but it does imply there are only 2 color logos that can be used and they are specifically only supposed to have either a white or black background, there is however a black and white logo that may be used on different color backgrounds. Ive been doing FIRST websites and materials for 4 years now and i play it safe with white or black, so i would just continue what you are doing cautiously, especially if its a site or other materials that are to be used with a team. Also the .eps files are not usually used for websites [if that’s what your doing] they are usually used for posters/banners, basically anything requiring vector graphics.

5

Just to clarify, I’m putting the FIRST logo (white background) on a gray background, which just looks awful; the black one is even worse…
I was planning on turning the vector file into a png with transparent background, but I will contact FIRST about it before I continue.

Thanks for the input!

6

I don’t know if it’s in the current FIRST logo guidelines (they seem to randomly change every few months…), but in at least one of the previous ones it had the “acceptable” background colors, and as well which version of the FIRST logo you have to use. For example, on certain orange backgrounds, you were only allowed to use a specific black-and-white version of the FIRST logo, since they thought the red did not contrast enough with the orange.

The .eps files FIRST provides may be vector files, but they are great for web design. The .jpeg files posted have a lot of JPEG noise in them, and it’s a trivial task to open a .eps in Illustrator and export it to a .png or shudder .gif to use on your website. Things like logos and graphics should never be done in .jpg format, as .jpg is much better suited for regular photographs. If you don’t have Illustrator, go down to the Arts department at your school, as most schools have at least one copy of Photoshop and Illustrator on some computer somewhere in the school.

If you enjoy adhering to the FIRST logo guidelines…
[spoiler]
// But as a running joke for those who like to strictly adhere to the FIRST logo guidelines, I’ve kept a record (via photographs and screenshots) of the number of times FIRST themselves violates their own guidelines. The number of times it occurs, especially on their website and at the Championship Event is truly astounding. Here’s a few of the better ones:

http://img395.imageshack.us/img395/5014/s4300210fb6.jpg
Did you spot it? They took the “FIRST” (“wordmark”) text out of their logo, separated it from the rest of the logo, and put “Championship” next to it. FIRST’s guidelines state that this is illegal.

http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/5075/1004383cl6.jpg
Looks fine, right? Wrong. They took the “FIRST” part of the logo, increased it’s size relative to the rest of the logo, and centered it under the triangle-circle-square. And upon closer evaluation, it seems the “FIRST” part of the “FIRST SCHOLARSHIP ROW” is exactly the same as their wordmark text in their logo, which would make a second case of wordmark violation. I’d hate to think of how many points a team would lose on a website evaluation if they tried the same thing.

http://img376.imageshack.us/img376/8877/1004392fx9.jpg
Same thing as above, except worse. Not only did they distort the relative sizes of the different parts of their logo, but they put it on a “busy” background. Their own guidelines state that you are only allowed to use their logo on a solid color background.

http://img395.imageshack.us/img395/5170/1004391sc1.jpg
I didn’t think they could possibly break any more of their own guidelines in one shot, until I saw this one at the 2008 Championship event, just outside of the pits in the main lobby. This is the Mac Daddy of FIRST logo violations: they distorted the relative sizes of the logo, they put the logo on a busy background, AND they gave it a drop shadow effect. Trifecta!

But wait, upon even closer inspection, it seems they even fell for the same wordmark separation violation again. Sigh. This time it’s the “FIRST CHAMPIONSHIP 2008” text. Quadfecta? :rolleyes:

Protip: If you make guidelines and want them to be followed, it usually helps if you follow them yourself. :wink: [/spoiler]

7

FIRST does not have certain bg requirements with the exception of the color logos, they have a specific black and white logo that can be used on “color” backgrounds.

and also the jpgs that FIRST gives i have never encountered noise on, but yes vector images work fine for web design but they work better for printed work, since they can be re-sized with out degradation they are typically used more for print. And also i agree about the jpgs should not be used for graphics, lol

and those images of FIRST violating their own logo usage rights are pretty funny but lets not forget they do own all rights to it and can use it anyway they see fit, lol