ADBC Logo Proposal

Note

Update: the proposal below was accepted. The final logo is the one shown here, adopted in apache/arrow-adbc#4870. The official files, variants, and construction details are on the ADBC visual identity page, which supersedes the images and specs in this proposal.

Motivation

Adoption of ADBC (Apache Database Connectivity) is accelerating, with Snowflake, Databricks, Microsoft, ClickHouse, dbt Labs, dltHub, and others developing drivers and integrations. As the ecosystem continues to expand, establishing a clear and consistent visual identity for the ADBC subproject is increasingly important to support its recognition and cohesion. This proposal outlines a visual identity for ADBC.

Design

The ADBC logo consists of a “database” logomark and “Apache Arrow ADBC” logotype, arranged horizontally with the logomark placed to the left of the logotype.

The image below shows how the logo was constructed, as well as the ratios and spacing between the logomark and logotype.

The words “Apache Arrow” in the logotype are written in medium Roboto font, and the acronym “ADBC” is written in semibold Barlow font. Both fonts are released under SIL Open Font License, Version 1.1. These are the same fonts used in Apache Arrow’s logo.

Variation

The logo and logomark each have two variations: light and dark. The light variation uses black on a white (or other light colored) background. The dark variation uses white on a black (or other dark colored) background.

Logo

Logomark

Process

Various ideas were proposed during the design process.

The logomark came from the idea the merge Apache Arrow’s “Triple Chevron” logomark with the popular “stacked disks” database iconography.

The image below shows the evolution of the logomark, from first to final version.

Component(s)

Website

I think that the combination of the chevrons and the stacked disks icon is a great idea, looks good!

Maybe it is just me but this looks extremely close to the databricks logo? https://az-icons.com/icon/azure-databricks

Given the feedback that the proposed logomark above is too similar to the Databricks logomark, I have come up with a different design.

Logomark

The idea for this logomark is to bring together Arrow's "triple chevron" logomark with SQL's asterisk character.

Logo

A complete logo with logomark and logotype.

Note: I'm primarily looking for feedback on the logomark. If there is broad approval of a logomark design, the logotype can be iterated on.

Example usage

@esadek

Here's another direction that builds on @esadek's stacked‑disks idea: three square rings stacked in isometric projection. Unlike the solid layers in the previous version, these are open rings. Through them, their back walls form Arrow‑style chevrons pointing up, and below, their front walls form chevrons pointing down, symbolizing Arrow data fetched from databases and ingested into them. The name is set like the Arrow wordmark in the same fonts, Roboto and Barlow.

There's a draft PR open at apache/arrow-adbc#4870 that incorporates this into the ADBC site and adds a new Visual Identity page. Comments welcome.

Looks great!

@rustyconover

Here's a subtly revised version that addresses the feedback from @rustyconover on the dev mailing list:

In the lockup, APACHE ARROW is now closer to ADBC (1.5 grid rows apart instead of 2) so the two lines read as one block. The name is placed so its visual weight (the centroid of its ink) is level with the logomark's. This balances the lockup top to bottom. The type sizes are unchanged, so the logomark stays larger than the name, as the chevrons are in the Apache Arrow logo.

I also update the hex badge to set the URL in Roboto Condensed Medium instead of Regular, and about 10% larger. It holds up better at small sizes.

The PR at apache/arrow-adbc#4870 is updated with this version.

Other approaches we tried

Name as tall as the logomark. "ADBC" about 40% larger, so the name runs from the logomark's top point to its bottom point. This gave the name more weight, but it was too big and moved too far from the Apache Arrow logo's proportions.

Name lowered onto the bottom chevron. "ADBC" sits on the bottom chevron's inner point, so the chevron points to its baseline. This made the lockup look bottom-heavy.

No URL on the hex badge. Simpler, but we'd rather keep the URL and make it readable. (In the R community where these hex stickers are popular, it is common to include a project or vendor URL.)

Looks great.

Closed by apache/arrow-adbc#4870

The current and previous versions of the docs site (0.1.0 through 24) are now patched to use the new logo as well, via an in-place update of the published builds on the asf-site branch: apache/arrow-adbc@36a723209

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ADBC Logo Proposal #49828

Motivation