There are some very valid points here. Especially this made me think:
I guess open source developers in need will be able to find this community in the end (they have a super clear need, and limited options). Reaching the first target group, and then specifically the undergrads, that’s the challenge. I guess OSD needs to be where those designers are - reach out, show we exist.
Of course twitter helps, but I imagine it’s not necessarily where designers are. @Kai, as an undergrad, where would you or your peers look for inspiration, or assignments? Which platforms and which hashtags would you use? Do you follow any specific accounts?
Some other ideas:
- LogoDesignersClub’s Instagram account has logo design challenges, A/B version votes, tips, logo stories, etc. Would be great if OSD would have something similar, of course covering the open source realm. Or, if we’re bold, we could try & start a collaboration.
- UpLabs organises design challenges for major platforms. As discussed here, we (should) want to move away from those easy targets. Setting up such challenges (pick a site/app/application, call for contributions, showcase results & let the community vote) e.g. on a quarterly basis, using this forum might help attract new designers & challenge them to help the FOSS community. This could be a great example result
- Identify & display in big on the OSD homepage a hashtag (e.g. #OSSdesign) that can be used on different platforms to find relevant work. We can also provide a link to relevant searches on different platforms (insta, dribble, twitter, behance, …)
And, @pkshefi, which step should we first take? 