Brand Name
Many variations have been considered when selecting a name for the initiative. For a while, the project went under the working title "Open Source Science Community" (OSSC). However, although this reflected the gist of the idea, it was felt that it wasn't all that catchy, and might be limiting in terms of future initiatives that the user community might want to implement (i.e. not all things are necessarily effective as open source).
The current name is composed of three parts: The first reflecting the scope and size of the user community (world), the second indicating its primary area of focus (science), and the third describing the initiatives function and values (community).
The World Science Community is also easy to abbreviate (WSC), making it easy to type into a search engine or as a domain name. The domain names wsc.org wsc.com and wsc.net are also available for purchase (uncertain what the price will be though).
Finally, the name World Science Community will hopefully carry a lot of wheight once enough scientist are involved, creating an international spokesbody for scientists and science stakeholders that is instantly recognisable by the public, media, politicians, and others.
Here are some names that were considered:
MAD Mutually Assured Development; OSSC Open Source Science Community; OKC Open Knowledge Community; EASY Easy Access Science for You; CKC Cooperative Knowledge Community; CSC Cooperative Science Community; CSN Cooperative Science Net; OSC Open Science Community; GSI Global Science Initiative;
Logo
The current logo is simply the abbreviation of the World Science Community, with a globe, or circle in the background. The colour green was selected as it is usually associated with nature, freshness and harmony, reflecting the WSC values of Openness, Collaboration, Clarity, Simplicity and Accessibility.
The colour and shade is, like both the name and logo, still just working models. Here is the logo without and with the WSC name written on it:
