Open source branding

Open source branding applies the same concepts to branding that are used in open source software development. The brand belongs to no one, and is actively created and represented by volunteers, sometimes as collaborators, other times as visionary individuals or iconoclasts. The most prominent example of open source software development is linux, the unix-based operating system that became the most popular server operating system due to its superior speed and performance.

Open source branding can be considered a response to the emergence of branding as a dominant force in consumer culture. The shift of political and economic power from traditional state based power structures to more globalized corporate ones has long been supported by branding's power to foster the creation of perceived value. Open source branding allows the consumer to recapture some of that power by allowing interested individuals to help define the value of the brand.

Open source branding is currently being used by the artist collective MFchicago http://MFchicago.com as an organic way to increase the awareness of Chicago as a global brand.

Other examples of open source branding include hello kitty and weblo.