Libre Graphics magazine spent five years showing off excellent work done with Free/Libre and Open Source graphics software. Our aim when we started was to challenge the idea that F/LOSS tools weren’t up to the job of doing professional graphic design work, especially in print. We published eight issues of a beautifully-printed, tactile, keepable paper magazine. We showed off the work of individuals and small studios doing exciting work with F/LOSS tools.

In the two years since we stopped making Libre Graphics magazine, a lot of exciting things have happened in the world of F/LOSS design. But one of the problems that keeps hanging on is the perception of F/LOSS graphics tools as somehow something less-than or other-than the “industry standard” set of tools that graphic designers are meant to use. This presentation looks at problems of F/LOSS adoption, especially for graphic design. It asks the question “What kinds of ecosystems do we need to have to successfully do Libre Graphics (including F/LOSS, Free Cultural licenses, and Open Standards) in professional contexts?”