3 Problems With The New Logo - A Critical Review - How About A Community Contest To Fix The Logo?

happymoneyman (70) in steemit • 7 years ago (edited)

I think there's design flaws in the new Steemit logo.
I broach this subject out of love. I care about Steemit and my friends here.
I want what's best for you.

Even though it makes me cringe, I feel it's my duty to open a conversation.

Today I question Steemit.
Take this as an expression of our decentralized power of community.

I try to keep this factual. In the end we all have an opinion.
My 3 reasons the logo needs work:
Press play

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7 years ago by happymoneyman (70)

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kate-m (52) · 7 years ago

I think it'd be good to maintain some sort of continuity from the previous logo so people intuitively sense the connection between the two, be it in the colour scheme, or the waviness perhaps... this new one just doesn't seem to have anything at all connecting it back to the steem logo. Also the colour is insipid. Good point about Tiffany, but there jadey green seems much richer, not so washed out. Thanks for the post.

happymoneyman (70) · 7 years ago

Oh great point. I would love to see some continuity in brand. Wavey lines, incorporating a new version of steam, same colors, etc would make a huge difference. That idea would also give people the mental connection with the steem blockchain.

A great example is the Esteem logo. It's got exactly what you're talking about.

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kate-m (52) · 7 years ago

I can't help but feel that folks like openparadigm who have been crating steem produce must feel a bit in limbo- I wouldn't bother making any merchandise with this new logo as I just don't see it lasting long!!! Seems to have not been received very well at all!

melbookermusic (65) · 7 years ago

@happymoneyman Great Post!
Here is what stands out to me with branding. Most of the big brands I am attracted to use either red, yellow - or a combination of both (for excitement, enthusiasm) or they use a bold blue (power, trust, strength). The teal blue is perfect for Tiffanys because it symbolizes being relaxed, elegant, slow even. In fact this color was used in hospitals quite a bit in the 70's and 80's. All of these colors have perceived meanings that they carry. Can you imagine if Red Bull was in a Teal Blue can with maybe some cursive writing?? They would have been the MySpace of energy drinks. Instead, they chose two Red Bulls, outlined in yellow, charging each other full speed with their tails up. Red & Yellow. They also included blocks of blue on the can. Message: Powerfull-Energetic-Exciting. To me, teal doesn't say " Check out this new social media platform." But, the teal for Tiffany's does indeed scream elegance, beauty etc. This is long sorry 😊 It seems that maybe Steemit as a business needs artsy/creative types to help with marketing-you need both. You can't have just one or the other.

happymoneyman (70) · 7 years ago

Nailed it!!!
Exactly. Colors mean something. Color is a huge part of initial feel.
You laid this point out perfectly.
Thank you for taking the time to write this. I'll put it to the top of the comments so hopefully others read this.

Cheers.

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melbookermusic (65) · 7 years ago

Sounds good - thanks! ✌🏾

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voyceatlas (56) · 7 years ago

Click to see my post about the steemit logo

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happymoneyman (70) · 7 years ago

That has contrast, pop, and incorporates the Steem blockchain.
I would run with that instantly.
You can also tell it's a thought bubble really easily.

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builderofcastles (64) · 7 years ago

A much more inspired logo then the current one.

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reddust (71) · 7 years ago

I like this too!

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voyceatlas (56) · 7 years ago

Thanks. Something I did quick. I think I am going to use it anyway lol

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builderofcastles (64) · 7 years ago

This new steemit logo is really one of those "almost" there things. It is almost good enough, which means it isn't.

It is not iconic. It has no feel.

It can only be understood by those who are in the community. Everyone here can see, oh yeah, that's a speech bubble. But everyone else, the ones who a logo is import for. Their first impression of steemit. To them, this logo is just blah.

gomeravibz (67) · 7 years ago

hello @builderofcastes, you say " It can only be understood by those who are in the community " So do you think then, that only the Chinese understand the" sense " of balance in the form of the " ying and yang " ? I think the new logo interprets very nicely the meeting of two peoples opinions and ideas, plus it does make for a pleasantly formed " S" for Steemit , so for me its a nice play this logo !

builderofcastles (64) · 7 years ago

The yin-yang symbol is an incredible symbol!
With a depth that few will ever know, so much so, that you can meditate on the symbol and find deeper meaning.

If the yin-yang symbol is 10, on the 1-10 scale.
The current steemit logo is about a 2 in comparison.

interprets very nicely the meeting of two peoples opinions and ideas...

I agree with you, but this is a view only from being inside of steemit. You know what steemit is, and so you view the symbol, and see meaning through that filter set.

It says nothing about steemit from an outsiders point of view.

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happymoneyman (70) · 7 years ago

I feel the same way. No impact. It's fine for us, but we want to catch new users. We need some emotion attached to the first impression.
Thanks a lot for your time to comment.

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journeyoflife (67) · 7 years ago

Personally I prefer the old logo , this does not really match with the platform

gomeravibz (67) · 7 years ago

hello @journeyoflife, the reason is that steem is the coin,and the "old logo " as you put it is the logo for that coin ! Steemit is just one of many platforms of this said coins distribution ! There has been quite a bit of confusion over this and so i do believe that its a good idea to keep this clear in the minds of all of the steem users community !I actually like the Logo, the meeting of two ideas, nice, very Jing and Jang too, the balance or consensus of ideas ! I shall write a post tomorrow on this I think ! Steem On )

happymoneyman (70) · 7 years ago

Unfortunately the old logo had to change because Steem is going to be used for many other apps that are coming out soon. Steemit can't claim Steem for itself anymore. It's kind of sad.

That being said, we could have done a better job with the new logo. I hope they consider modifying it.

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reddust (71) · 7 years ago (edited)

I think the dark blue as in the Steemit social site should continue, also the logo form, it's design is not popping to catch the eye, it's too vague, the light pastels do not go well with light colored text and formats, and I really like your upbeat well crafted messages!

happymoneyman (70) · 7 years ago

Ahhh thank you for your artist's eye. I appreciate it. I feel the same way. Have a great evenin @reddust.

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calatorulmiop (57) · 7 years ago

It might take some work but I don't feel that the logo it's not salvageable. And even if steemit doesn't do well, we still have busy.org and others so it's like survival of the fittest I guess.

happymoneyman (70) · 7 years ago

some small changes would go a long way. And the other apps are a good point.

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eturnerx (64) · 7 years ago

A great video. I like your explanations. Spot on about the colour; lack of contrast and greens are not easy to print well. I think I might unpack why the logo isn't iconic in another post - there's a lot of technical designer reaons why. But, you get the main points; it turns to mush when it's tiny and it's hard to interpret visually.
I don't agree with your third point. Yes, a good brand has a fixed colour scheme, but a logo has to often fit in (and stand out) with other logos and inside other (not Steemit) designs. For that reaons you supply variants so that the logo doesn't either end up sticking out awkwardly or some random designer doesn't take it upon themselves to create a variant anyway. An example of this is the social media icons on the voting line at the end of your steemit post; all of those logos are still easily recognised even though they are white/dark grey and don't have their original colours.

happymoneyman (70) · 7 years ago

Great feedback. You're right, I missed on the 3rd point. Thanks for a stronger thought there.

I would love to hear how you unpack the branding more.
For me branding is just a passion and hobby. I'm not an expert, but I pay attention to it continuously. I love to learn about it.

If you get deeper into the technical design reasons regarding our new logo, let me know. I'd love to read the post.

eturnerx (64) · 7 years ago

I'm a graphic design educator of 17+ years. I don't consider myself a branding expert but I know a bit about logo design. It's going to take me a few days to write the post in amongst other things. I'll comment with a link when it's done.

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eturnerx (64) · 7 years ago

I'm going to officially take this off my todo list: sorry. Getting much too busy.
A quick summary of why the logo isn't iconic:
When small, it doesn't have a well defined shape; it looks like a circle that was drawn badly. The tips should stick out more when small and less when medium / large. Look at the logo in the top left - tips out too far.
The counter-space (that's the white) disturbs the over silohette of the shape. It's fine when the logo is medium sized but becomes indistinguishable at smaller sizes.
I think the logo tries to do too many things - and thus never really settles on anything that the brain decides that's it. Common mistake in logo design nowadays.

snowflake (65) · 7 years ago

I think that by making the logo black instead of green they could limit the damage done lol and I agree with all your points

happymoneyman (70) · 7 years ago

I agree. I think a change to black would be the quick and easy fix.
Thanks a lot for taking the time for feedback. I appreciate it.

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chiefmappster (63) · 7 years ago

Thank you for making this video. I have been hoping someone would have the guts to make this.

You do it so professionally and with a positive spirit. The changes you suggest are spot on and feel like some may be afraid to speak up.

Props to you for identifying and sharing this information.

God bless

Namaste

happymoneyman (70) · 7 years ago

Thanks for your support. I'm never one to throw out grievances or complain, so this was really hard for me to do.

I'm not sure it will make any difference, but I felt like someone needed to say it. It's weird, it's like we got complete silence on it.

Cheers bud. Thank you.

chiefmappster (63) · 7 years ago

You're welcome bud and totally understand where you are coming from.

Glad you made such a caring response. It could go negative and you kept the tone very constructive and caring.

Keep doing great things

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moneyrevolution (44) · 7 years ago (edited)

The old logo was perfect... it looked like steem, the new one look like... I don't know...

happymoneyman (70) · 7 years ago

Yea, unfortunately we can't use Steem logo anymore because lots of other apps will be using the Steem blockchain. We can't just claim the steem logo for Steemit.

I wish they did a better job making us a new logo though.

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coruscate (75) · 7 years ago

Thanks for starting this important discussion. I really did not like the new steemit logo, but I am no brand expert, and so I had a hard time putting my finger on the reasons why.

I have re-steemed this post for more visibility and I hope it helps to keep the conversation moving forward! . 👍🏻

happymoneyman (70) · 7 years ago

Thanks for the resteem. Hopefully some people see this. I'm no brand expert either, but it's something I love to study.

The fact that you didn't connect, but didn't know why is the exact reason it needs to be fixed. Brands give emotions. We know in our gut when it's right or wrong. It's visceral. You don't need to be able to give a clear description to know it's off base.

Thanks for you time to comment. Cheers.

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voyceatlas (56) · 7 years ago

awe man... I was writing about how much I hate it... lol I hope they fix it. They will if enough of us right about it. Good post. I'm a new follower. Thanks!

happymoneyman (70) · 7 years ago

Cheers. Thanks my friend. I hope this gains some traction.

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brianphobos (70) · 7 years ago

I'm really glad you brought this up. I personally don't like to critique other people's work but the things you have said is very true and it needed to be said. I actually didn't even know the logo was supposed to be an S. I know that sounds ridiculous but I didn't until you just said that. Everytime I looked at it I just saw a comment bubble with another comment bubble in a Yin Yang layout.

I honestly feel like the Golos logo is better.

hopefully the Brian Phobos branding is solid!

But yeah, I feel we need to change the logo sooner than later. I hate to say that but it needs to be done.

I'm resteeming this.

happymoneyman (70) · 7 years ago

I'm super hesitant to critique anyone's art. I always just accept it and move on, but I had to stick up for the platform a little bit.
Like I said, it made me cringe and I hated to post this.

Esteem has a logo that ties in with steem blockchain also. Something along those lines would have passed.

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brianphobos (70) · 7 years ago

I agree. I like the eSteem logo.

I'm the same way about websites and logos typically. I figure it is personal preference a lot of times but when really focusing on the branding you can't mess it up from the beginning because of the reasons like you said. I'm just wondering if in a couple of years if the majority of users will be accessing the site through another site or app and Steemit Inc will be kind of like the Linux kernel project and then people are over using openSuSE or RedHat ....etc.

But for now Steemit.com is the main way in and the things you mentioned are important.

I feel like you have a branding background or something. You know quite a bit about it.

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daycrypter (56) · 7 years ago

Yep. I dont go much on it either. Turquoise? :/ hmmm.

happymoneyman (70) · 7 years ago

Agreed.
Awesome rainbow Atari symbol by the way.

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aboutyourbiz (54) · 7 years ago

Excellent points, let’s hope you’re heard. I had no idea that was an S

happymoneyman (70) · 7 years ago

I think it's a thought/speech bubble and an S.

aboutyourbiz (54) · 7 years ago

I can see that now that you mention it. But if it's not clear and readily identifiable, it's not effective.

happymoneyman (70) · 7 years ago

True. Thanks for taking the time to watch. Cheers.

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bobiecayao (58) · 7 years ago

Steemit already produces the meaning of the logo? I never read about it..but anyway, my lil understanding about it, take a look?

S - Its like an S letter, composed of white and green. Referring the logo itself.
Chat symbol - White area represent the chat symbol.

its a community where people are freely to interact, to share thoughts.

happymoneyman (70) · 7 years ago

Exactly. Thanks for finding their statement.

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eduter (56) · 7 years ago

I definitely like old logo more than new one. it looked like the shape of "steam" coming out of steam-boat.

happymoneyman (70) · 7 years ago

That would be cool. It would be nice to incorporate the Steam theme.

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teknow (43) · 7 years ago

Good points. I do agree with you.
You didn't present an alternative though.
Or any imagery of what you suggest the look should be.
I have my own ideas also on how it could look.
Though first I wonder if the team would even allow change.
If that is established.. that they are open to changes..
Then you could run a contest for entries.
If not then all this is pointless.

happymoneyman (70) · 7 years ago

If the team opened it to changes, I'm sure the community could come up with great branding.

I didn't present an alternative because I doubt they are open to changing it.

I'm not a designer. I've hired 99 designs for a lot of projects and I have a branding background. I know what it takes, but I'm not the artist for the job. I could get it done though. In 3 days.

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teknow (43) · 7 years ago

I didn't present an alternative because I doubt they are open to changing it.

Yeah we can't do much about that. Although...
What if you held a contest, and once the option is there..
Never know, might entice them to at least test it out internally..
It would be a good community engagement project if nothing else.
A way of exploring peoples ideas without undermining the current choice.

At the end of the day though, there are many successful brands with average logos.
People get used to it or just accept that they don't like it.

Also, yeah you do present as someone that knows the points of branding.
I did appreciate your video. Thank you for doing so.

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happymoneyman (70) · 7 years ago

I appreciate your feedback. Thanks a lot for taking time to give me some ideas.

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builderofcastles (64) · 7 years ago

I agree with you. Many good ideas for improving this site immensely, with just a small change of code, have fallen on deaf ears. It seems like the steemit developers only read github, and not their own site.

The people of steemit should have come to the community for logo ideas. But, the first we knew about it, our eyes were bleeding from this neon aqua color.

This new logo is like one I would design. And since I am not a designer (of logos) I know my designs, unless divinely inspired, fall short. Hire real talent to do this all important thing.

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happymoneyman (70) · 7 years ago

Exactly. Branding is a hugely important part of a fledgling social media site. It's something that should be given a huge amount of care. This looks like something I might order on Fiverr.com

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sergiomendes (74) · 7 years ago

I hear you. But i am not sure if i agree. I actually like. The logo is not only an S but also a "conversation balloon" like in the cartoons. When it comes to the different colour variatons a lot of social networks still so that. Because everyone brand themselves in a different way and it is good to have different colours for people to use on their own "promotional" material. And the colour i do like ans i think it looks good but in my opinion it is a little bit too bright. But i guess everyone have their own opinion 😄 nice job bringing this theme.

happymoneyman (70) · 7 years ago

Right on.

I can see that the different color could work to our benefit. Maybe people recognize us because we have a different color from the rest of the brands.

Thanks for your thought. I appreciate it. Cheers.

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sergiomendes (74) · 7 years ago

It can. But as You said as well the problem of social media nowadays is that people just want more of the same. Lol that's why i think they tries to keep in the blues family colour lol facebook, twitter, linkdin and i guess the list keep going. People online just want to see what they saw before. Lol

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blazing (70) · 7 years ago

Steemit Need a logo that's everyone could relate to when they see rightly said proper branding is important

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happymoneyman (70) · 7 years ago

I feel the same way @blazing.

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pennsif (79) · 7 years ago

Three excellent points - I agree on all counts.

I do hope this reaches the right eyes and ears in steemit inc. Did Ren pick up any contacts in Lisbon that she might be able to put this to?

I was thinking of the logo as speech marks?

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happymoneyman (70) · 7 years ago

I showed it to Ren. She'll be seeing if anyone there wants to help.

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zararina (65) · 7 years ago

You have points there. It will be great if someone in the development team will post explaining the logo. :)

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happymoneyman (70) · 7 years ago

I agree. Hopefully one of them will see this and consider it.

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scalerman (46) · 7 years ago

Its an S? Didn't realize that. Well thought out presentation @HMM. Are you in marketing? If not you should be! I wonder who decides this steemit stuff? @stan?

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happymoneyman (70) · 7 years ago

Not sure who decides. I know we don't have a marketing team.

Yes, I've been involved in marketing and branding for myself and some small businesses. It's one of my favorite hobby studies.

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moneyrevolution (44) · 7 years ago

What about a public voting? I prefer the old brand!

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happymoneyman (70) · 7 years ago

True, but unfortunately the old brand is tied to Steem blockchain. That logo represents what all the other apps will build on. Steemit.com is just another app on Steem blockchain so we can't steal their logo. thats the reason for the change. Thanks for your comment.

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alejandr0 (47) · 7 years ago

I also do not get used to it, let's see what happend, great review.

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happymoneyman (70) · 7 years ago

Yea, we'll see. I hope someone sees this and decides to work on making some positive changes to our new logo.

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sheikh27 (61) · 7 years ago

if talking about first site on love is steem previous logo, then it generally come to you with acceptance. current logo is good, but compatively with first one, it seems like premature baby, beautiful and yet to be finish.

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marionjoe (48) · 7 years ago

agreed. thank you @happymoneyman

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happymoneyman (70) · 7 years ago

THanks for your time to watch. Cheers.

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spiritualpower (55) · 7 years ago

Yes u r right friend

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qurator (76) · 7 years ago

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owenwat (60) · 7 years ago

i agree with you i didnt realise it was supposed to be a S for like 3 days

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eturnerx (64) · 7 years ago

It also has 3 Ss: trace along the left-edge, through the middle between the spartan helmet plumage and the helmet, and along the right-edge.
It's also a disjointed yin-yang. And a spartan helmet. And....
Yep. Not iconic.

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happymoneyman (70) · 7 years ago

It's also a thought bubble...

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creativetruth (67) · 7 years ago

I call it the Blue Onion.

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happymoneyman (70) · 7 years ago

haha yea. I see that.
I see what they're trying to do, but it doesn't translate well.

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seveaux (60) · 7 years ago

there lacks something in the group that supposes to lead steemit to develop and grow and succeed... I wonder why? may it be the reason the price is down? lack in trust.. what emotion or feeling or psychological connection does the colour of the new logo try to portray ?

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