Fedo ¶May 17, 2024

For my #Fediverse thesis, today's topic is about branding

As a graphic design my job is also about working with visual identities of brands, groups, entities and so on. It means I design visual communication so the identity of the author/object of the matter is both understandable and recognizable.

I must say, this seems incredible hard to do with the Fediverse.
Not only it is't owned by anyone, but it has some many different iterations in instances, softwares, protocols and communities that defining a whole identity for it will be always a limiting action.

However this didn't stopped the Fedi community to trying to find a common identity for the network.
I did a little research about it and here's what I've found

This appears to be one of the earliest symbols ever created to comunicate the structure specifically of the Fedivers's ancestor, StatusNet, and it was used to announce the Federated Social Web Summit in 2010

StatusNet Inc. and other social software developers will hold a one-day summit, the Federated Social Web Summit 2010, on July 18th, 2010 in Portland, OR, to coordinate the development of the federated social web. Participants in the invite-only meeting will discuss their current work on connecting social networks and plan future cooperation.
"Federation just means letting people on different social networks follow each other," says Evan Prodromou, CEO of StatusNet Inc. "There are dozens of businesses and Open Source projects working on the problem of social network federation. We want to make sure that people are working together so a robust, heterogeneous network-of-networks can emerge."The symbol represents a series of entities, rendered as disks with a dot in the center (I like to see those as tiny galaxies) connected in a mesh. I don't know about the green, I just suppose it's a popular color in the tech world, probably being the typical color of circuit boards and often of the early text-based interfaces

Still in 2010, Diaspora was developed in New York. Unfortunately it's hard to find the original logo, however here's the brand resources of the current Diaspora's visual identity and seems like Diaspora was worded as Diaspora* since 2011, so I guess the logo didn't change much.

The logo is very interesting. Dispora uses a different protocol than ActivityPub but it's still part of the Fediverse. They choose to represent the decentralisation with the concept of "diaspora", both with a asterisk key, reminding a point with many connections around, and with a dandelion, with the seeds spreading around referring to the decentralized structure of the network. I like how coincise yet meaningful it is, however it is very essential and lacks a more emotional character

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#toTheFediverse #FediDesign

Federated Social Web Summit 2010 Announced | StatusNet

Show threadFedo ¶May 17, 2024

After 2010, the first attempt to create a Fediverse logo was made by a collective including @[email protected] @drq and others. its design process is revealed in this thread

A lot of people think that the pentacle was chosen because of its occult or satanic connotations. And while it would be in Fediverse's rebellious spirit, this was not the case.
My idea was to illustrate the structure of the network. There must be multiple nodes (multiple servers). There must be nothing in the middle (no center). The connections can cross each other, but must never follow the same path twice. No connection must be on top of all of them.
It can't be done with two nodes, because it's just a line and in the middle of the line, there's line. It can be done with triangle, but it's boring. It can not be done with four nodes, because their connection cross in the middle.
So, five nodes it is. Thus, a pentacle.
Also, a pentacle is a classic symbol for a star. And I always wanted to associate the Fediverse with the stars and space in public consciousness.
What's plural of "a fedi node"? "a constellation".The logo was uploaded in Wikipedia commons in 2018, I guess that was the year since it became the most recognizable symbol of the Fediverse

Then in 2020 a discussion started around the Fediverse logo among multiple websites and threads as a effort to find a better identity

The resources I've found are Fediverse logo or icon proposal thread on Social Hub and a thread by @[email protected] where @[email protected] adds some facts to the making history of the symbolTo add a bit of more data to the history: the rotation of the pentacle has three objectives: firstly, so that it does not look neither like an upright pentacle, nor an inverted one, both of which are symbols of actual use. The other main objective was to make it square in proportions, so that if it is used in a place where it is displayed as a circle (such as many apps do in avatars: the original image is square, but it's displayed as a circle), it still appears centered and fully visible. Finally, being a bit rotated adds dynamism.Now, I really like the pentacle logo. It's a fact that most of the people on the Fediverse recognize it as the actual symbol go the network, so from a graphic designer point of view it already works as something highly recognizable. For the same reasons explained by the authors it also successfully express many important values of the Fediverse, as the decentralization, the network connection, the sense of community and the variety, both using the pentagonal-shaped network and the bright rainbow colors.
From a technical perspective it also present some challenges. I think the most critical points could be readability and reproductivity. It may need some adjustments to improve the rendering on small sizes, both digital and physical, and colors may appear in an undesired way to color-blind people.

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wakest ⁂ (@[email protected])

Attached: 1 image An important distinction is slowly being uncovered about the definition of the term "fediverse." Who is it that gets to decide what this place is? How are we being represented? These are not easy questions to answer and if we don't do a better job describing ourselves, then the job will get done for us by people who don't understand the underlying values we hold. #fediverse #meta #threads

wakest's server
Show threadFedo ¶

As said in the previous post, in 2020 @[email protected] created a thread on Social Hub as a way to invite people to propose new designs for the #fediverse logo

the resulting discussion highlighted some interesting points

The concept of network may be somehow misleading in the current logo, as the Fediverse is more like an archipelago of connections without an actual balance between them: some instances are more connected than others, and a pentagon with all the points connected would be an incorrect description then. A mesh would be more correct than a fully connected shape (quoting @humanetech)
Also the pentagram may be welcomed with mixed feelings by the mainstream audience, as this geometric figure have different meanings in different cultures, in particular Christian culture associate it with negative values.
Personally I agree with @drq who discussed in this thread about the need expression of a concept using visual and design boundaries over the desire to present a concept using literal meanings

It's worth mentioning the different proposal originated in the discussion.

I've found some activity by a user called Dick Smith Fair Go, there is something from this user cached online but their account seems inexistent, it was likely deleted from all the instances they used. What remains online is a quite productive activity of Fediverse logo proposals. A well documented is the FediOrigami proposal

Social icons on a website (or I2P eepsite) are often important to communicate where else we exist online. Previously, fedizens were left with two choices; use an inaccurate or deceptive icon based on a specific type of fediverse server, or a gaudy icon with negative connotations. Most chose the former, elevating one implementation of the social network, at the expense of ALL others. It created a false impression of fediverse's topology and had a negative effect on the fediverse generally.
Since Feb 2021, a supporters group in collaboration with FreedCreative and others, worked on a Fediverse icon. This is the result of much feedback, review and iteration.
This icon pack, called "#fediOrigami", is based on an origami boat turned on its side. The overlapping, semi-transparent "folds" are their own entities, but interact with each other to form an 'F' and also create a silhouette of part of a star. A star being an homage to the previous but seldom-used icon design (a connected five-pointed star).This design looks pleasing to look at, however I find it lacks the ability to communicate the nature of the Fediverse. It is introduced as a more correct depiction of the network than the pentacle logo, but in the end its meaning is way harder to get.
From a visual perspective it works better tho, being much more scalable and the areas are more proportionate, also it has a more organic design, I'm going to recognize these qualities while still considering this logo unfit to its aim.

@[email protected]'s proposal posted here is an interesting redesign/evolution of the current pentacle logo. It loses the direct reference to a network in favor of the reminiscence of a floral-like shape, as if it was an effort to add an element of organicity in a otherwise-static logo
Personally I like this direction of reiteration, as I think any possible new logo should be able to preserve and possibly highlight the human component of the Fediverse rather than the technical core, however also this proposal isn't as clear as the pentacle logo

@[email protected] acknowledged the limits of the pentacle design and proceeded to propose two notable proposals.
the first one is a direct redesign of the pentacle, re-shaping it as a mesh and introducing curved lines, resulting in a more chaotic symbol

The second one, posted in March 2024, uses a new approach which I find very interesting.
Here the connected pentacle-shaped network was kinda split in three stars, composing a network in their conjunction.
I still don't think it is somehow better that the pentagon, but this version looks quite modern and balances, more than all the other proposals I've seen.
Most of all, here the concept of network is understandable, but it gives the idea of a more complex nature of connection, showing hoe the network is actually composed of smaller elements, an the whole structure seems only a partial view of a much bigger pattern.

I'd also add that this logo contains the Diaspora's star key. If a logo like this one ends up being the symbol of the Fediverse, the very start key could become a metaphor of federation, it would be incredibly neat symbol

[thread continues]
#toTheFediverse #FediDesign

fediOrigami

The icon for Fediverse

Disroot Forgejo: Brace yourself, merge conflicts ahead.
May 17, 2024 at 1:49pmWeb
Show threadFedo ¶May 17, 2024

On there previous posts I tried to create a map of the existing approaches of "branding" in the context of the Fediverse.

It is important at this point to consider the role of branding in a communication strategy. Fediverse is not a corporation nor a single entity, it is in fact a collective movement. How is it possible to build a effective strategy of communication, which is essential to make the Fediverse more accessible to more people and at the same time merge a multitude of different opinions and points of view from the Fediverse users into a single and universally recognizable identity?

@hamishcampbell talked a lot about branding in the Fediverse in a thread on Social Hub

It is important to note that branding can serve different purposes for different organizations. In the context of the #fediverse, the use of branding can be seen as a way to assert control and ownership over the platform and its content. This can be problematic as it can stifle community participation and decision-making.
One potential solution to this issue could be to shift the focus from project branding to instance branding. Giving more control over decisions to the communities that are using and running the instance, rather than leaving it in the hands of the developers/funders.Strong branding in #openweb codebases can create a barrier for communities to adopt and customize the technology for their clective use. It can limit the ability for different communities and groups to collaborate and share resources. A more community-driven approach, where branding is minimized and customization is made easy, would allow a more inclusive and decentralized ecosystem to develop. This is important for the growth and sustainability of the #fediverse.I think this thread make easier to understand the difference between the adoption of a common symbol like the Fedivers pentagon and Branding communication operated by Mastodon or Framasoft
As developers formalize a strong branding identity fro their softwares and platforms, the heterogeneous nature of the Fediverse fades away and the software becomes the entity the overshadows instances and communities.
On the other hand, discussions about decentralized social networks citing the Fediverse over single platforms better highlight the open nature of the network, and people using different platforms use the pentagon to express connection with people on the outside

I've seen branding into the fediverse used at very different scales.

Single instances often do this, they often even make custom visual identities to better communicate their idea of social interaction, it is quite common in themed instances and it usually good for communities looking for a place where they feel comfortable in being open about their identities.

As codebases, it is also used by suppliers of multiple federated services as a way to create ecosystems inside the federation, in this way a user joining a Mastodon instance is then lead to other services form the same provider, for example a Nextcloud server, a Pixelfed instance or anything else. This serves the purpose of easing the onboarding of users who were initially attracted by mastodon to the entire Fediverse, but it can possibly become a threat to decentralization as single entities gain more and more influence on bigger parts of the network.

Personally I find visual identities as an important tool for accessibility, which is not only about affordances but involves cultural aspects too. In a society so overwhelmed by Centralised Social Networks and capitalistic dynamics it is important to guide new people who do want to join the communities on the Fediverse by presenting them an understandable idea of Federated network. Thus, a strong branding presence may be too reminiscent of a corporative entity and actually limit the freedom of expression of instances and communities

I think that any new visual solution can be considered effective if it is organically accepted by most of the communities. This is the case of the current pentagon logo, which is tolerated as an identity symbol because it communicate an idea but it doesn't impose a single identity, a single post of view or a single personality. Any new logo or identity in general will need to provide the same balance or the communities won't accept that

#toTheFediverse #FediDesign

BRANDING on the fediverse

Am thinking we need less BRANDING in #fedivers apps and more community look and feel in the #UX would be nice to have “wizard” to run to set this up and try and standardize all the fealds and images sizes, so it can be similar for each application. And yes, we need to talk about the #geekproblem to make this happen.

SocialHub
Show threadhamish campbellMay 17, 2024
@fdrc_ff nice post, it's an important subject - could you add this to the sochilhub as "it's the branded" place for this dicushern :)
Show threadFedo ¶May 17, 2024
@hamishcampbell Oh thank you! I'm sending updates as a way to keep order in my researches. so I always end up with these incredibly long posts. However, I will happily do that
Show threadhamish campbellMay 17, 2024
@fdrc_ff I likely talk about this subject on my blog, might find it here https://hamishcampbell.com/?s=branding
Search Results for “branding” – Hamish Campbell