260

A symbol for the fediverse ⁂ (symbol.fediverse.info)

submitted 4 months ago by pnutzh4x0r@lemmy.ndlug.org to c/fediverse@lemmy.world

133 comments fedilink hide all child comments

We propose the symbol ⁂ to represent the fediverse.

...

⁂ is called an asterism. In astronomy, it refers to groups of stars in the sky, akin to constellations. We suggest that it’s a very fitting symbol for the fediverse, a galaxy of interconnected spaces which is decentralised and has an astronomically-themed name. It represents several stars coming together, connecting but each their own, without a centre.

...

@ is the symbol for e-mail. # is the symbol for hashtags. ☮ is the symbol for peace. ♻ is the symbol for recycling. ⁂ can be the symbol for the fediverse. ⁂ is standardised as Unicode U+2042, making it ready to copy and insert anywhere.

Git Repository: fediverse-symbol/fediverse-symbol

top 50 comments

sorted by: hot top controversial new old

[-] dumbass@leminal.space 233 points 4 months ago

a bunch of assholes conected to each other... sounds about right.

[-] solidgrue@lemmy.world 64 points 4 months ago

I was gonna say snowflakes, but now I can't unsee the buttholes.

[-] BlackPenguins@lemmy.world 39 points 4 months ago

If Greendale Community College was a University.

load more comments (1 replies)

[-] disguy_ovahea@lemmy.world 17 points 4 months ago

It’s a sarcasterisk.

[-] Fizz@lemmy.nz 17 points 4 months ago

..and it's ruined.. Thanks internet

load more comments (1 replies)

[-] maniacalmanicmania@aussie.zone 15 points 4 months ago

Not an asterism but an assterism (or arseterism).

load more comments (2 replies)

[-] mp3@lemmy.ca 179 points 4 months ago

I'd rather see the current Fediverse logo added to Unicode than reuse an existing symbol. It's not impossible, considering that the Bitcoin symbol (₿) ended up making it.

[-] jerkface@lemmy.ca 28 points 4 months ago

I don't think it works well typographically but I'd like to see a mockup

load more comments (1 replies)

load more comments (13 replies)

[-] FryHyde@lemmy.zip 104 points 4 months ago

load more comments (1 replies)

[-] lambalicious@lemmy.sdf.org 76 points 4 months ago

What I'm hearing here is

Proposal to add current Fediverse symbol to Unicode

[-] drspod@lemmy.ml 30 points 4 months ago

closest current one I can find is

⛥

⬠

[-] chiisana@lemmy.chiisana.net 20 points 4 months ago

Emojis used zero width joiner to combine multiple single code point emoji to a single combined emoji.

⛥ + ZWJ + ⬠ could form the combined character, and be rendered as desired.

[-] jerkface@lemmy.ca 25 points 4 months ago

pretty sure this guy is trying to trick someone else into summoning a demon. It's like telling people to hit alt-f4 to chat.

load more comments (4 replies)

[-] mp3@lemmy.ca 18 points 4 months ago

Which would hopefully give something like this

[-] aasatru@kbin.earth 14 points 4 months ago

I kind of like the idea of just using pentagram. ⛥

Close enough to the current logo in appearance, scales well, not used by other social media, satanic undertones.

load more comments (11 replies)

load more comments (2 replies)

load more comments (1 replies)

[+] dudenas@lemmy.ml 64 points 4 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

[deleted]

[-] kittykittycatboys@lemmy.blahaj.zone 33 points 4 months ago

is said in webpage: the pentagram symbol is hard to distinguish at smaller typographicl sizes

[-] Tippon@lemmy.dbzer0.com 36 points 4 months ago

I'm reading this thread on mobile, and the fediverse logo next to the community name is much easier to see than the three stars. If I didn't already know what the three stars were from the rest of the post, I wouldn't have a clue what they were supposed to be in the body. They look like a blurry capital A.

Obviously the fediverse logo is bigger there, which helps, but it's not significantly bigger, and would still be clearer at a smaller size

load more comments (2 replies)

[-] variants@possumpat.io 13 points 4 months ago

Don't typograh so small

load more comments (1 replies)

[-] aasatru@kbin.earth 17 points 4 months ago

So they touch upon it on their site:

The pentagram icon is the original symbol for the fediverse, created back in 2018 by Dr. Quadragon and Eukombos. It’s a great depiction of the decentralised nature of the fediverse, and has been serving the community well. However, its design is a little too complex to be used at small sizes, as you would in text or in a button. It’s also only available in image form, not as a typographical character.

I think they have a valid point. Currently on my website I use a Mastodon logo next to email and git and all that jazz. It's not ideal, as it's not so important that I'm on Mastodon specifically (and I might move to a self-hosted #Seppo instance in the future), but the existing fediverse icon would not work well at that scale.

It's a huge branding effort to make it catch on though. And part of me likes the pentagram better.

[-] arudesalad@sh.itjust.works 14 points 4 months ago

My guess is because it's unicode. But that doesn't really matter. How often are you going to want to put the icon instead of just typing the fediverse

load more comments (3 replies)

load more comments (2 replies)

[-] aeronmelon@lemmy.world 48 points 4 months ago

I like it because it reminds me of the Japanese kanji 森 Mori (Forest).

Which is in and of itself brilliant because it’s the kanji 木 Ki (Tree) repeated three times and bunched together.

[-] chiisana@lemmy.chiisana.net 10 points 4 months ago

Technically, the words are adopted from Chinese (in this case both Traditional and Simplified are the same and have not diverged yet); but same meaning and reasoning, just different pronunciation.

load more comments (1 replies)

[-] Tippon@lemmy.dbzer0.com 46 points 4 months ago

Am I misunderstanding this - you want to replace a recognised symbol with a symbol that's already being used by another group? That seems counterproductive at best.

I'm also wondering, have you spoken to anyone with poor eyesight? This is my reply to a comment below suggesting that the new symbol would be easier to read:

I'm reading this thread on mobile, and the fediverse logo next to the community name is much easier to see than the three stars. If I didn't already know what the three stars were from the rest of the post, I wouldn't have a clue what they were supposed to be in the body. They look like a blurry capital A. Obviously the fediverse logo is bigger there, which helps, but it's not significantly bigger, and would still be clearer at a smaller size

load more comments (3 replies)

[-] hal_5700X@sh.itjust.works 42 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

It looks like a bunch of snowflakes, making it very representative.

EDIT Why change something that isn't broken?

load more comments (1 replies)

[-] halm@leminal.space 29 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

Whoever decided that a logo should be standardised as Unicode? That is the worst criterion for picking a symbol that has and will have hundreds of other uses than inline text. If it's so important — work to have the current, pentacle fediverse symbol included in Unicode.

Registering a domain to introduce your dumb idea with a lot of empty bravado leaves you with ... an annual bill and a dumb idea. The pentacle symbol is so much more recognisable.

[-] breadsmasher@lemmy.world 26 points 4 months ago

Stealing an icon already designated for something else? As is tradition

[-] simple@lemm.ee 16 points 4 months ago

Having a unicode icon that can be copy pasted anywhere is nifty, but yeah I'm really not a fan of choosing this one.

[-] intensely_human@lemm.ee 15 points 4 months ago

Why do we need to have a unicode character that refers to the fediverse?

Are we trying to replace our alphabetical language with a language of ideograms?

load more comments (3 replies)

[-] umbrella@lemmy.ml 26 points 4 months ago

i like the gay satanism icon

load more comments (1 replies)

[-] elrik@lemmy.world 23 points 4 months ago

Its use looks contrived to me on the linked GitHub page. The comparison with @ and # is flawed because those symbols are part of the resource name, whereas here the symbol is superfluous. It's like adding a 🌐 in front of every web URL.

[-] meldrik@lemmy.wtf 20 points 4 months ago

Diaspora already use the symbol, to some extent. https://diasporafoundation.org/

[-] lud@lemm.ee 19 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

Nah, It won't happen because you can't type it on a keyboard.

[-] Mr_Blott@feddit.uk 13 points 4 months ago

Yeah I tried it and it fell over ***

[-] MrSoup@lemmy.zip 19 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

Edit: Or this lookalike 🝆

load more comments (3 replies)

[-] variants@possumpat.io 16 points 4 months ago

Can we use dog buttholes instead of cat buttholes

[-] citrusface@lemmy.world 12 points 4 months ago

no, this is lemmy.

[-] meldrik@lemmy.wtf 10 points 4 months ago

Lemmings butthole then?

load more comments (3 replies)

[-] sunglocto@lemmy.zip 16 points 4 months ago

This looks like shit, is used for something else already, we already have an icon for the fediverse and this has 0 reason to exist

[-] aasatru@kbin.earth 14 points 4 months ago

Testing a little side by side comparison

⁂

[-] aasatru@kbin.earth 30 points 4 months ago

And in white, for the dark mode folks:

⁂

But it's hardly a fair comparison, especially because it seems I cannot upload SVG files to Mbin. I also didn't make the lines thinner or any other adjustments that might be a good idea at this scale. Still, might be better than noting.