Bitcoin Coins image issue?

[MrCrabs]

Now that there is a lot more press. One thing that concerns me is the portrail of bitcoin in the form of coins. With respect to all the producers of bitcoin coin images.  I feel that they tend to look a bit amateurish and with the influx of lots of new people who may be  easily visually swayed, may cause some people concern.
I would like for bitcoin to look deadly serious with a instantly identifiable, like the dollar symbol that you can bank on. I'm not saying theBTC is wrong just that I feel a good designer might be able to make it look rock solid..

[1713284185]

1713284185

[kerogre256]

You need to earn your reputation... and bitcoin is here to stay.

[mindtomatter]

As a designer, I'd say that is the problem with all design and not just bitcoins.

On one hand, there are skilled artisans who can create well formed and intentional brands.

On the other hand, you have Do-it-yourself movements where technology empowers anyone to do anything they want and still output a result that only a few years ago would have been prohibitively expensive or technologically impossible.

Desktop publishing made anyone with a computer a designer. Print on demand made anyone a publisher. Cheap audio hardware gives everyone access to quality that would have been unattanable only a few years ago. Digital photography put photography in everyone's hands for cheap. To follow that pattern, bitcoins makes anyone a financial institution?


Say right now I, or someone else with design skills, were to create a set of brand standards and design templates for bitcoin. That removes a lot of the DIY as now someone who can't follow those standards should essentially hire a designer who could match the standards or else their product doesn't "look correct" or even "unreputable/shady."

If the point of bitcoins is to resist a centralized authority, the concept of a single brand standard is against that.

I liked where you were going, but I think you've thrown the baby out with the bathwater.

Bitcoin is a voluntary decentralized system, with an emphasis on the voluntary.  The people who made the original ones chose the easy depiction and it was good enough for the community it served so they adopted it at large.  If you as a professional designer were to come along and contribute a design to the larger bitcoin ecosystem, then people would have the choice of picking your professional depiction or the one they've been using up to this point.   Many of them will likely choose the more professional depiction, because it suits their application best while others will like the amateurish Coin.

The point is, your choosing to design something and introduce it as an option for people to use increases our choices, not the other way around.   Just don't make a super awesome bitcoin design and then release it under a restrictive license.

Right? 

[bg002h]

As a designer, I'd say that is the problem with all design and not just bitcoins.

On one hand, there are skilled artisans who can create well formed and intentional brands.

On the other hand, you have Do-it-yourself movements where technology empowers anyone to do anything they want and still output a result that only a few years ago would have been prohibitively expensive or technologically impossible.

Desktop publishing made anyone with a computer a designer. Print on demand made anyone a publisher. Cheap audio hardware gives everyone access to quality that would have been unattanable only a few years ago. Digital photography put photography in everyone's hands for cheap. To follow that pattern, bitcoins makes anyone a financial institution?


Say right now I, or someone else with design skills, were to create a set of brand standards and design templates for bitcoin. That removes a lot of the DIY as now someone who can't follow those standards should essentially hire a designer who could match the standards or else their product doesn't "look correct" or even "unreputable/shady."

If the point of bitcoins is to resist a centralized authority, the concept of a single brand standard is against that.

We have a big DIY culture here...but few truly skilled at design. $50k for a logo (and fonts) is not crazy. Back when we tried raising funds for a Bitcoin logo, the roughly 40 BTC bounty didn't get us very far.

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=91068.0

This was IMHO the best idea:
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=91068.msg1063106#msg1063106


There was lots of this kind of stuff:
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=91068.msg1069054#msg1069054

[mindtomatter]

50k is an insane amount of money for a logo, offer 500 on 99 designs and see where that gets you

[bg002h]

50k is an insane amount of money for a logo, offer 500 on 99 designs and see where that gets you

My point exactly. I'm sure Coca-Cola did the same thing.

[sunnankar]

One thing that concerns me is the portrail of bitcoin in the form of coins. With respect to all the producers of bitcoin coin images.  I feel that they tend to look a bit amateurish and with the influx of lots of new people who may be  easily visually swayed, may cause some people concern.

So make something yourself, or pay to have made, a graphic that is higher quality and more professional than this:

[bg002h]

One thing that concerns me is the portrail of bitcoin in the form of coins. With respect to all the producers of bitcoin coin images.  I feel that they tend to look a bit amateurish and with the influx of lots of new people who may be  easily visually swayed, may cause some people concern.

So make something yourself, or pay to have made, a graphic that is higher quality and more professional than this:

ZOMG That pic is soooo cute!!!!1!!

I think that's about all we will get if we keep ourselves in the mentality of DIY instead of finding someone awesome and compensating them for giving it their all.

[dcl595]

Heres my contribution, just a bit of fun







Edit - a few more, love making these

[Wilikon]

On the "bitcoin flag" I proposed the concept of something everyone would agree on before making a design so it would help to have more focused results. The whole concept is decentralization. Yet everything is based on mathematical codes. Why not have a representation based on the actual codes, and not some random 0010010101 to make it cool. Once a simplified mathematical equation defining the "idea" of bitcoin is presented, redefining it as a design may have a broad natural organic adoption or help fueling creativity.

[Isokivi]

I cant draw for s**t, but my small bitcoin e-commerce states:
"Images:
I hereby give free permission to reporters, bloggers, etc. use any images found on this webpage in their online or printed content. Infact I'd lke to urge you to do so, Im sick and tired of seeing the 3 same images allover news sources covering anything bitcoin related."

Havent caught anyone using them, but I sure wouldnt mind the free publicity.

[MrCrabs]

Look if were going to end up with a $1,000,000 coin its gota look the part.
The Image on black is lovely no doubt about that. as are all the other images.

 
But realistically  will bitcoin be created in coin form for the masses.
Its more convenient on a phone.

Even explaining to the Bitcoin ignorant ."Coin " Summons up the idea of a physical coin.
Do we have physical digital coins yet..

Honestly not trying to be a pedant.

[justusranvier]

I'd like to see a version of the V for Voluntary symbol that was modified to represent Bitcoin instead of gold.