We propose the symbol ⁂ to represent the fediverse.

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

  • distant plant
    1•8 months ago

    Of note: ActivityPub (the protocol) has its own logo, seen in https://activitypub.rocks/ and other places. The protocol and the community are absolutely separate things, so this is really good.

    I’ve never really linked the rainbow star icon, just because I don’t really like rainbows (IMO the ace flag is the prettiest but I might be biased). I’m also still not convinced that Meta’s icon is even supposed to represent the fediverse, as opposed to just a Threads feature that lets it connect to the fediverse. So overall I’m a fan of this proposal, although it does bug me that it uses 6-pointed stars in the font on the webpage and 5-pointed stars in most other typefaces. The 5-pointed stars create some nice negative space.

    @[email protected]

  • RentlarEnglish
    10•8 months ago

    I’m more partial to the pentagram/star ⛤🌟 shape of the current fediverse logo. It would be nice to have a monochrome and emoji form in unicode, just have the pentagram encased in a pentagon.

    • aasatru
      9•8 months ago

      Yeah, mine too.

      Which I’m fine with. If the metaphor is that the Fediverse is a fucking blizzard of snowflakes organizing against corporate social media, I’m all in for it. If it serves to alienate right wing weirdos then all the better. In the end it’s all about freezing out the fascists.

  • asudoxEnglish
    14•8 months ago

    Why though? We don’t need a symbol. Is it that hard to type “fediverse”? The fediverse logo is good enough.

  • m-p{3}English
    180•8 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.

    • ClotEnglish
      3•8 months ago

      I think it’s too complex to be a Unicode character

      • @[email protected]English
        4•8 months ago

        Most Egyptian hieroglyphics are in unicode. However, there are many other reasons for it not to be included.

      • @[email protected]English
        11•8 months ago

        Looking at how current emojis tend to be hard to distinguish without increasing the font size (I see ~13 px on this page), I’d say the fediverse icon fits the criterion well enough.

        Also, I can see the icon in here well enough

    • @[email protected]English
      2•4 months ago

      Not that these are the common denominator we should be catering to, but I think a lot of religious folks would get some negative connotations from that symbol, considering how much it looks like a pentagram.

  • TipponEnglish
    48•8 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

    • Jerkface (any/all)English
      11•8 months ago

      It’s not being used by another group to represent themselves. It’s a technical symbol like degrees or pi. This idea is similar to how the semicolon is being re-used as a symbol for a group of people. Nothing is being stolen from anyone.

      • TipponEnglish
        5•8 months ago

        I didn’t say that it was being used to represent anyone, or that it was being stolen, I said that it was already in use. To use your examples, I’d think that using Pi or the degree symbol to represent the fediverse would be a bad idea too, as they could also lead to confusion. The semicolon is punctuation, so there’s less chance of confusion with that.

        If an astronomy group made a poster with the three stars, would the stars be representing star clusters, or advertising that they’re on the fediverse? Given that the fediverse is still relatively small, is there more chance of the stars being seen as an astronomical symbol?

        • Jerkface (any/all)English
          5•8 months ago

          Oh my god, you’re right. How could I have failed to see the risk. They must be stopped at all costs.

  • @[email protected]English
    4•8 months ago

    However, its design is a little too complex to be used at small sizes, as you would in text or in a button.

    I wonder what the criteria are. Because ⁂ just looks like three blurry dots to me. It’s not making things worse, but I wouldn’t say it’s making them much better either.

    • @[email protected]English
      7•8 months ago

      lmao this is the funniest name I heard for the rainbow Pentagram surrounded by a rainbow Pentagon.