Let's start gathering ideas for the logo for this site.
While I think that whatever logo we decide on should probably include some images of pets, it may be hard seeing as there are more than just cats and dogs to consider.
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5It might be a while before this is something we have to actively worry over - the beta process can take a long time. It is a neat thing to contemplate, though!– user53Commented Oct 8, 2013 at 22:48
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1Figured it's never too early to get started and give us time to think.– Dennis GravesCommented Oct 8, 2013 at 22:49
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1It's a good way to get the community involved, for sure! :)– user53Commented Oct 8, 2013 at 22:50
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1I like the banner model on the Photography site for giving character, but I have to admit that it can be a pain sometimes from a moderator perspective to update a site banner first thing in the morning. On the other hand, we get some variation there...– Joanne CCommented Oct 9, 2013 at 3:45
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@Skippy - These days, it's often my morning. I don't mind, but I sometimes forget depending on how effective the coffee is at waking me up. :D– Joanne CCommented Oct 9, 2013 at 12:35
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2I don't think we should include images of pets, as how on earth are we going to incorporate them into one logo? Especially the favicon! I think we should follow Pets At Home's approach and just find a nice font,colour scheme and stick with that. That can form both the banner and a small abbreviated version for the favicon.– Mathew ThompsonCommented Oct 10, 2013 at 10:41
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1While this is one of the "7 essential questions" listed in that blog post linked at the top of our meta at the momnet, SE sites don't get custom designs until graduation, which will be at least months from now, by which time we should have a completely different user base. So this question is for the long-term.– Monica CellioCommented Oct 15, 2013 at 15:58
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2 Answers
I would prefer something iconic, something that is recognizable as a full logo as well as a favicon. I took a look at some of the other StackExchange sites and they used the logo in the sites' header, as well as in their favicon.
A logo has to be recognizable, simple, and it has to be understood by a person new to the site what this logo is about (without explanation).
There are no obvious features that pets share, but there might be some that are more common than others. Using a certain pet in our logo might give a false impression to a new visitor.
An iconic features a lot of pets share, however, is a footprint. Pictures of animals paws or claws are commonly used on sites or corporate logos that try to identify themselves with pets or animal care. I don't see why we should not make use of this.
I don't have a great example yet, the final design will be created by professional designers (which I am far away from) anyways. I painted a small mock-up to give a small idea how it might look like.
I chose a color close to one used in the StackOverflow Logo. The type of paw was without any preference, I draw one coming from my imagination with no specific pet in mind. If we want a paw as a logo, maybe it should be done in a similar way, so that neither cat nor dog people are offended if their favorite pets' paw wasn't chosen. (And neither are rabbit, ferret, or other pet mammals people.)
And of course, using a paw still leaves out reptiles, fish, snails, birds and other pets without paws… But as said above, I see no common feature all pets share, so there are always some people who won't see their favorite pet reflected by the logo.
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Clearly its a roughly designed paw and not look like a dog or cat print but i like the idea. +1 Commented Oct 15, 2013 at 19:59
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My suggestion is quite broad and could be used as the basis for an actual full logo. In no way do I claim to be an artist. I would expect someone with much more talent than I to take this base concept and run with it.
Take the word PETS and shape it into a headless (or headed) quadruped (dog/cat/animal), with P as the forelegs and body, E as continuation of the body (as tall as the top part of P), T slightly thin as the rear legs, and S at the same size as E and extended to represent a tail.
Optionally using the recursive rear-sniff idea from my other suggestion, have a canine head that could have been used as a head which would be before "P" appear to the right, sniffing the "S" (Unintentional pun!).
Optional Addition: If we were using an actual dog head we can potentially put a collar on the animal with a dog tag on it containing the initials "SO" or "SE" (for Stack Overflow / Exchange), in the same way that Scooby Doo has an "SD" in his diamond-shaped collar dog tag.
An amateurish concept image using the optional head on the right follows. The styling of the word PETS is shown as intended. The "SE" collar with dog tag is not included.
