mascot

An IndieWeb  mascot  could offer a visual representation of the community, and create fun & welcoming visual explanations; a mushroom ( 🍄 ) has been proposed for the IndieWeb mascot.

drew up some initial mushroom mascot illustrations at IndieWeb Create Day 2021-10-09 (Open to suggestions and ideas of activities for a mushroom to do!), which had a positive reception by participants. There was also a suggestion to consider dropping a mushroom emoji 🍄 into social media profiles to indicate IndieWeb presence, solidarity, support.

Previously, at the 2021-04-21 Homebrew Website Club - Americas, there was some discussion of the value of a mascot for the Indie Web. Documenting and continuing to add thoughts here. Please vote for your preference, and/or add thoughts and comments! -- 2021-05-05

Brand Notes

 * the IndieWeb represents multiple different elements at once: the community using the Indie Web, the tools that provide the infrastructure for the Indie Web, and the philosophy of the Indie Web
 * visually, an Indie Web Camp logo already exists, featuring warm colors and geometric elements

Mascot Ideas
At the 2021-04-21 Homebrew Website Club - Americas, mushrooms and bees rose to the top as preferred mascot options.

Mushrooms
Metaphorically:
 * mushrooms and mycelium are apt for the connective nature of the Indie Web - mycelium form vast networks under the forest floor, and although only the mushrooms are visible, the fungus organism spreads much farther and is vital ecologically

Benefits

 * mushrooms have a great diversity in appearance, which complements the plurality principle and is anti-monoculture
 * mushrooms are fruiting bodies, e.g. the fruits of our labors

Visually:
 * mushrooms can be cute!
 * mushrooms come in many shapes for visual variety
 * mushrooms come in many colors, including red, orange, and yellow, to complement the existing Indie Web Camp logo
 * 🍄 has an emoji

Considerations

 * avoid drug and phallic associations in design

Interest
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Mushroom emoji meanings
From a handful of references:
 * https://emojis.wiki/mushroom/
 * https://hotemoji.com/mushroom-emoji.html
 * http://hyemoji.com/Mushroom

A few meanings that seem positive or relatively harmless, in order of frequency/prominence in references:
 * exciting, regain energy, e.g. power up mushroom in the Super Mario Bros (regain power over your online identity & data)
 * psychedelic, something for the imagination, feel like a bit out of your mind (perhaps an encouragement to imagine & see things differently than the world of silos)
 * nature, together with 🌲 Evergreen Tree or 🍀 clover emoji to illustrate the forest (towards a sustainable web community)
 * autumn/fall season, used with 🍂🍁 fall leaves
 * dark, damp places

Unfortunate possible meanings:
 * something poisonous

Benefits
Metaphorically:
 * honeybees work together to build something bigger - lots of individuals pitching in
 * connects with the metaphor of a digital garden
 * bees are essential to a thriving ecosystem
 * honeycomb could visually represent building blocks
 * honey lasts forever and is also delicious ;)

Visually:
 * bees can be cute!
 * honeybees are yellow and black, and can be visually represented with stylized shapes, to complement the style of the existing Indie Web Camp logo
 * could also use hexagon shape of honeycomb to continue geometric theme
 * Also has an emoji 🐝

Considerations

 * bee mascots and logos may be relatively common (e.g. Swarm)
 * it should be a friendly bee, not a threatening wasp

Interest
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Cats
cats - Very Internet and also cute

Benefits

 * Cats are curious, an attribute present in the community
 * Cats like to explore, just as many of our community members love to explore the net to find new websites
 * Cats are whimsical (expressing the "have fun!" principle)

Drawbacks

 * Cats already an unofficial mascot for the internet as a whole per: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cats_and_the_Internet "ThoughtCatalog has described cats as the 'unofficial mascot of the Internet'."
 * Thus not particularly unique or specific to the IndieWeb

Other Mascot Ideas

 * Loqi - dinosaur - Loqi is not unique to the Indie Web however
 * hermit crabs and turtles - carry their home around on their backs
 * A leaf?
 * Add your idea here...