File talk:Wikipedia-hydra-bcuda69-rev4.png

    File:Wikipedia-hydra-bcuda69-rev5.png

Love the colored version! Really, I think this is my favorite so far. Hydra has negative connotations -- suggestion: remove text "[hydra]" and "wikipedia" text at bottom (we can add that later and the courier type is rather ugly). I think the "wiki" letters are reasonably international to stay where they are. We don't have to say it's a hydra -- we can call it the wikidragon, or whatever we want. You could also try to make the animal look less aggrsesive -- I think one aggressive head is OK, but maybe the green one could have an explicit smile. The scales and the claws also make it look aggressive -- maybe feathers instead of scales, and some kind of fur on the legs? I would vote for it as is, but I think the hydra undertone will turn some people off, even though the idea is most excellent.

Oh, and in general: do you have a vector version of this? If we want to use it on t-shirts and so on, we need to be able to scale it.—Eloquence 02:43 9 Aug 2003 (UTC)

Oh yes, all that could happen. I was thinking of the mascot idea, and the hydra came to mind with multiple heads(users) contributing to the life of the wikipedia.

• Logo is in Corel Draw format, could possibly be converted to SVG.
• Colors and Fonts are not firm.
• Main font is OCR A Extended and is separable.

bcuda69 —Preceding undated comment added 02:47, 9 August 2003 (UTC).

This thing would look really cool in a huge widescreen CGI-animated advertisement ;-).—Eloquence 02:55 9 Aug 2003 (UTC)

"Godzilla vs. the Wikidragon" :) But seriously -- very impressive work! Looks very, um, scale-able. This beastie would be perfect for a Wiki thesaurus -- the Wikisaurus! :P // Stygian — The preceding unsigned comment was added by 66.245.146.250 (talk) 03:25, 9 August 2003 (UTC)

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My opinion - this logo is not friendly, it's scary looking. I say dragons, especially mutiple headed dragons is a definate turn off. It definatley doesn't represent wikipedia or anything Good. It represents a nightmare.

"According to legend, the Hydra symbolizes the many problems that obstruct the path to truth. Also, when a Hydra's head is cut off, two more grow back in it's place - Hydras are often depicted with many many heads for this reason. "

http://www.dragonrealm.com/rebhydra.htm

This dragon logo would be completely inappropriate for wikipedia.

http://www.theoi.com/Tartaros/Hydra.html

- amy_jones — The preceding unsigned comment was added by Amy jones (talk) 00:56, 11 August 2003 (UTC)

Actually, the hydra reference is nicely ironic, because this concept is entirely applicable to Wikipedia: Once you have finished polishing an article, you see that two new ones have been created. Like the hydra, Wikipedia can never be "finished". The multiple heads also represent the diversity of opinion and the multiple levels of discourse which inevitably happen on Wikipedia, and the hydra itself symbolizes the invincibility of the "open content" concept -- Wikipedia can never die, because its content is free. The aggressiveness in the initial version is weaker in the one with the smiling head. This could be further improved, especially concerning the body of the hydra, which could be feathered instead of scaled, making it look more like a bird than a dragon. Still, a logo that embodies strength sends a clear message of: "We're here to stay and you can't get rid of us." It is defiant without being obnoxious.--Eloquence — The preceding unsigned comment was added by 217.231.127.254 (talk) 02:02, 12 August 2003 (UTC)

Now I know where the name Eloquence comes from. Well said, mate! :) I disagree on the scales/feathers issue, but perhaps the claws could be a tad smaller and less menacing? Or perhaps the entire beastie could be rendered in a stylized, abstract form — a symbol representing a hydra as opposed to a picture of one? Sort of like Stevertigo's symbolic phoenix, only not quite as abstract! :) // Stygian — The preceding unsigned comment was added by 66.245.147.16 (talk) 14:04, 12 August 2003 (UTC)

My gawed, your reasoning is full of BS!, makes me want to laugh out loud. The dragon logo doesn't make sense and it will not stand the test of time. I'm just curious why in the hell are you endorsing this logo? A personal preference? you like dungeons & dragons..

My opinion - Eloquence has bad taste and can't critique worth jack. - amy_jones — The preceding unsigned comment was added by Amy jones (talk) 01:22, 13 August 2003 (UTC)

Eloquence has good taste and rightly shows how the hydra is an accurate allegory of how Wikipedia behaves... but if it's frightening to some, can it really be our logo ? I'm afraid the hydra can't be tamed enough. --FvdP 18:33, 13 Aug 2003 (UTC)