{"id":10420,"date":"2017-11-10T08:45:30","date_gmt":"2017-11-10T16:45:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/2017\/11\/10\/news-4193\/"},"modified":"2017-11-10T08:45:30","modified_gmt":"2017-11-10T16:45:30","slug":"news-4193","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/2017\/11\/10\/news-4193\/","title":{"rendered":"Does the Upside Down Twitter Logo Look Like Sonic? An Investigation"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Credit to Author: Sarah Emerson| Date: Fri, 10 Nov 2017 16:00:00 +0000<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Sometimes reporting leads you to new, and unexpected places\u2014stories that you didn\u2019t anticipate, but that reveal themselves in time.<\/p>\n<p>Yesterday <a href=\"https:\/\/motherboard.vice.com\/en_us\/article\/zmzgkx\/twitter-verification-always-broken-white-supremacists\" target=\"_blank\">I wrote about<\/a> Twitter\u2019s broken verification process. The company is facing new opposition after verifying Jason Kessler, organizer of the violent Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, VA. <\/p>\n<p>Motherboard frequently covers Twitter, and it\u2019s always been a struggle to find compelling, high-quality artwork to illustrate our stories. Looking at <a href=\"https:\/\/motherboard.vice.com\/en_us\/search?all=true&#038;model=articles&#038;q=twitter\" target=\"_blank\">past articles<\/a>, I think we\u2019ve done a pretty good job at finding (or creating) original images for this subject. Stock image repositories are full of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/license\/865878600\" target=\"_blank\">sad<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/license\/865878410\" target=\"_blank\">tragic<\/a> Twitter photos; my least favorite genre being the photo-taken-of-computer-screen variety. <\/p>\n<p>So before publishing my story, Motherboard editor-in-chief, Jason Koebler, and I were debating what kind of artwork to use. Jason came up with a clever idea that I admittedly stole and improved upon. <\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s an upside down Twitter logo with a checkmark for an eye. Very nice and subversive.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article__media\"><picture class=\"article__image\"><source media=\"(max-width: 25em)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/video-images.vice.com\/_uncategorized\/1510270203316-Screen-Shot-2017-11-09-at-20615-PM.png?resize=400:*, https:\/\/video-images.vice.com\/_uncategorized\/1510270203316-Screen-Shot-2017-11-09-at-20615-PM.png?resize=600:* 2x\"><source media=\"(min-width: 25em)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/video-images.vice.com\/_uncategorized\/1510270203316-Screen-Shot-2017-11-09-at-20615-PM.png?resize=404:*\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/video-images.vice.com\/_uncategorized\/1510270203316-Screen-Shot-2017-11-09-at-20615-PM.png\" alt=\"\"><\/picture>\n<div class=\"article__image-caption\">Screenshot: Motherboard\/Sarah Emerson<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>I\u2019m not <i> terrible<\/i> at Photoshop, so I made the image higher-resolution, and horizontal, which our CMS likes. <\/p>\n<p>Much better.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article__media\"><picture class=\"article__image\"><source media=\"(max-width: 25em)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/video-images.vice.com\/_uncategorized\/1510270223952-Screen-Shot-2017-11-09-at-20808-PM.png?resize=400:*, https:\/\/video-images.vice.com\/_uncategorized\/1510270223952-Screen-Shot-2017-11-09-at-20808-PM.png?resize=600:* 2x\"><source media=\"(min-width: 25em)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/video-images.vice.com\/_uncategorized\/1510270223952-Screen-Shot-2017-11-09-at-20808-PM.png?resize=402:*\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/video-images.vice.com\/_uncategorized\/1510270223952-Screen-Shot-2017-11-09-at-20808-PM.png\" alt=\"\"><\/picture>\n<div class=\"article__image-caption\">Screenshot: Motherboard\/Sarah Emerson<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>I obsessively checked the responses to my story after it went up, as one is inclined to do. Almost immediately, people started telling me the Twitter logo, when upside down, looks <i> exactly<\/i> like Sonic the Hedgehog. Does it? Yes. Yes, it does.<\/p>\n<div style=\"max-width: 550px;\" data-iframely-id=\"UJ6nqOh\" data-embedded-url=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Jyakku\/status\/928738770068869123\" class=\"article__embed article__embed--iframely\">\n<div style=\"left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;\" data-iframely-smart-iframe=\"true\"><iframe  src= width=\"100%\" height=\"420\" frameborder=\"0\" ><\/iframe> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"max-width: 550px;\" data-iframely-id=\"hNlCLvU\" data-embedded-url=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AJoeGall\/status\/928738185999540225\" class=\"article__embed article__embed--iframely\">\n<div style=\"left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;\" data-iframely-smart-iframe=\"true\"><iframe  src= width=\"100%\" height=\"420\" frameborder=\"0\" ><\/iframe> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>When you place the images next to each other, you can really see what I\u2019m talking about. The blue. The pointy prongs. The chin area. The nose and\/or beak.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article__media\"><picture class=\"article__image\"><source media=\"(max-width: 25em)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/video-images.vice.com\/_uncategorized\/1510270298407-Screen-Shot-2017-11-09-at-14952-PM.png?resize=400:*, https:\/\/video-images.vice.com\/_uncategorized\/1510270298407-Screen-Shot-2017-11-09-at-14952-PM.png?resize=600:* 2x\"><source media=\"(max-width: 40.625em)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/video-images.vice.com\/_uncategorized\/1510270298407-Screen-Shot-2017-11-09-at-14952-PM.png?resize=650:*, https:\/\/video-images.vice.com\/_uncategorized\/1510270298407-Screen-Shot-2017-11-09-at-14952-PM.png?resize=975:* 2x\"><source media=\"(max-width: 53.125em)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/video-images.vice.com\/_uncategorized\/1510270298407-Screen-Shot-2017-11-09-at-14952-PM.png?resize=850:*, https:\/\/video-images.vice.com\/_uncategorized\/1510270298407-Screen-Shot-2017-11-09-at-14952-PM.png?resize=1275:* 2x\"><source media=\"(min-width: 53.125em)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/video-images.vice.com\/_uncategorized\/1510270298407-Screen-Shot-2017-11-09-at-14952-PM.png?resize=906:*\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/video-images.vice.com\/_uncategorized\/1510270298407-Screen-Shot-2017-11-09-at-14952-PM.png\" alt=\"\"><\/picture>\n<div class=\"article__image-caption\">Do you see?<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>I\u2019m not conspiracy minded, but they look <i> so alike<\/i>. It makes you think. And all art is derivative, or whatever, so let\u2019s take a look.<\/p>\n<p><i> Sonic the Hedgehog<\/i> first came out for Sega Genesis in 1991. But, once, he was envisioned by Sega designer Naoto Ohshima as a character code-named \u201c<a href=\"http:\/\/info.sonicretro.org\/Mr._Needlemouse\" target=\"_blank\">Mr. Needlemouse<\/a>.\u201d This early iteration appears <a href=\"http:\/\/info.sonicretro.org\/File:S1concept-Needlemouse.jpg\" target=\"_blank\">much more similar<\/a> to the Twitter logo than today\u2019s Sonic. Old concept art for the character shows <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sonicretro.org\/2016\/06\/never-before-seen-concept-art\/\" target=\"_blank\">cartoon-ier versions<\/a>, too. Sonic has always been blue. He is also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.buzzfeed.com\/ahmedaliakbar\/xx-reasons-the-official-sonic-the-hedgehog-twitter\" target=\"_blank\">on Twitter<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Twitter\u2019s oldest logos, meanwhile, were its name in bubble font. Eventually, Twitter adopted its iconic bird form. It was, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.adweek.com\/brand-marketing\/how-twitters-logo-perched-in-our-cultural-consciousness-and-came-to-signify-the-brand-all-by-itself\/\" target=\"_blank\">according to<\/a> AdWeek, \u201can iStock bird by artist Simon Oxley whose rights were acquired for about $15.\u201d The logo was later perfected (much like I did with Jason\u2019s artwork), before being <a href=\"https:\/\/designshack.net\/articles\/graphics\/twitters-new-logo-the-geometry-and-evolution-of-our-favorite-bird\/\" target=\"_blank\">re-released<\/a> in 2012. Also, its name is \u201cLarry.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Now, it\u2019s important to note that <a href=\"http:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/first-twitter-logo-cost-less-than-20-2014-8\" target=\"_blank\">Oxley\u2019s bird design<\/a> <i> does not <\/i>look like Sonic. Only once it was adapted (by Twitter co-founder Biz Stone), did it take on a Sonic-esque silhouette. And it <i> only<\/i> looks like Sonic when upside down.<\/p>\n<div style=\"max-width: 550px;\" data-iframely-id=\"vksj59Z\" data-embedded-url=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/biz\/status\/925230111850299392\" class=\"article__embed article__embed--iframely\">\n<div style=\"left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;\" data-iframely-smart-iframe=\"true\"><iframe  src= width=\"100%\" height=\"420\" frameborder=\"0\" ><\/iframe> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>I reached out to Stone on Twitter, asking if he had thoughts about the similarity. Maybe he was subconsciously inspired by the Sega character? As of this story\u2019s publication, he has not responded.<\/p>\n<div style=\"max-width: 550px;\" data-iframely-id=\"mQuB3QA\" data-embedded-url=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SarahNEmerson\/status\/928756257778843649\" class=\"article__embed article__embed--iframely\">\n<div style=\"left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;\" data-iframely-smart-iframe=\"true\"><iframe  src= width=\"100%\" height=\"420\" frameborder=\"0\" ><\/iframe> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>I also asked a Twitter spokesperson about the logo\u2019s origins, pointing out the Sonic comparison, which they \u201clol-ed\u201d at. <\/p>\n<p>Some people also think Twitter\u2019s icon looks like Batman. Which, from a certain angle, yes, I agree it does. <\/p>\n<div style=\"max-width: 550px;\" data-iframely-id=\"BvEXurL\" data-embedded-url=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/greenberg\/status\/210461474659893248\" class=\"article__embed article__embed--iframely\">\n<div style=\"left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;\" data-iframely-smart-iframe=\"true\"><iframe  src= width=\"100%\" height=\"420\" frameborder=\"0\" ><\/iframe> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Back at Motherboard, editor Emanuel Maiberg suggested the logo might not be one bird, but <i> two birds<\/i>. <\/p>\n<div class=\"article__media\"><picture class=\"article__image\"><source media=\"(max-width: 25em)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/video-images.vice.com\/_uncategorized\/1510270354071-Screen-Shot-2017-11-09-at-25325-PM.png?resize=400:*, https:\/\/video-images.vice.com\/_uncategorized\/1510270354071-Screen-Shot-2017-11-09-at-25325-PM.png?resize=600:* 2x\"><source media=\"(min-width: 25em)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/video-images.vice.com\/_uncategorized\/1510270354071-Screen-Shot-2017-11-09-at-25325-PM.png?resize=418:*\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/video-images.vice.com\/_uncategorized\/1510270354071-Screen-Shot-2017-11-09-at-25325-PM.png\" alt=\"\"><\/picture>\n<div class=\"article__image-caption\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article__media\"><picture class=\"article__image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/video-images.vice.com\/_uncategorized\/1510270360193-Screen-Shot-2017-11-09-at-25339-PM.png\" alt=\"\"><\/picture>\n<div class=\"article__image-caption\">Screenshot: Motherboard\/Sarah Emerson<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Twitter\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/about.twitter.com\/content\/dam\/about-twitter\/company\/brand-resources\/en_us\/Twitter_Brand_Guidelines_V2.0.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">rules about using its logo<\/a> explicitly state: \u201cDon\u2019t alter, rotate, or modify the logo.\u201d This seems weird. It\u2019s not the American flag. What is Twitter trying to hide?<\/p>\n<p>Whatever the case may be, this was an interesting exercise in what our eyes are trained to see. I\u2019m sure there\u2019s also something profound here about brand recognition, but I don\u2019t really feel like thinking about that.<\/p>\n<p>Do you agree that the upside down Twitter logo looks like Sonic? Or do you think I&#8217;m crazy? Send me an email at <a href=\"mailto:sarah.emerson@vice.com\" target=\"_blank\">sarah.emerson@vice.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/motherboard.vice.com\/en_us\/article\/59yjaq\/does-the-upside-down-twitter-logo-look-like-sonic-the-hedgehog\" target=\"bwo\" >https:\/\/motherboard.vice.com\/en_us\/rss<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/video-images.vice.com\/articles\/5a04e479fdd3440df8f314b2\/lede\/1510272613722-braingenious.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Credit to Author: Sarah Emerson| Date: Fri, 10 Nov 2017 16:00:00 +0000<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>There are similarities that we just can&#8217;t ignore.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"colormag_page_container_layout":"default_layout","colormag_page_sidebar_layout":"default_layout","footnotes":""},"categories":[10643,13328,10378],"tags":[1818,16552,16550,13366,16551,454],"class_list":["post-10420","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-independent","category-motherboard","category-security","tag-art","tag-does-this-thing-look-like-that-other-thing","tag-logo","tag-sega","tag-sonic-the-hedgehog","tag-twitter"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10420","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10420"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10420\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10420"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10420"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10420"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}