Just keeping pace with your tone. Sent you a compliment.
Developers will certainly be an important audience for the a SAFE Network brand. For some it will be the first impression they have of SAFE and it is therefore important that we communicate some/many of it’s values and features within it. I also think that it is important that consistent branding is used, it makes the community look well organised and together, which we are, most of the time 
.
Regards metrics about whether branding is working, I would say it is next to impossible, there are too many moving parts (attendance at trade shows, documentation, meet ups, online presence…etc…) to be able to attribute success to one thing.
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I think Nick and David summed it up nicely in that Max Keiser interview…it’s the best public explanation of the network I’ve seen.
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On a very broad level compare it with language: you know that its working whenever it´s working. How do you know that the road sign “Troon 10km ahead” is working? Isn´t it possible that the people who go down the road to Troon already know where they had to go? Maybe they had a GPS device. Maybe they lived in Troon for ages and already know where to go. Maybe they had some @dirvine inspiration (pun intended) to go this road and end up in Troon 
The main point of signs is claiming existence, becoming visible and autonomously recognized throughout the noise of meaning. This means, that the sign itself occasionally tends to appear irrelevant to those who already know and relate to the signified. The people of Troon don´t need the road sign. Some may even go there blindfolded. However, it is useful to those who don´t know how to go to Troon same as to those who want to get Troon recognized by people who have been ignorant to the city. While it isn´t THAT important, it surely has its merits.
A logo or brand identity (I think we still need to be clear what exactly is afforded, Brand ID is much more complex than just “a logo”) is just an addition to the existing brand “SAFE network”. It´s not THAT important. On this forum you can even refer to it as “the network” and people will get what you are talking about - however outside the bubble people will find it harder to understand what you are talking about. Maybe they look up what they heard and probably and end up confusing it with MAIDSAFE, the enterprise. Of course, people are not dependent on your coherent use of the brand “SAFE network” - they can find here on many other ways, same as there are many alternative roads to Troon than the A77 from Kilmarnock - you may even go cross country. The problem is that as a person from Troon you will only find out about those who arrived, not about those who got lost.
Anyway, this was only a metaphorical journey throughout semiotics. As I said, I don´t believe that improving the “SAFE network” brand visually is needed to spread the word about the network, but it certainly helps. Any sort of coherent use of signs proves that.
As I have stressed, I also see the merit in having this discussion to creatively deal with what the network means to the people and how you would like to represent it to others. This is also part of the efficency I´d suggest to consider. As for now, everyone can design by him*herself how to refer to the network, the logo (or brand identity) would be an offer for people to use. Some will not because they dislike it, others will because they like it, again others will dislike it and still use it because it allows them to communicate a message more efficiently.
This leads me to the inevitable question: why not?
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Not. You are exactly the person that is needed on this committee. Rational + Inquisitive thought processing. The professional thinkers (those experienced in branding) will lead you to the right solution. Its a science and they’re as experienced at creating addiction to products/services as cocaine is to Pablo Escobar.
I vote for @Krekc on the committee
I think you make an interesting point, but if they can make war on ‘terror’ and ‘drugs’ then surely they won’t find any problem making war on a logoless safenet?
I see the legitimacy of the fact the brand/logo are easier to demonise than an idea or a word, but at the end of the day any publicity is good publicity if the man can’t shut it down. Perhaps having the media attack the symbol would just create more brand awareness?
You gonna take the ‘E’ out of safe then?
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So it’s really a PR package that your looking to put together with consistent look and feel across channels, brochure, style sheet etc?
That’s a part of your skill set if I remember correctly, so you could effectively act as lead for the panel?
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Nick. Any connections with the University Edinburgh - Business School? They have a Marketing Class. Could they be interested in this as a project. Homegrown is a bonus… Masters in Marketing – University of Edinburgh Business School
Here is from the site:
“…Our students have secured positions with firms including Boston Consultancy Group, Google and Skyscanner. Typical roles may include marketing manager, advertising director, brand manager, and marketing communications coordinator.”
I can contact them
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Yeah, thats part of why I’m conflicted with it…poking the bear.[quote=“Jabba, post:26, topic:9424”]
You gonna take the ‘E’ out of safe then?
[/quote]
oops did I do that…no definitely leave the E in
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I wasn’t asking for a lecture on semiotics, which I have actually read a bit on.
To introduce some clarity, which is all I’m asking, maybe we can compare the situation to something else, such as Tor.
There’s the Tor network and there is the Tor Project, which employs the core developers. I find on their website the following information:
The Tor Project is a non-profit corporation organized to research and develop the Tor anonymity software and network. We don’t want to be trademark bullies, but we will use trademark to protect the public’s ability to recognize Tor Project software.
OK, the network and the legal entity are not the same thing, but the legal entity does own the name.
Question: Does anyone get confused about such a distinction in the case of Tor. Probably not, even if they’re not users of Tor. Is their branding a problem, in bringing new users/developers/donations (those are metrics) to Tor? I doubt it. Even the distinction of the “onion router” (what they call their software) is self-explanatory and devoid of confusion. Their onion logo is unforgettable and nicely metaphorical for what they do.
Having considered that example, I can see that SAFE might have a bit of a problem of its own making, in having two names: Maidsafe and SAFE network. If they just called everything SAFE something or other, by analogy with Tor, then that might achieve some clarity.
Sure, I although I would think most of the applications would be digital.
My job before MaidSafe was as a director of digital branding and design agency so I have been involved in this type of work quite a few times before.
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We have connections with Edinburgh, but not the business school. I think that involving students would really slow this down and having been a marketing student myself I appreciate that practical experience is much more valuable. Marketing people can sometime get lost in the theory
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No, that won´t achieve clarity, it just blinds out the distinction between a distributed network and an enterprise, similiar to the example you used. You seem to argue that this a good thing, I don´t see why I should consider a lack of distinction a good thing, neither in this case nor in the case of Tor.
Also: SAFE doesn´t have two names.
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You’re trying to have an a priori discussion and I’m looking at how comparable things actually work. I don’t think we two going to achieve much in continuing our discussion.
Well I don´t agree on that, but I think we can generally agree to disagree
If there is a need for such a role on the committee I would gladly take it on. I have some time to spend and would be happy to make a contribution to the SAFE Network.
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I will make a guess that the term ‘Safecoin’, will be in use way more than ‘Safenetwork’ by the general public.
I’m thinking of that point 10 years ahead when servers have been eliminated. Will we be using ‘The Internet’ or ‘The Safenetwork’.
It’s from that perspective, that I was questioning the goal of a Brand ID, especially if it was incurring a significant budget to make people aware of a ‘Safenetwork’
Look at the incredible recognition Bitcoin has gained. It didn’t get there by referring to itself as ‘the blockchain’ or a ‘database’
If I had a budget and the goal was solely brand recognition, I would use Safecoin over Safenetwork. Bitcoin has done most of the work for me…the question is simply, what is Safecoin compared to Bitcoin. What the underlying/ enabling tech is beneath the hood holds no interest to the general public.
But what can I do with Safecoin? Where can I get Safecoin? Who makes Safecoin? Feel the buzzzzzzz 
Boring and only for Nerds:
Exciting and cool…where can I get some??
If you think that the price of Maidsafecoin is important to the perception of this project, then Market the heck out of Safecoin now! If I was the PR guy, I would change direction at this critical juncture and market the project as Safecoin, not the safenetwork…it sounds odd, even to me…having been on here for over 2 years discussing the network…but let it sink in for a while.
Bitcoin only has some nerdy apps on it, Safecoin will have apps galore at the consumer level…no contest.
Safenetwork? It aint gonna fly outside of nerd central…it’s dang hard work trying to explain it to someone…it’s hard not to get evangelical about it…knowing it from the inside.
Then again like was said here already, doesn’t have to be official, anyone can grab that Safecoin logo and market the heck out of it. Safecoin Apps people…not Safenetwork apps.
Am I right…or have I lost it?
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I think to market the coin as the network really under sells the network, even from the word safecoin doesn’t imply a network and all the tech that lies beneath. I think @fergish wrote a piece on this very topic a while back.
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I agree that when SAFEnetwork is ubiquitous we may no longer need to brand it, or to highlight it, or to convey it’s values, raise awareness that it’s a thing etc etc. But we may never reach that level - though I certainly aim for that! Right now, almost everyone has no idea that SAFE apps, exist, or SAFE services, or what that means. This is where we are now, and reaching ubiquity is an ambitious goal but with no time to lose. Look around :-/
We can use a brand to help change awareness from a situation where potential users (or Devs or anyone else we’d like to attract) will not know the network exists, but once their interest is piqued, will be able to identify SAFE compatible thingies (apps, tutorials, services, podcasts, mobiles) and indeed - if they create SAFE compatible things - they can use the brand highlight this important fact.
Right now, the ability to identify something as SAFE related, with SAFE values, and SAFE compatible, is valuable to both users and providers.
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I agree on this to a large degree. But there really has to be an identity for the network beyond safecoin. Safecoin is a unifying feature of the system, but it really is too limited to embrace the project as “The” focus.
But as you say, it IS a unifying factor and will be a spearhead for promotion in many ways.
I think the idea of having “Safecoin Magazine” as being a major vanguard is fine, but the network itself has to have an identity, because the network as a whole IS NOT safecoin.
I’m not sure as to the best overall marketing strategy, but we’ve got to have a logo for the Network overall, regardless.
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