dA and the Unoriginal Logo

www.TheArtofKKeys.com l Shadowness l Gallery l Watch Me

I didn't really care about the new logo one way or the other.. Mostly, I thought it was dumb to move away from something that was already instantly recognizable and iconic, and ESTABLISHED, to something new, confusing, and.. well, confusing.  If you have to create a tutorial to explain the logo- then you've failed at creating a good logo... but it didn't really arse me one way or the other, I figured I'd get used to it.
Honestly, I don't care what the logo looks like, whatever it is, I'll get used to it, it's just a logo.


However- there is something I care deeply about-- and that's infringement and originality.

platzkart.ru/

And now I have the opinion that the new logo is far too close to this site (which, according to who.is has been around since 2006) to be comfortable or to be seen as anything independently creative or original- things that should be synonymous with "art community".

If I didn't have any personal investment or knowledge of the companies involved, and was shown the two logos, I would think they were different incarnations of the same site's logo.  Had you told me they were two different sites, created 8 years apart?  I'd think it was another instance of a mega-corporation ripping off the little guy and expecting no one to do anything about it.

If dA represents the artists and the community, perhaps they should take a moment to go over the rules they expect everyone else in the community to live up to:
FAQ #8: What are violations of the DeviantArt copyright policy?
FAQ #32: Fair Use and Your Submission
FAQ #157: Can I use things created by other people in my submissions?
FAQ #257: What sort of permission do I need to use someone else's work?
FAQ #304: Do you remove copies and trace-over art?
FAQ #2: Where can I find the official DeviantArt Copyright Policy?

I'm an artist and a member of the community and have been (via my other account for more than 10 years now).  I conduct myself according to the site rules and expect the site to act in the same manner they hold members to.

While I absolutely do not believe the logo was stolen, "if it's recognizable it's still considered copyrighted and you still need permission." - quoted from the site's Copyright Policy- I do believe that it is shockingly similar to the Russian site's long established logo.  Though no fault of dA's, it should be treated as any other image posted to the site.  How often has support taken "but I didn't MEAN to infringe on someone's copyright" as a valid excuse? The (albeit unintended) infringement has been reported thousands of times via user comments on this site, and is also exploding all over the internet. 


This is an embarrassment. 
A logo for an art site, whatever it may be, SHOULD be unique- using something someone else already uses?  It is uncreative.  It is unoriginal.  It doesn't embody any of the ideals of an art community.
Infringement, intended or not, does NOT represent the sentiment of the users or community of this site.
dA Admins- do your job.  Pull the Russian logo, and show us that you take your own policies seriously, and that you hold yourselves to the same rules you expect us to follow.


I'm not saying you have to bring back the old logo- I'm saying uphold site policies, follow the ToS, and remove the infringing material.  Treat yourselves the same way you treat your community and have some integrity.


---Show us that the site really represents originality, creativity, and uniqueness - like you keep telling us it does- and use a unique logo- whatever it is doesn't matter- just as long as it's original---




(For those of you who don't want to click the link to the Russian site- here's a link to iAmCloudSky's post that describes everything in great detail with a visual breakdown. 
The Logos are near the bottom)
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Background image by KassidiKeys
Brushes by deviney