History: Lojban Logo

Source of version: 20 (current)

The Lojban Logo (which appears at the top left of Wiki pages.) Available also from la ((tsali))'s webpage: [http://people.fix.no/arj/lojban/jbosinxa.html Archived] discussion:

*http://balance.wiw.org/~jkominek/lojban/9203/msg00067.html
*http://balance.wiw.org/~jkominek/lojban/9411/msg00138.html
*http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lojban/message/1450
*http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lojban/message/1456
*http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lojban/message/1461

The logo resulted from a competition announced in ((JL)) 13 (August 1990). The competition results were announced in ((JL)) 14 (March 1991): the winning design was Guy Garnett's. From JL 14:

;:Logo - Surprisingly to me at least, there was a clear winner in the logo balloting from Ju'i Lobypli #13.  The selected logo was supposed to be on this issue;	maybe next  time.  The winner, designed by Guy Garnett, received a large majority of positive votes among the 35-40 ballots      received before	the October deadline, and was first choice  on many	of them.  In fact, only	5 ballots were marked as    disliking the selection.  Of these 5, 3	were in	favor of    the 2nd	place finisher (a distant 2nd, but with	far more 'likes'	than 'dislikes').  This	2nd place logo,	the intersecting planes design by Jamie Bechtel, apparently suffered some vote loss	from being hand-drawn compared to Guy's polished computer-generated images.  (Almost all negative votes on this design also voted against all other hand-drawn designs.)  As a result, we intend to try this   on some publications as well, after computerizing    it,	and see	what people think.  Thus we have two logos,  which were opposed by only 2 people	among the voters.     A	couple of people sent in new designs after the ballot  was	produced, and I	unfortunately missed one by Kerry   Pearson in preparing the ballot.  But we needed to have a   final decision, and	these will be the logos	for at least  the next few years.

The Necker Cube (http://www.muskingum.edu/~psychology/psycfair/necker.htm ; [http://www.yorku.ca/eye/necker.htm)] was the "2nd place logo", an alternative proposal by Jamie Bechtel, and many people (at least Nick) wish it had won the vote instead: [http://balance.wiw.org/~jkominek/lojban/9203/msg00066.html The] "two logos" principle seems to have been forgotten in the three years between the vote and doing anything about it; the Necker Cube might thus be legitimately resuscitated. Of course, the use of the Venn-diagram logo on ((The Book)) means it must needs remain the primary logo.

The logo represents both the ((LLG)) and Lojban. From JL 14:

;:- there is a commercial purpose to the logo.  It is a symbol for la lojbangirz. as well as, and possibly more  than, for the language (this unfortunately may not have been in the	minds of the designers and voters, but,	oh  well).  While we are a non-profit organization, we must operate as a business, sending out correspondence, fundraising letters, etc.  The logo, printed by	computer with our	letterhead, will enhance the visual appearance of our business correspondence, calling attention to our letter. (At least this is how the theory goes.)

* I suspect the logo has not been so used; does anyone know?

----

Let me get this straight: both the symbols being spatially-perceptual ambiguities, they are appropriate for a logically-unambiguous language how?

''It's not. It's an appropriate symbol for the Anti-Lojban.''

They are intended to illustrate how mind-blowing the Sapir-Whorf effects are, I think. At least, the Necker Cube is. But Paul Dounda expressed the same criticism in JL13. -- nitcion.

I agree about the necker cube, but I always thought of this one as being just weird. I don't understand it at all. how is it ambiguous? What does it mean, besides just 'lojban'?

*(The intersecting circles can be seen as ends of a cylinder two ways.)
*Guessing: Venn Diagram = Logic; Axes = ... Algebra? Cultural neutrality, via the four points of the compass? ((Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis|Sapir-Whorf))esquery, as in "your mind can go anywhere, thanks to Lojban?" -- nitcion

Someone who recognized the Lojban logo as being the Lojban logo, but didn't know what the parts were supposed to mean, asked "the two blue circles represent hemispheres of the earth and the arrows indicate the universality of lojban?" about the best interpretation I've heard of it yet. --((Jay Kominek|Jay))

----

On a lighter note, I suppose you folks should see the ((Animated Lojban Logo))s I made a while ago, for fun (on another page because animated GIFs are Evil and should be placed someplace special.)  ''--mi'e ((Mark Shoulson|mark)).''

[http://mw.lojban.org/index.php/File:jbolanci.jpeg#file|Here's a photograph] of an actual Lojban flag flying. ''--mi'e ((iesk))''

!Flags and logos of la Menli Bangu forum
{file name=xrula-logji.jpg image=1}
{file name=menli.bangu-stroked-new.png image=1}
{file name=menli.bangu-stroked.png image=1}
{file name=cogwheel-2.jpg image=1}

!Pierre Abbat's 3D logo
{file name=logo.jpg image=1}
{file name=logo.pov showdesc=1}
{file name=logobig.ppm showdesc=1}

!Alternate Lojban flag proposals by Jeff Tupper
{file name=simplerlojbanflag.gif image=1}
{file name=lojbanflags.gif image=1}
{file name=lojbanflags2.gif image=1}

!Alternate Lojban art proposal by Eppcott
{img src="img/wiki_up/lojban_masthead.jpg" }
{img src="img/wiki_up/lojban_flag.jpg" }
This graphic element is in the shape of the Fibonacci ratio, phi, or golden rectangle, symbolizing consistency in rules, and modular expansion. It's asymmetrical in every direction, symbolizing unique decomposition and parsing. The dots symbolize the five default fill-in-the-blanks in a simple Lojban sentence. The arms embrace them into a relationship. Inside the mind is the thought of that relationship, so the head is between the first and second blanks, just like the relationship word or phrase in a Lojban sentence. The whole top section represents precise syntax. It is extended downward to become a human form. This anthropomorphic figure personalizes the ideogram and symbolizes: 
Cultural neutrality, algorithmically derived from six of the largest languages of our species.
Root word choices derived from anthropomorphic concerns.
Attitudinals, which can be combined modularly into one of the most thorough catalogs of the human heart offered by any language.

!Lojban flags by arj
These flags were drawn by arj as a reaction to the sentiment that the Lojban logo looks "thin" or "unsubstantial".

{file name=FLAG1.GIF image=1}

{file name=FLAG2.GIF image=1}

{file name=FLAG4.GIF image=1}

!Other logos
{file name=venn_emboss.gif image=1}

I basically recreated the logo in SVG, reusing original fonts, but nudging them a bit to fit better. I believe
this is an improvement over the original one.

{file name=lojban_logo_cizra.png image=1}{file name=lojban_flag_cizra.png image=1}

la .cizra. cu zbasu
History: Lojban Logo

Source of version: 20 (current)

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