[Replicant] Assembly at 36C3 - Banner Idea

Tj replicant at iam.tj
Mon Nov 4 11:34:28 UTC 2019


On 03/11/2019 03:10, dllud wrote:
>> About the url replicant.us, I wonder if it would not be useful to add it since I saw recently GNUtoo identified some company using Replicant as its name which could create confusion.

> Well thought, though I still feel it is unnecessary.
> The main goal of the banner is to attract people and have them approach
> our table and talk with us. I would prefer to keep it as minimal as
> possible. Information such as the website can be conveyed through some
> other mean such as a poster near the table.

I disagree strongly with this for several reasons:

1. the ".us" gives out a 'community' vibe - "us" vs "them"
2. the first place people will go for information is the web-site
3. do you really want people having to 'Google' for info?
4. strong branding nowadays relies on a memorable URL
5. people may not get an opportunity to visit the showcase but can
still, from a distance, see and memorise the key information

> I gave it two tries:
> 
> 1. Added a sentence. I don't like it visually.
> https://share.zalkeen.net/d/l/banner-sentence.svg
> https://share.zalkeen.net/d/l/banner-sentence.png
> 
> 2. Added some icons to illustrate each word. Much better. But still not
> there.
> https://share.zalkeen.net/d/l/banner-icons.svg
> https://share.zalkeen.net/d/l/banner-icons.png

The problem here is you're creating something that appeals to you. What
you need to do is put yourself in the place of someone who has never
heard of Replicant.

The banner needs to intrigue them, stir their curiosity, give a clue as
to its context, and above all leave an impression in their mind.

>From a distance (and over the heads of others) they need to see
something different - that is why Freedom Security Privacy are up there
large alongside an image of a smartphone.

Those are MAJOR key-words as more people become aware of, and concerned
about, the pervasive data collection of companies and governments.

Eyes scan left-to-right in most cases so the key messages need to start
on the left and be consistent with how people expect to read. That is,
line-by-line and sometimes with an image or drop-cap floating left.

Once it has captured their curiosity their eyes will fall to the URL -
its memorable and those well-acquainted with English will also
understand it as an oblique reference to Android.

They'll also likely recognise the "Preparing Phone..." message and
display from their own experience of Android devices (that idea came
from me browsing the Replicant screenshots for a stand-out image).

Even without visiting the showcase itself they can remember the
important detail.

Bare in mind also that if captured in photographs that are widely
published "Replicant.us" will be above the heads of the crowd, maybe
stirring curiosity even with no context in readers/viewers of articles
that contain a photograph.


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