DRK ..... Current Branding / Corporate Identity ... Official / Affiliated

[tungfa]

hey everybody
i have the feeling we should talk about Branding and Corporate Identity for DRK
as i think there is a lot of confusion and misunderstanding about that.

Darkcoin Official is a Brand with a Corporate Identity which has to be protected , visually (Logo's, Fonts, colors,...) and content wise ! (Just like LEVIS or PEPSI)
DRK official pages will not promote illegal activities, FUD other coins, sell promises, spread false News or updates,….. DRK official has the public eye (and that of investors) on it, so Press and Content has to be handled very careful and sensitive.
The color theme, Logo, Font,…. of the Brand (Corporate Identity) has to be kept 100% straight on all the Official Pages, PR, Letter Heads, Business Cards,…. as recognition is very very important.

But

We as DRK Community Members can create any webpage / posts / photo competitions / Shows /.... whatever you want ! As DRK is an Open Source project and open to anybody ! The more support the better !

These 2 things work hand in hand, and are supposed to support each other.

Any webpage created from Community Members is hopefully in the guidelines of DRK,
but this is NOT a must as it is your page, you can do with it whatever you want !
If your “style” is to create a black/green/yellow DRK Logo, change the corporate identity to your liking, it is OK as that page is NOT an official Webpage of DRK, it is an Affiliated Webpage !
Affiliated pages are much easier to handle as you have total freedom to do what you want !
If we only had official pages out there it would be boring ! The more web inks the better ! Affiliated Pages can create their own community and hype for DRK in the Society !

Example:

- You can do a photo competition on your Affiliated Webpage, but that does not mean DRK Official Pages will post these pictures as they might NOT fit into the Brand Content and Corporate Identity.
- You can create a webpage with Dark logo’s, funky content, controversial stories, BUT that does NOT mean that DRK Official will permalink (have a permanent link) to that page, as the Content and Corporate Identity might not fit in with DRK Official.
- You can create a page which has the colors and logo of DRK but that does NOT mean it is an official page as official people are not running the page, it is a community member !
- …..>

As we are dealing with and in the CryptoCurrency World, we and any ‘customer’ have to be double aware that there is a ton of FUD, Troll’s, Scams and whatnot going on.
Would you download your BTC Wallet from any Webpage ? No you would NOT, as you would only trust the Official BTC page !
Would you read your BTC News on a none official / Affiliated Webpage ? Sure why not, if it is a good webpage (the style in writing, the color theme you like,…), no harm done, as you can always check (in case of doubt) with an official page.
So official Pages have to be “Official” (in theme and content) and run by official people by the official guidelines ! (Sounds boring as …. but that is exactly what it is !)

We as a Community should all protect and support our Brand
- defend it when needed (dam Trolls)
- support it where we can (likes here and there, share links, interlink, ….)
- be careful of the content we are using on our Affiliated Pages (do NOT spread FUD, do not sell promises, check your sources, do NOT hurt the Brand !….)
-……>

We as DRK Community Members can go on TV and give interviews and sure introduce ourself as
- “my name is Peter, i am a DRK Community Member”
- “my name is Frank, i am a DRK Foundation Member”
BUT
“my name is Tungfa, i am from the Darkcoin Foundation”
is WRONG as I am NOT, I am a DRK supporter and Member of the Foundation, but I am not an Official Representative of the Foundation !
We (as the community) have to be very very careful with this as our personal statements projects Personal Opinions onto DRK (Currency) and the DRK Foundation !
Only Official Board Members of the DRK Foundation are supposed to do these kind of statements in public !!

I hope this clears up some questions regarding Official, Affiliated, Corporate Identity and Branding.
otherwise please pm me anytime
Tx

 

[moli]

Is there any plan to rebrand this coin? If we change the name of Darkcoin, I agree with oblox that we should rename it "Dashcoin".

EDIT: Oh.. but there's already "Dashcoin", nevermind! :tongue:

 

[tungfa]

Is there any plan to rebrand this coin? If we change the name of Darkcoin, I agree with oblox that we should rename it "Dashcoin".

rebranding now would be the BIGGEST mistake ! there is no need to do that now !
we just created a Brand (10 month ago) , changing it now would only project weakness and confusion onto our markets and investors !
who knows what the future will bring but for now this is NOT happening or changing !
(as it is the wrong timing for something like that)

 

[moli]

rebranding now would be the BIGGEST mistake ! there is no need to do that now !
we just created a Brand (10 month ago) , changing it now would only project weakness and confusion onto our markets and investors !
who knows what the future will bring but for now this is NOT happening or changing !
(as it is the wrong timing for something like that)

Ok I understand, but why do some people keep talking about this? I love dark chocolate, nothing wrong with it. Many blonde girls dye their hair dark or black, people love dark hair... I understand some people think darkcoin has something to do with dark markets, but the dollars go there all the time... I don't see anything wrong with the name "Darkcoin" but maybe I just don't care... :grin:

 

[tungfa]

there will always be people who like and agree to a branding / name and others who do not. no problem with that as we are a huge community and if people feel they have to talk about it so be it.

what is hurting the brand is to post that outside of the community ! as it confuses general (not BCT and DCT involfed ) investors and followers !!!

"Do Not Change the Name" posts in Social Media make it look like we are actually changing the name !
We are NOT !
spreading confusion like this is bad for DRK !

 

[oblox]

Is there any plan to rebrand this coin? If we change the name of Darkcoin, I agree with oblox that we should rename it "Dashcoin".

EDIT: Oh.. but there's already "Dashcoin", nevermind! :tongue:

No, I'm not for naming it Dashcoin, I am for naming it Dash. No need for the coin part. That's only if it came down to a rebrand. I think the idea of mashing digital cash together into a word that also is synonymous with fast (i.e. instantx) makes sense, not to mention it keeps the D and all the other logos. I'm fine with the name, but I know mainstream will most likely not be. It's bad enough when Bitcoin was/is associated with drugs and illegal activities. Imagine the field day Darkcoin will have if it ever reaches that level. As I said before, I think that's slim given regulations.

 

[moli]

No, I'm not for naming it Dashcoin, I am for naming it Dash. No need for the coin part. That's only if it came down to a rebrand. I think the idea of mashing digital cash together into a word that also is synonymous with fast (i.e. instantx) makes sense, not to mention it keeps the D and all the other logos.

But it's a coin, then people will call it "Dashcoin"... and we'll have a collision with the other coin?

 

[oblox]

But it's a coin, then people will call it "Dashcoin"... and we'll have a collision with the other coin?

How is naming it Dash any different than Ripple, Stellar, Monero, etc. People don't just affix coin to the end of it when they talk about it. As for the other coin, it's pretty dead. Darkcoin originally snagged the name from a different dead project iirc (or maybe it was Xcoin, not sure anymore).

 

[tungfa]

PS
this is NOT a rebranding thread !
please take that discussion to a seperate thread !
tx I would appriciate it !

 

[moli]

PS
this is NOT a rebranding thread !
please take that discussion to a seperate thread !
tx I would appriciate it !

Tungfa, Might as well discuss it here since you mentioned the other thing, this thread won't go further than what you said. And I'm pretty done.

 

[strix]

Gentlemen, (and any ladies present), I offer my apologies; it seems that while I was not the instigator, I was instrumental in lengthening the discussion on BCT. I agree that that is not the proper venue for such discussions, and will refrain from expressing my opinions on the subject there in the future.

While one can never be sure, I think I understand the value you see in the Darkcoin name, and your desire to keep it. Since I think most of you have had the opportunity to read my point of view, I will not repeat them here at this time. What I will suggest, simply for you to think about--not to beat a dead horse--Is that due to the different circles we travel in, I am aware of an extremely large pool of potential users/investors/beneficiaries who will never use DRK because of the name. I know that seems ludicrous to many of you because you likely understand morality in terms of at best a social contract, and more probably, a personal opinion.

The thinking of those who believe in absolute values which exist regardless of anybody believing in them is foreign to most of us. We brand as terrorist, those who would fly an airline into a building because (of among other things) their opposition to pornography. We do not come close to fathoming why someone would let their entire extended family be burned alive, rather than speak a handful of words that their hearers knew would be a lie and did not care. Yet these people still count for a significant majority of the world's population. One need not agree to recognize that whatever else they may be, they are not cowards, and they are not stupid... and many of them have the means to make something like DRK an overnight success.

I know that in the above I included groups that even I would include as "terrorists." I hope that you can see that I am not attempting to justify their behavior. (I am what most of you would call a pacifist--though I eschew the term.) I am simply pointing out a way of looking at the world that many cannot relate to. A world in which terms such as dark and light, and good and evil, have a meaning that goes beyond the dictionary into the depths of one's soul. For a society that does not accept the reality of souls this is a leap to far. I do not presume to convince you that you have/are a soul, I am simply attempting to appeal to your enlightened self-interest. I am hoping that my efforts here will yield more than my efforts to convince others that Dark does not mean what they think. I suspect that those who die for words will be less likely to change than those who simply think they sound nice.

Waxing more practical; I recognize that this is ultimately a question for Evan, and the Board of Directors of the foundation to decide. If and when they decide to consider this topic, I hope they will consider my input. Until then I will do my best to not cause disruptions, and be circumspect in my comments. Again I apologize for "speaking out of school," and will limit such comments to DCT.

After all that onerous droning, I will say that I think "__coin" in conjunction with an adaptable (think Tails' Windows camouflage) client has tremendous potential for all sorts of reasons. :grin:

Peace to you all...

PS ...and then there is the BBC inspired "WHO coin" No, I did not just write that!:what:

 

[vertoe]

 

[tungfa]

Gentlemen, (and any ladies present), I offer my apologies; it seems that while I was not the instigator, I was instrumental in lengthening the discussion on BCT. I agree that that is not the proper venue for such discussions, and will refrain from expressing my opinions on the subject there in the future.

While one can never be sure, I think I understand the value you see in the Darkcoin name, and your desire to keep it. Since I think most of you have had the opportunity to read my point of view, I will not repeat them here at this time. What I will suggest, simply for you to think about--not to beat a dead horse--Is that due to the different circles we travel in, I am aware of an extremely large pool of potential users/investors/beneficiaries who will never use DRK because of the name. I know that seems ludicrous to many of you because you likely understand morality in terms of at best a social contract, and more probably, a personal opinion.

The thinking of those who believe in absolute values which exist regardless of anybody believing in them is foreign to most of us. We brand as terrorist, those who would fly an airline into a building because (of among other things) their opposition to pornography. We do not come close to fathoming why someone would let their entire extended family be burned alive, rather than speak a handful of words that their hearers knew would be a lie and did not care. Yet these people still count for a significant majority of the world's population. One need not agree to recognize that whatever else they may be, they are not cowards, and they are not stupid... and many of them have the means to make something like DRK an overnight success.

I know that in the above I included groups that even I would include as "terrorists." I hope that you can see that I am not attempting to justify their behavior. (I am what most of you would call a pacifist--though I eschew the term.) I am simply pointing out a way of looking at the world that many cannot relate to. A world in which terms such as dark and light, and good and evil, have a meaning that goes beyond the dictionary into the depths of one's soul. For a society that does not accept the reality of souls this is a leap to far. I do not presume to convince you that you have/are a soul, I am simply attempting to appeal to your enlightened self-interest. I am hoping that my efforts here will yield more than my efforts to convince others that Dark does not mean what they think. I suspect that those who die for words will be less likely to change than those who simply think they sound nice.

Waxing more practical; I recognize that this is ultimately a question for Evan, and the Board of Directors of the foundation to decide. If and when they decide to consider this topic, I hope they will consider my input. Until then I will do my best to not cause disruptions, and be circumspect in my comments. Again I apologize for "speaking out of school," and will limit such comments to DCT.

After all that onerous droning, I will say that I think "__coin" in conjunction with an adaptable (think Tails' Windows camouflage) client has tremendous potential for all sorts of reasons. :grin:

Peace to you all...

PS ...and then there is the BBC inspired "WHO coin" No, I did not just write that!:what:

No Apologizes needed !!
BCT (in my opinion) is the forum to let it all out (if needed)
bash the trolls, state your opinions, discuss ideas good or bad, .....
but that does not mean these BCT conversations should be repeated or posted anywhere else !

BCT is it's own level of madness,
and it is great to have an outlet like that
so lets use it for that
and leave it there as well (please)

 

[tungfa]

you and that pony
are haunting my dreams by now !
I still have the Wallet + Pony in my head !
:wink:

 

[tungfa]

I have to bump this thread again it seems,
as people still not have got the message, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE read the above,
it is very important that we all protect DRK as a brand !

we have to put our ego's to the side !!
this is NOT about
- me doing this
- he did the official that
- my page has more followers
- ....

PLEASE do NOT post "official" labeled content if it has not been approved to be so !!

 

[jpr]

What I will suggest, simply for you to think about--not to beat a dead horse--Is that due to the different circles we travel in, I am aware of an extremely large pool of potential users/investors/beneficiaries who will never use DRK because of the name.

This.
I told a few friends about DRK and they said they did not want to invest and have any problems with the law.
We will never hit mainstream with this name. We will never hit a typical facebook people. Sure you guys are convinced it's the right name, but the masses think differently than you people. For them it ill always be a drug coin.
You can kill me now for saying this.

 

[stonehedge]

We'd arrange it but no hitmen are taking Darkcoin yet :tongue:

Seriously...this isn't the thread for discussions on branding. There are very sound reasons why Darkcoin makes sense and needs to stay this way for a while. If you feel strongly about it, post on the renaming threads and I'm sure Fernando and others will explain the current position.

 

[fernando]

Besides tungfa's comments, which I agree with, I want to add a couple thoughts (not going into the rebranding discussion, this is not the thread and it has been discussed already many times) that are not exactly related with branding but are with calling things official:

"Official" should be handled with extreme care. Official is something from darkcoin.io, @darkcoinorg or the Official Development News and Information forum. This is important because we are distributing software that deals with money. There are already malware darkcoin clients that will steal your coins or someone could publish an ill intended guide that exposes your funds. Official is safe. Unofficial is probably safe too, but the darkcoin project can't guarantee and you should do your due diligence. This doesn't mean that people outside the team are not honest, they could have been hacked or made a mistake. I'm part of the team, but if I personally start something related with Darkcoin it would not be official, it would be mine.

Also, some of us are putting our names out there and affiliating ourselves with the project. I have no fears about it because I've joined a project with a very specific view that I share, but if some people start to do/promote certain things and call that official, that could bring trouble to us personally.

 

[strix]

Tungfa, and Fernando, I agree whole heartedly on the "Official" issue, and encourage you to keep hammering on it. Unless the foundation pursues copyright/trademark protection, (which I would strongly oppose) peer pressure and shouting loudly are the only only moral recourses available. As delightful as the recently posted video was, I was troubled by the "official" designation, and thought that this had been adopted/approved by the foundation's board in some way.

Regarding other recent discussions, I am somewhat confused on the guidance I am receiving. Tungfa, you seem to be stating that BTC is the appropriate venue for discussing the branding/name-change issue, rather than DCT??! Given the importance of the issue and the fact that (IMHO) this is an issue for serious stakeholders rather than trolls, I would think that DCT would be the preferred locale.

Please understand, I am not raising the issue here, rather the meta-issue, of the appropriate time and place for the issue. Tungfa, you and stonehedge seem to hold that this thread is not the place to discuss branding, yet the title led me to believe that this was the appropriate place. It seems jpr, moli, and oblox had a similar idea/misconception. I have no desire to offend others, or waste my breath. But I would appreciate knowing that those responsible for making such decisions (Evan and the foundation's BOD) were open to suggestion and provided an official channel for the respectful/reasoned presentation of minority positions. Surely DCT is not that place; where would you recommend?

With all due respect...

 

[tungfa]

Tungfa, and Fernando, I agree whole heartedly on the "Official" issue, and encourage you to keep hammering on it. Unless the foundation pursues copyright/trademark protection, (which I would strongly oppose) peer pressure and shouting loudly are the only only moral recourses available. As delightful as the recently posted video was, I was troubled by the "official" designation, and thought that this had been adopted/approved by the foundation's board in some way.

Regarding other recent discussions, I am somewhat confused on the guidance I am receiving. Tungfa, you seem to be stating that BTC is the appropriate venue for discussing the branding/name-change issue, rather than DCT??! Given the importance of the issue and the fact that (IMHO) this is an issue for serious stakeholders rather than trolls, I would think that DCT would be the preferred locale.

Please understand, I am not raising the issue here, rather the meta-issue, of the appropriate time and place for the issue. Tungfa, you and stonehedge seem to hold that this thread is not the place to discuss branding, yet the title led me to believe that this was the appropriate place. It seems jpr, moli, and oblox had a similar idea/misconception. I have no desire to offend others, or waste my breath. But I would appreciate knowing that those responsible for making such decisions (Evan and the foundation's BOD) were open to suggestion and provided an official channel for the respectful/reasoned presentation of minority positions. Surely DCT is not that place; where would you recommend?

With all due respect...

my comment above regarding BCT and discussions sounds strange out of content, to clarify :
discussions can be hold wherever you want , I am not here to tell anybody where to post what !
DCT , BCT anything

this thread here sais branding, but i did not mean REbranding .
I encourage everybody interested to discuss that on another thread (as it really seems to be an issue) in this thread here I try to explain and organize our current branding and placement of "official" or not !