The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) unveiled a new logo for the organization that is designed to transcend one language family and expresses abstract qualities like timelessness and reliability. The result is an abstract logo in the familiar blue and white colors, purposely designed to be evocative, to suggest but not concretely explain.
This evocative way of communication is called polysemy, where something can represent multiple related things, depending on the viewers personal experience and subjective interpretation. It’s a valid design choice for an organization that extends around the world and involves people with diverse backgrounds.
Transcending Language Family
The previous W3C logo emphasized the letters and numbers W3C. That works for English users but probably less so for users who speak other languages, especially those who use other kinds of letter scripts, and for people who are oriented to RTL (right-to-left) spelling.
The goal of creating a logo with a “style that transcends a single language family” makes sense for a global organization.
The W3C explains:
“We moved from using distinct letters and numerals in the logo to creating an abstract symbol to represent W3C. We chose a forward-looking style that transcends a single language family. This approach emphasizes W3C’s worldwide connection.”
What Does The Logo Symbol Mean?
What the symbol means requires multiple mixed metaphors. The explanation is that the circle depicts unity and forward motion. The symbol within the circle is a coil, which they explain is openly evocative of many things like a wave, a hand, or DNA. They also say that part of the coil is evocative of a heart.
Screenshot Of New W3C Logo
They essentially chose a symbol that does not represent anything but is evocative of whatever the individual sees in it.
Here’s how it’s explained:
“This circle depicts unity, constant motion, and moving forward. The symbol is a coil, inspired by the concepts of completion and progress reflected in our work. To some, the coil evokes waves — to others, a hand, or the spiral structure of a DNA helix. It has a curl that resembles a heart. This imagery communicates that W3C is the ‘DNA at the heart of the web’.”
See also: Google’s Mueller on Ranking Impact of Poor HTML
W3C Video About The Logo
There is a video that accompanies the logo that helps explain how the logo reflects the mission of the W3C as a global non-profit entity that champions ideals of accessibility, internationalization and so on. Like the logo, it expresses ideas in the form of concepts, expressed in a poetic style.
Part of it explains:
From the very beginning, from a single dot to a complex system, we are open, we are human, we are innovative, we are inclusive, we are for you, we are for everyone.
We champion accessibility. We champion internationalization. We champion privacy. We champion security.”
What do you think? Does the new logo work for you?
Read more about the new logo at the W3C:
The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) adopts a new logo to signal positive changes
SEJ is Now Subscriber-Only
