Original author: Jon Southurst
Coin News
Original author: Stan Higgins
Original author: Pete Rizzo
A graphic designer named J.P. Brenner has proposed that his new, multisided, shape-shifting bitcoin logo – a representation of the dynamic nature of the decentralized money, should be the symbol adopted by the bitcoin community.The design is the latest development in an ongoing debate in the digital currency community. Years after the bitcoin’s creation, there still isn’t consensus what bitcoin’s logo should be, with many arguing that the classic orange logo no longer suits the technology’s goals.The idea, as explained here, is to represent bitcoin not as a physical item, like money is today, but as something digital and thus more malleable.
Behind the designBrenner explained his rationale for the design in a lengthy post on his own website. There, he indicated his belief that bitcoin’s lack of brand identity is contributing to consumer confusion regarding the technology.Explained Brenner:“There is no need to visualize bitcoin as a physical gold coin as we know them today. After all, the bitcoin is about as much of a coin as an MP3, GIF or any other binary file.”As a result, Brenner based his idea off of a shape known as a heptagon, a 7-sided polygon that can create an endless number of forms. He went on to say that the number seven has importance to bitcoin given it’s goal of worldwide adoption – there are seven continents, and because the word bitcoin has seven letters.Feedback on the proposalReaction in the bitcoin community toward Brenner’s proposal was mixed.Some, like Jaron Lukasiewicz, the CEO of exchange platform Coinsetter, took issue with the design. He told CoinDesk:“I assume this is just a random person’s thought though and not a real movement.”Others, like Vaughn Blake, the head of marketing and strategy for CoinMKT were more supportive:“Aesthetically, I’m a big fan, in some strange way it’s changing nature gives the image a kind of tangibility. That said, it’s too abstract to catch on with the mainstream.”Marshall Hayner, co-founder of Quickcoin, says there isn’t a better bitcoin logo design that improves from the original:“If the idea was to confuse, then I would call Brenner’s logo a success. For now, I have yet to see a better logo than the current design.”Reaction on Twitter has been similarly mixed.— Jordan Semar (@jordansemar) April 22, 2014Bitcoin’s current logo
The current logo for BTC, which is used in storefronts and at point-of-sale systems around the world, has been used for some time now. The problem is that has emerged, however, is that the logo is not in unicode, which makes it difficult to translate across different fonts.A proposal to use ‘Ƀ’ for the bitcoin symbol has been floated since it does work well as an existing unicode symbol.Companies such as ATM manufacturer Lamassau already use it, and it doesn’t require getting Unicode Consortium approval for acceptance; it just needs consensus.In fact, using Brenner’s design as bitcoin’s logo leads to a problem in that it’s more of a design than a usable symbol in text.Even if a shape-shifting logo were suitable for bitcoin, the digital currency would still need some kind of representation in font form.So, what’s the best logo for bitcoin over the long haul?bitcoin logobitcoin symbol
Behind the designBrenner explained his rationale for the design in a lengthy post on his own website. There, he indicated his belief that bitcoin’s lack of brand identity is contributing to consumer confusion regarding the technology.Explained Brenner:“There is no need to visualize bitcoin as a physical gold coin as we know them today. After all, the bitcoin is about as much of a coin as an MP3, GIF or any other binary file.”As a result, Brenner based his idea off of a shape known as a heptagon, a 7-sided polygon that can create an endless number of forms. He went on to say that the number seven has importance to bitcoin given it’s goal of worldwide adoption – there are seven continents, and because the word bitcoin has seven letters.Feedback on the proposalReaction in the bitcoin community toward Brenner’s proposal was mixed.Some, like Jaron Lukasiewicz, the CEO of exchange platform Coinsetter, took issue with the design. He told CoinDesk:“I assume this is just a random person’s thought though and not a real movement.”Others, like Vaughn Blake, the head of marketing and strategy for CoinMKT were more supportive:“Aesthetically, I’m a big fan, in some strange way it’s changing nature gives the image a kind of tangibility. That said, it’s too abstract to catch on with the mainstream.”Marshall Hayner, co-founder of Quickcoin, says there isn’t a better bitcoin logo design that improves from the original:“If the idea was to confuse, then I would call Brenner’s logo a success. For now, I have yet to see a better logo than the current design.”Reaction on Twitter has been similarly mixed.— Jordan Semar (@jordansemar) April 22, 2014Bitcoin’s current logo
The current logo for BTC, which is used in storefronts and at point-of-sale systems around the world, has been used for some time now. The problem is that has emerged, however, is that the logo is not in unicode, which makes it difficult to translate across different fonts.A proposal to use ‘Ƀ’ for the bitcoin symbol has been floated since it does work well as an existing unicode symbol.Companies such as ATM manufacturer Lamassau already use it, and it doesn’t require getting Unicode Consortium approval for acceptance; it just needs consensus.In fact, using Brenner’s design as bitcoin’s logo leads to a problem in that it’s more of a design than a usable symbol in text.Even if a shape-shifting logo were suitable for bitcoin, the digital currency would still need some kind of representation in font form.So, what’s the best logo for bitcoin over the long haul?bitcoin logobitcoin symbolOriginal author: Daniel Cawrey
The campaign poster for The Home of Honest CoffeeBuckley, who drove the dogecoin donations by publicizing the campaign, recognizes that £25 (or $40) isn’t a lot of money. However, he thinks the exposure helped Ashmore and the gang.Buckley said:“Dogecoin gave The Home of Honest Coffee a little bit of extra exposure that was needed and a week later, they hit their target. It was not directly through the money we raised with dogecoins, but with added exposure.”And in return, Buckley met other dogecoin enthusiasts in the Manchester area after he took the lead on publicizing this initiative.“There are quite a lot more than I actually thought,” said Buckley about the dogecoin community in Manchester. “I have been introduced to 5 or 10 people in the area after this.”This isn’t the first time the dogecoin community has come together to support a fundraising campaign. In January, they raised $25,000 for the Jamaican bobsleigh team which enabled them to participate in the Winter Olympics. The Dogecoin Foundation also raised $50,000 for Kenya’s water crisis in March.The Home of Honest CoffeeThe idea behind The Home of Honest Coffee is to create a not-for-profit café, which would serve fair trade coffee and pump profits back into the community for health and well-being initiatives, businesses and startups. Above the coffee shop will be a co-working space that anyone can use for 5p a minute. It’s aimed at freelancers and small start-ups.“You don’t need to use it everyday,” says Ashmore. “There is no membership fee. You could just drop in and drop out. There are a few examples of this set-up in London but there is nothing like this in Manchester.” 
King Street in Manchester where The Home of Honest Coffee will be located.The Next StepsNow that the team have exceeded their fundraising target, it’s time to start planning for the launch.They are holding at meeting with their 155 or so backers next Tuesday to get their input on how to get things going. They are aiming to open the café in August and Ashmore says they’ll be accepting dogecoin and bitcoin from day one.“We could accept digital currencies before we can accept normal ones,” he said.As someone who just recently learned about accepting virtual currencies, Ashmore seems quite sold on the idea already.“I got sent a cheque for a couple of grand for my business the other day. I took it to the bank to cash it in and it was a bank holiday and they said it would take 10 days for that £2000 to be available. On the other hand, these people sending me dogecoins are just tweeting it. And it’s in my account. There is no percentage going to anybody.”So, Ashmore is excited about accepting dogecoin at The Home of Honest Coffee and Buckey is excited about spending his doge in Manchester, which currently lacks retail outlets accepting digital currencies.“When it opens in August, I will be going to get a coffee and I will pay in dogecoins and hopefully be the first person to do so,” said Ashmore.fundraisingKickstartermanchesterUKOriginal author: Roop Gill
Original author: Pete Rizzo
Original author: Pete Rizzo
Original author: Dan Palmer