Here's my final idea for a Kbin mascot, I call it the "Kbird" (K = Kakatuá), since someone shared a Fediverse flag resembling a pirate flag I thought a bird mascot would fit.
Also, as a way to represent the people who "flew away" from Reddit.
The bird is from Oceania, sounds silly but is not a animal commonly found in nature outside that place, meaning it evokes foreignity for a part of the userbase here.
C'mon guys, is a Cacatua, it can't get cooler than that...
I, too, prefer the design on the left; however, If I may make a suggestion, I would flip it horizontally so the bird faces the right. As you know, western printed language flows from left to right; from a design perspective, the aesthetic of right-facing imagery subtly implies a "forward" direction, or moving forward to the future. Considering the purpose of this icon in this new frontier, I think that would be appropriate.
Fantastic design, and I think the subtle gradient you dropped in the background is a nice touch.
I wonder how it would look with a kakapo, since that is also a k-bird, and a fairly well-known one at that. (Along with having a friendly-looking face)
I don't think kbin needs a mascot, but if it gets one, this should be it! I really like the design on the left, though I would try adding the white reflection from the one on the right.
I agree with people saying it should look towards the right.
I'm also fine with the general design idea of the one on the left but if this the final work, I will hard pass as the line work is extremely sloppy. Good for a first draft though.
Edit: I'm really sorry if this is worded a bit harshly. I really love the idea behind the mascot and the general design language. I just have experience with design, not as a designer but a project manager, so I am sensitive to technical details. Line work and shape language are vague but extremely important parts of logo -or mascot in this case- design. Once the design on the left gets a professional polish pass to finalize it, it should work great.
I would pay attention to line weight, as they are too skinny right now for the size of the bird, too many sharp corners creating a less welcoming shape language than I'd like, and line intersections aren't clean, disturbing the flow. The little bump on the back of the head looks a bit like someone gave the poor bird a whack rather than the natural shape of its head for example.
It's a nice image the one on the left, though I hope we stick with the original logo when it comes to the favicon and the progressive web app, it's a nice shaped and styled logo with a be good color
Cheers for the creativity though on that mascot image!
I agree that Kbin could use a mascot (not necessarily need a mascot), but IMO the current proposals are not furry enough in this year of the Fediverse of 2023.
Super cool mascot! The left one is less cluttered, but it probably makes more sense to have the cacatua facing right. Thinking of using it as the kbin icon on a ferdium service.