Redefining Our Identity

[0xZFi.eth]

Author: 0xZFi
Editor: Rowan

GM, friends!

As we move forward from our insightful discussion around values and purpose, we have uncovered profound alignments among our community that will be referenced to shape our strategic direction and operational ethos as the Transition Council helps guide us through a reboot.

The poll results affirm a resounding endorsement of values including decentralized governance, integrity, transparency, and a commitment to self-determination. A remarkable 87% supported decentralized governance, 75% prioritized integrity and transparency, and 66% valued self-determination and social connectivity. These figures solidify the foundational principles that define our collective aspirations.

Additionally, in terms of purpose, our strong support for fostering self-learning, generating sustainable revenue, the facilitation of networking, and project incubation highlight our proactive approach towards creating a significant and long-lasting impact not only within our community but throughout the space.

So What’s Next?

These reflections will help guide us through our next crucial phase — redefining our identity and branding to mirror these values and purposes authentically. As we navigate this journey, it is essential that our branding not only embodies our internal ethos but also resonates with the broader web3 and blockchain community. This will require a deliberate and thoughtful approach to ensure our communications accurately reflect the principles we embody, so thank you all for your patience with the Transition Council as we work through it together.

To help us all achieve this, I invite each of you to engage in this new discussion focusing on various elements of our identity and branding and to share your preferences through a series of polls. These will explore key aspects such as our brand name, logo design, internal vibes, and external presentation.

Your participation and feedback will be vital in shaping a branding strategy. Let’s work together to craft an identity that not only stands out but also stands true to what we believe and aim to achieve!

Polls

The following polls are intended to gather sentiment about various aspects of brand and identity development. Please indicate your sentiment or alignment with each statement by responding with:

• “Like” if the idea resonates with what you think should be captured in the brand identity,
• “Neutral” if an element doesn’t matter to you either way, or
• “Dislike” if you would prefer not to include that particular idea in our brand identity.

Vote your voices, friends!

Name and Identification

Using ‘DAO’ in the brand name.

• Like
• Neutral
• Dislike

Mentioning specific technology (e.g. blockchain, Web3) in our brand name.

• Like
• Neutral
• Dislike

Using an acronym as a brand name.

• Like
• Neutral
• Dislike

Projecting our values with our brand name.

• Like
• Neutral
• Dislike

Projecting our purpose with our brand name.

• Like
• Neutral
• Dislike

Using an abstract or invented brand name.

• Like
• Neutral
• Dislike

Adopting a brand name with a playful or humorous tone.

• Like
• Neutral
• Dislike

Adopting a brand name that conveys seriousness and professionalism.

• Like
• Neutral
• Dislike

Logo and Visual Imagery

Using symbols in our logo to project our values.

• Like
• Neutral
• Dislike

Using imagery in our logo to project our purpose.

• Like
• Neutral
• Dislike

Using abstract shapes in our logo design.

• Like
• Neutral
• Dislike

Choosing a simple, minimalist design for our branding materials.

• Like
• Neutral
• Dislike

Adopting playful, vibrant, and unconventional colors in our color palette.

• Like
• Neutral
• Dislike

Using muted or neutral colors in our color palette.

• Like
• Neutral
• Dislike

Using a logo that includes text only.

• Like
• Neutral
• Dislike

Including “Easter Eggs”, fun hidden elements.

• Like
• Neutral
• Dislike

Internal Culture

Using language and processes that empower and inspire self-initiative.

• Like
• Neutral
• Dislike

Adopting a flat organizational structure with minimal hierarchical levels.

• Like
• Neutral
• Dislike

Promoting a casual and relaxed workplace culture.

• Like
• Neutral
• Dislike

Implementing an invite-only onboarding system.

• Like
• Neutral
• Dislike

Requiring all projects to include measurable self-determination goals.

• Like
• Neutral
• Dislike

External Identity

Forming a legal entity for the organization.

• Like
• Neutral
• Dislike

Positioning our organization as a leader in social innovation.

• Like
• Neutral
• Dislike

Adopting an authoritative and knowledgeable brand voice.

• Like
• Neutral
• Dislike

Focusing our branding on innovation and future-oriented thinking.

• Like
• Neutral
• Dislike

Highlighting self-determination in community-led projects.

• Like
• Neutral
• Dislike

Projecting an “exclusivity” to organization membership.

• Like
• Neutral
• Dislike

Using cutting-edge web3 technology as a core aspect of our public image.

• Like
• Neutral
• Dislike

Rejecting partnerships or sponsorships that do not fully align with our values.

• Like
• Neutral
• Dislike

And if anything has come up beyond these prompts that you think would be valuable to consider, please feel free to add comments or additional polls in the discussion below!

Thank you for taking the time to help us redefine ourselves!

[brianl]

At one point I would have been very much in favor of the word DAO but over time I’ve come to feel “decentralized” doesn’t mean much and I’m not even sure what work “autonomous” is doing there. So that leaves “organization”.

I’m not sure exactly what the difference between using symbols or imagery is, so I went with Like for both.

When I saw “playful, vibrant, and unconventional colors” I immediately thought about T-mobile and Virgin, so I think it works. Easter eggs would be a challenge for the designer but if it works those can be really cool. They’re common in sports logos even though people can wear them their entire lives without noticing. And once people see the FedEx logo they have to tell everyone else about it. So again, I guess it works.

I voted against invite-only and for projecting exclusivity to organization membership. So anyone can come through the door/buy tokens but that’s not the same as the community recognizing the contributors.

I voted for rejecting partnerships or sponsorships that do not fully align with our values, I guess because sometimes I don’t learn. I spent a long time running a business that relied heavily on sponsorships while at the same time turning down MOST offers. Value alignment was easier for us than it would be here because the company was owned by three people. But if we can get aligned I think it’s the right move, even though it makes everything a lot harder.

[innov8tor3]

Great job, hopefully we can get alignment.

I agree with @brianl , the open door policy wasn’t what was wrong before, it was the loose organisation of Guilds that was the problem. We want to attract talent, not be some exclusive, cut off from the real world, chummy mates club. That ends up being a chumocracy, and pretty unhealthy.

The Guilds themselves could have been fine, with better, stricter Governance from the Grants Council. If a Guild or group isn’t sustainable, it gets shut down after a while, maybe even on a tapering basis. Other sustainable projects can provide a small amount to the wider community to trial new groups, but it has to be finite and controlled. Some clear Governance rules are needed.

Looking ahead, X formerly known as bDAO still needs to apply sustainability rigour whatever the new groupings look like.

Mistakes I made in the past were not to think soon enough about governance, and I hope that will be rectified by bDAO 2.0.

[CryptoReuMD]

IMO autonomous it’s related to using automation for decisions and some process, like smart contracts, but yup, DAO it’s a little overrated. The term decentralization, nowadays feels a little tricky, even for the social space, using DAO or “Decentralization” just raises som doubts and concerns. =)

[0xZFi.eth]

@brianl, I really appreciated your perspective here and I hope more people will want to share similarly.

I know this survey is both long (for the required time and self-searching requirement) and nowhere near long enough (in terms of capturing a full image of our brand and identity), but I hope you felt it was at least a decent start.

If you have other things on your mind that you think would be worth us bringing up in this branding/identity discussion, please do so!

I’ll plan to leave these polls open for another week before I close them and do a review on the results, so get your votes in if you haven’t yet!

Thank you, friends!

[Rens]

Wow! I like this a lot. This is a good way to measure the community’s opinion through multiple points of view and knowledge.
Let’s grow together!

[cyclist]

@brianl

I voted against invite-only and for projecting exclusivity to organization membership. So anyone can come through the door/buy tokens but that’s not the same as the community recognizing the contributors.

we had that as L1 and L2 levels in bDAO
not sure how much difference was in terms of operational work

@0xZFi.eth thanks for a work you put in for this questionnaire
have to say that almost all 80+% sentiment was in line with my votes, except for Easter Eggs, will try to find out what that could bring to logo and visuals

[homie]

What are the next steps after the poll information is tabulated?

Also, I feel the word DAO (similarly, decentralized) has become cliché.

I can understand why so many people want to use the word DAO, however. Because it’s holding on to what we knew from the good times.

I just am unsure if anyone (well, not anyone I would say most) even know what a true DAO, is.

I also wonder if our human gets in the way of manifesting what decentralization and autonomy truly means. (And that’s not a bad thing at all)

While I have opinions on the others, I’m mostly neutral to things like brand imagery as I am more along the lines of operations and marketers (which there are many here) seem to have a better eye for that aspect of the org.

Agree with the other comments on folks expressing their opinions in the comments. I’d love to see what people think on these specific questions.

Homie out.

[0xZFi.eth]

I’ll need to, immediately:

• Summarize and analyze the polls.
• Draft a follow-up/closure post.
• Take the branding data back to the TC to iterate on a name.

The TC has not formally discussed this or decided on an approach, but my suggestion would be to:

• Vote within the TC on a few name options (all TBD), restricting them from public discussion to avoid domain and username sniping.
• Establish new domains, socials, and accounts with the new name.
• Announce the new name internally and through legacy bDAO socials.
• Then work on using the identity results (and the results of the purpose and values polls) to shape the new org.

There is still a lot of heavy lifting to do, but these polls are going to be huge in helping the TC shape the reboot.

[0xZFi.eth]

Thank you to all who participated.

The polls have now been closed! Another great turnout on these, doubling the participation we saw in the last set and clearly indicating interest in and excitement for the next steps.

The goal here was to gather crowdsourced sentiment regarding the directions we should take in shaping our new brand and identity. I think we have some great data here to do just that.

Results

I made y’all a nice lil spreadsheet, if you’d like to manipulate the data further.
And you know I made a Notion database for it, too (because it’s Notion and I can’t help myself).

Analysis

We’re definitely working with a diverse set of opinions, but we’ve seemed to align on preferences for a brand identity that projects professionalism, innovation, and inclusivity, with a casual internal vibe that promotes collective decision making, self-empowerment, and accountability. This is gonna be fun!

The poll results reveal a community strongly aligned on a values-driven and purposeful brand identity, with a preference for minimalist and symbolic design elements. We seem to highly value innovation, forward-thinking, and an inclusive, casual workplace culture.

Additionally, we find that there’s a clear rejection of overly technical, abstract, or exclusive branding elements, indicating a desire for a more accessible and meaningful identity. These insights suggest that the rebranding efforts should focus on reflecting the organization’s core values, simplicity in design, and a commitment to inclusivity and innovation.

Strongest Alignments

1. Projecting Values and Purpose: High alignment on wanting the brand name to reflect the organization’s values (78% Like) and purpose (62% Like).
2. Minimalist and Symbolic Design: Strong preference for a simple, minimalist logo (74% Like) that uses symbols to project values (74% Like).
3. Promoting a Casual and Relaxed Culture: A high consensus on maintaining a casual and relaxed workplace culture (83% Like).
4. Focus on Innovation: Strong support for branding focused on innovation and future-oriented thinking (85% Like).

Key Features to Avoid

1. Technology-Specific Branding: Terms like “blockchain” or “Web3” in the brand name were strongly disliked (55% Dislike). This suggests that the community prefers a broader, more inclusive identity that isn’t overly technical or niche.
2. Text-Only Logos: A significant majority rejected the idea of a text-only logo (60% Dislike). The preference leans towards more dynamic and visually symbolic designs.
3. Exclusivity: The community did not favor projecting exclusivity in membership (62% Neutral), indicating a strong preference for an inclusive and open organizational identity.
4. Overly Abstract Names: Mixed feelings about abstract or invented names (39% Like, 43% Neutral) suggest that the community may prefer something more concrete and meaningful.

Stuff We Don’t Actually Care About

1. Using an Acronym as a Brand Name: 71% Neutral, indicating little strong opinion.
2. Muted or Neutral Colors in the Palette: 68% Neutral, implying flexibility in color choices.
3. Forming a Legal Entity: 52% Neutral, showing unimportance. (Notably, however, there does seem to be more support for the creation of a legal entity than against it.)

Weird Contradictions

1. Professionalism vs. Casual Culture: The community strongly supports a serious and professional brand name, yet also favors promoting a casual and relaxed workplace culture. Balancing these two aspects might be challenging in creating a cohesive brand identity. Not impossible, though. We were doing it before. A lot of this is in the people.
2. Simplicity vs. Playfulness: While there is strong support for a simple, minimalist design, there is also a significant number of respondents who liked the idea of adopting playful, vibrant colors and including “Easter Eggs” in the branding. This suggests a desire for both simplicity and creativity, which could be difficult to harmonize. …Thanks for the challenge, friends.

Outro

Thank you, again, to all those who helped shape these results! We literally could not have crowdsourced this direction without you.

These results (and the results of the previous polls around purpose and values) are going to be the foundation from which we make decisions within the Transition Council in our process of rebranding and rebuilding.

This is only the beginning! We have a lot of work to do and we’re grateful to have your guidance and feedback as we get through it.

Up only!

[AboveAverageJoe]

I was a bit late to the poll, as life gets busy, but I feel like it went how I would probably have preferred anyway. I know that the future is uncertain, but a few factors are known. we are aligned, we want to make better for ourselves and those around us, and we have coordination mechanisms to play with.

I’m ready for the ride. it may feel the momentum is slow right now, but that’s just the gathering energy waiting for the direction of release. We have a little runway if we use it wisely, and with the minds contributing, it feels like a powderkeg of intellectual development looking for the final spark to ignite.

[drllau]

I hope you can see an opportunity to contribute meaningfully … In some ways like wiki’s DAOs who consist primarily of volunteers (or side-gigs in korpoRAT by day, DAOpunk by plight (rebel against soulless jobs which might pay well but … well, morally sucks …so want to contribute to a cause such as financial inclusion). Unfortunately, the way the existing/prior funding mechanisms were set up, the long-tail Long Tail: Definition as a Business Strategy and How It Works of ideas as outliers which might significantly shift the mission, get washed out in the popularity stakes. Good luck and if you want to check out the chapters, Bankless Nacion (Spanish) and rebranded Africa are still very engaged AFAIK.