Is a Z icon a good idea any more?
I’m sure that many Zotero users and devs will be aware of the use of the letter Z as a fascist symbol demonstrating alignment with Putin.
Might it be time to consider an alternative design for the Zotero icon?
I appreciate that many people will feel that we shouldn’t allow a letter of the alphabet to be colonised by fascism. However, a similar thing happened with the swastika, use of which is now discouraged.
Please do not use this thread for political discussion - just for logo discussion!
Might it be time to consider an alternative design for the Zotero icon?
I appreciate that many people will feel that we shouldn’t allow a letter of the alphabet to be colonised by fascism. However, a similar thing happened with the swastika, use of which is now discouraged.
Please do not use this thread for political discussion - just for logo discussion!
I have heard a little of the use of "Z" that you are referring to, but for me it isn't something that is a big cultural reference yet from here; maybe people closer to the war would answer differently.
More broadly, I think we might say that for any single letter there can always be a controversial connection and it isn't solvable in an absolute sense.
https://twitter.com/kamilkazani/status/1500495309595725831?s=21
Washington Post article:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/03/09/letter-z-russia-symbol-pro-war/
They both mentioned afterwards that the logo makes them feel uneasy.
I had not given it much thought personally, having seen the logo enough - the effect might be stronger for new users.