bumper sticker suggestions (little icons next to your name)

From Paul:

We have a feature in JForum where I think it is time to turn it on. Especially since it just recently got an update that gives us great candy.

But the real question is "how do WE want to implement it?"

The feature is called "bumper stickers".

Take a look at this thread at coderanch: http://www.coderanch.com/t/640016/Ranch-Office/Gotta-love-hospitality

Notice the little icons under some of the names? Each icon represents something that that person likes. Each of those icons are 16x16. But we can make icons different sizes if we want to. The first thing is that we need a list of about 30 different things - things with icons.

People with less than 6 apples will be able to list three things. People with 6 or more apples will be able to list six things.

At first I thought we might want to make icons that are 16 wide and 24 high - something about book size. And each icon can be a book. But now I am thinking it would be good to show different crops to express favorites. Maybe rhubarb or tomatoes. And then, of course, chicken, cow, pig, goat, horse, fish ... And maybe something for biodynamic. Maybe a snowflake for cold climate and a palm tree for warm climate. Maybe a cactus for desert.

so for each item, we need and icon and to link to something. We also need hover text (also called "tooltip" text or "title" - it appears when you hover over it).

image / link / title

chicken / chicken forum / chickens
pig / pigs forums / pigs
cow / cattle forum / cattle
hugelkultur / hugelkultur forum / hugelkultur

I would like this thread to produce two things:

1) tons and tons of ideas for potential icons and where the icons will lead, so just basically adding to that list Paul started. They doesn't have to lead to a forum, it can lead to a thread too.

2) the actual icons - does anyone want to start getting nifty with some graphic art and create these things?

Burra, Judith, and I flushed these out:

rabbit / rabbit forum / rabbits
dog or cat/ dogs and cats forum / dogs and cats
goose / ducks and geese forum / ducks and geese
bee / honey bee forum / honey bees (I think a bee is more immediately recognisable than top-bar hive, and I don't feel a standard langstroth type is the right thing)
hugelkultur / hugelkultur forum / hugelkultur
shrub / forest garden forum / forest garden
mushroom / fungi forum / fungi
black soil w/ a little earth worm poking out the top / soil forum / soil
cut away view of soil with mulch / mulch forum / mulch
flowering cactus/ greening the desert forum / greening the desert
compost heap / composting forum / composting
moon? (planting with the moon) cow horn/ biodynamic forum / biodynamic
a potted plant / urban forum / urban
wofati / green building forum / green building
axe / woodworking forum / woodworking
swale? / earthworking forum / earthworks
rocket stove / rocket stove forum / rocket stoves
biogas generator / biogas forum / biogas
bicycle / bicycle forum / bicycle
tree / tree forum / trees
"no poisons' symbol/ organic forum / organic gardening
basket with veg. / market garden forum / farmers markets
fish / aquaponics forum / aquaponics or aquaculture
swastika? (ok - just kidding!!) Maybe a big "V" with a leaf / vegan forum / vegan (or is this asking for trouble?)
one tool, axe? / ancestral skills forum / ancestral skills
house / tiny house forum / tiny houses
sun / solar forum / solar projects
car / transportation forum / alternative transportation
mason jar / food preservation forum / food preservation
cast iron skillet / cooking forum / cooking
tincture bottle/ medicinal herbs forum / medicinal herbs
------ / art, music, and aesthetics / eco-art? or just art?
bow and arrow or fishing pole / hunting and fishing forum / hunting and fishing
book / books forum / permaculture books or just books
ladybug/ bugs/bugs
goat/goat,sheep,llama forum/goats
sheep/goat,sheep, llama forum/sheep
llama/goat,sheep,llama forum/llama
some wood carving tool (I don't know the names of them)/woodworking forum / woodworking
acorn maybe? / woodland forum / woodland or forestry
chainsaw / gear forum / gear
tall green building w/leaf / urban forum / urban growies
grey water drop / grey water /grey water
rain barrel / rainwater catchment /rainwater catchment
a screw press on an exploding apple / cider press (just for Wayne!)
https://www.transitionnetwork.org/support/branding / Transition Towns/ Transition Towns
intersection with a heart in the middle /City Repair /City Repair



So basically if you want to just try to help fill in the blanks of this list, that would be fabulous, but if you could add new things to it, that would be even better!

What about some about the permaculture training one has received such as PDC?

I've been working on a PDC teaching aid/ Permaculture designer consultant aid and these are the icons I've made for it so far. You guys a free to use them as long as you abide by Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International license. Basically use them for whatever, just don't make money off them. If you like them I can try and put together some more that would be on your list.

P.S . its a png so its a transparent background. Don't know why but on permies in the post they look horrible. Just click on the image to see it without the awful weird black shadow.

P.p.s They are huge so you can resize them to smaller

-----------/ greening the desert forum / greening the desert

I could see this one being a cactus that's flowering. Gives an impression of a desert pretty clearly, but also anotes a plant life and the idea of things being in bloom.

That's a really good idea. I will put it in the list.

A few other ideas:

we could maybe have some sort of "my project" sticker that links to that person's project thread?

we could maybe have one for people who live at the labs to show that they live at the labs?

what are other ideas?!

I've added a few more options. I cannot really think of any others right now. I honestly think we have it covered! What do other people think?

goat/goat,sheep,llama forum/goats
sheep/goat,sheep, llama forum/sheep
llama/goat,sheep,llama forum/llama
some wood carving tool (I don't know the names of them)/woodworking forum / woodworking
acorn maybe? / woodland forum / woodland or forestry
chainsaw / gear forum / gear

woodworking could be a log with rings or a hand plane
Graduation cap for PDC or formal training
lightning bolt for alternate energy
cabin for homesteading
tent for tiny houses
heart for singles
states, nations, flags
microscope for laboratory, citizen scientists
¢ frugality
$ farm income
Organic can use the Certified Organic label, without the text
pitchfork/boots/hardhat for WWOOF / organic farm volunteers/interns/jobs
Anvil or hatching egg for projects
beaver for natural building
bus for intentional community
binoculars for hunting for land
Cthulhu for meaningless drivel?

I don't actually know what this sticker business is all about, but...
a preserving jar, ring and seal for 'preservation'
a cabbage perching on a jar for 'fermentation',
a cross in front of a cabbage for 'food choices'
a flaming cabbage for 'cooking'?

Is cabbage considered a 'medicinal herb'?
Maybe a teenager smoking cabbage?
That may not only be a crap joke, but also rather local

Ken Peavey wrote:
Cthulhu for meaningless drivel?

Well, I went down quite the rabbit hole figuring that one out!

So I tried to get the ball rolling with these by getting some from a fiverr person. Here is a few they came up with. I'm not that impressed, but what do you guys thing?

here are another two.. :/

Here's some samples of what the 'Swale' & 'Earth Shelter' image could look like.

Cthulu for meaningless drivel! Hahaha. I live in the small bizarre state that spawned H.P.Lovecraft, he's buried in the city of my birth, Providence. In fact, his gravestone says "I AM PROVIDENCE" meaningless drivel indeed.

A little excavator for earthworks would be popular at my house

Off grid?
Homeschooling.
WWoof

The flag thing is interesting too. Sometimes language and dialect confusions happen between English speakers and non English speakers or even between UK and US. "Whilst" sounds snobby to Americans. I love knowing where everyone is from, ideally folks put their location and detail in anyway so perhaps this isn't necessary.

I am interested in natural fibers, starting with growing flax, hemp, nettles or raising sheep, angora, alpaca, etc. and the spinning, weaving, knitting, crochet, sewing, etc. I have an idea for such a sticker. I'll do my best to make a drawing using the computer ... (soon?)

Hello all . . .

I still don't see pigs in the line up although I see it suggested. So what is the proper way to have an icon added to the line up

Leila ~ I love your suggestions! Flaming cabbage yea!

I would like to suggest less specific icons to add to the more specific ones, like one for all birds/fowl - all typical farm animals or ranch animals - one for any food production since we can only have 6.

At first I thought the icons (know as bumper stickers) were to represent forums we were watching and/or moderating. So in line with that I would like to suggest icons for each forum category, we already have fungi *grin*

Let me know if I can help.... I will add icons as I can.

Cute pig!

I tried my hand at a sheep for fun. I couldn't resist making the head dark, but I can make it evenly shaded if is so desired.

Inge, if you share your idea, I can try to make it. My photoshop skills aren't the best, but I (or someone else) might be able to make it for you.

As for other suggestions, I realized we don't have a homeschooling or homesteading icon. Any ideas on what would be good for one?

Hmm, the contrast seemed a bit much on my sheep compared to the others. Here it is with a little less contrast.

 Aaaand, one more for the fun of it. I tried my hand at a homested icon, using the house and food forest tree icons, as well as a random animal shape I made.

How about for homeschooling a big person holding a small person's hand? If I could make one I might put a big shovel in the big persons hand and a little one in the little ones hand. I don't know if that would be too busy.

Under purple- music, yoga, buddha, positive thinking

Ooooh! That's a really good idea, Matu!

I's already made one with a house and book before your idea, so I'll post that, too. But, I also tried to make the pitchfork/parent/child image. It needs more work, but my little guy just woke up, so it might be a few hours!

I think this one might be better...

Nicole Alderman wrote:Hmm, the contrast seemed a bit much on my sheep compared to the others. Here it is with a little less contrast.

I love those sheep! My pig needs tweaking too, but I had to run to town.... tis the season you know.
The farmer and son looks like homesteading to me, I think of a book more for homeschooling.



For those wanting to join in - The icons are 32 x 32 pix, with transparent backgrounds and a blue gradient. Have fun!

Aww man, you mean I could have 2 extra pixels?! I'm now really tempted to rework the farmer & child just to have those two extra pixels to work with!

LOL your killing me!

What do you think about a thumbs up and house for Natural Building? I need to work it more if people like it, but it's just an idea at this point.

I think the pig is adorable.

Maybe a home and a pencil? I like the figures because they are a distinct shape. The stickers become so small it's hard to tell what they are.

Cassie Langstraat wrote:

I would like this thread to produce two things:

1) tons and tons of ideas for potential icons and where the icons will lead, so just basically adding to that list Paul started. They doesn't have to lead to a forum, it can lead to a thread too.

2) the actual icons - does anyone want to start getting nifty with some graphic art and create these things?

Hey Cassie girl - I think your #1 potential icons, is looking just about complete. And I like the idea of each icon pointing to an informative thread and/or forum, this is great.



Below are a few more to look over -

Are we still looking for ideas? I'm afraid I'm not much of a pixel artist, but I do have a few sticker ideas that haven't, to my knowledge been tackled:

Cob
CEB
Strawbale building
Timber Framing

Restoring old tools
Restoring old buildings
Repurposing/upcycling pallets and other waste

Solar power
Rocket stoves
Heating with wood

Breeding plants
Perennial vegetables

Animal-power farming

Frugal living

Biochar (but what would that symbol look like???)

I would like to see sheep!

We have a sheep now! I made it a few months back :D. R Ranson has one under her name--it looks like !

Nicole Alderman wrote:We have a sheep now! I made it a few months back :D. R Ranson has one under her name--it looks like !

Checking for sheep

Greg Martin wrote:Biochar (but what would that symbol look like???)

Somehow I missed this when you first posted it. If you can think of a good image, I can try to make it!

Mike Cantrell wrote:Are we still looking for ideas? I'm afraid I'm not much of a pixel artist, but I do have a few sticker ideas that haven't, to my knowledge been tackled:

Cob
CEB
Strawbale building
Timber Framing

Restoring old tools
Restoring old buildings
Repurposing/upcycling pallets and other waste

Solar power
Rocket stoves
Heating with wood

Breeding plants
Perennial vegetables

Animal-power farming

Frugal living

I tried, and failed miserably at making a rocket stove. Perhaps a better artist can make one. I ended up making a wood heat one and there's already a solar one.

I think a recycling one would be spiffy!

Plant breeding might be neat, too. Maybe a selection of seeds, or a seed packet!

I'm kind of at a loss for how to make the building-themed ones. Maybe just a hammer for general building?

Nicole Alderman wrote:

Greg Martin wrote:Biochar (but what would that symbol look like???)

Somehow I missed this when you first posted it. If you can think of a good image, I can try to make it!

I'm noodling over what could possibly work for biochar.  Not sure it would be easy or recognizable, but maybe a mini image something like this one?

Nicole Alderman wrote:
I'm kind of at a loss for how to make the building-themed ones. Maybe just a hammer for general building?

I like the hammer idea for general building. What do you think about a yoke or yoke & plow for draft animal farming?

Fountain pen nib for writing forum?

OKay, I tried my hands at a few of them today. I'm not terribly happy with the seed-saving one. It looks too much like a bag of chips? Should I change the "seed" to something other than a bean? Ideas?


Rocket mass heater. Is it somewhat recognisable. It's so tiny!

sad looking seed packet #1
sad looking seed packet dumping its sad-looking seeds/chips
This one is potentially for the "purity" forum. I made it a while back...and then forgot about it. Oops!

I went and threw them all into the rest of the bumper stickers so we can more easily see if they fit:

raven ranson wrote:Fountain pen nib for writing forum?

How about this

Can you tell what it is, or is it too small to decipher?