The Great Hedgehog debate

[lottiecoxon]

Debating how our hedgehog should look

[lottiecoxon]

The Problem

I think there are a multitude of issues surrounding my choice to evolve the hog. While I understand the reasons behind people wanting to stick with the current hog form (consistency, brand recognisability, tone of voice etc) I feel that the hog isn't quite fitting in with the fresh lemonade style that Chris and Cory are so brilliantly creating. Hence why I have been playing with styles recently.

For example, recently we saw the introduction of the new team image style. Paired with more energetic photos to show off our quirky-ness, these images really capture PostHogs tone of voice- and in Charles case, screams.

This then started a conversation around how we could merge that style into our little hog friend. (on another note can we please name him)

During the past two weeks I have been on hedgehog autopilot, trying to get out a mass of christmas content out the door. I ran with the super realistic hog without thinking how it was missing a lot of qualities that the team cherished in the older design. So when a few comments came in on an updated array image featuring the realistic hog, it was a good moment to think and reflect on why we are at this point, and more importantly why people aren't as happy.

Reflecting Time

So during my long reflection time (2 hours) I took a look back on where we have been - what worked and what didn't. Here is what I found:

Birth of the hog

Who could forget this master piece

Pros

• fun Cons
• looks a bit too much like a thumb

Our current colourful fellow

Pros

• First solidified hog mascot
• recognisable on the website
• colourful
• fun
• playful
• versatile
• has a lot of hats (personalities)

Cons

• Slightly childish
• lacks details
• feels a little basic
• a lot to improve

Examples below:

Experimental phase No.1

This was a short lived vision that the hog would be physically made of data analytics shapes. But he lacked personality and was a tad too bauhaus to fit in.

Pros -bauhaus

• modern
• includes data analytics visuals
• felt fresh

Cons

• very different
• could be a bit confusing
• colder? less personality
• can’t have as many personalities shine through

Examples below:

Experimental phase No.2

This was a version of the hog that followed the realistic design style of the new team portraits - it definitely wasn't childish anymore, but the more I look at him the more he is coming across as old and aged..?

Pros

• Matches the new team image style Cons
• not popular with team
• probably because he is tooo real
• maybe creepy
• not as fun

Examples:

The Solution

Taking a look back on what we had over the past year made me analyze what PostHog needs in a mascot:

• playful
• recognisable
• colourful
• versatile
• matches the team portrait style (for consistency)

My solution to this problem is solid hog- solid because of his round solid body/ and because I hope he sticks around.

Hog template that can be altered for different movements - allows for consistency now but also future plans for animating him.

[joethreepwood]

Thanks Lottie!

I'm not going to offer any design feedback because I'm a man of questionable taste and am currently wearing a mix of spots and stripes. I'm more concerned with the logistics and decision: is the solution posted above locked in and, if so, do we have a plan for how and when we're rolling him/her out?

Personally I think the most important thing isn't so much what the hog looks like, but that we have a firm style that we can stay consistent to and we minimise the mix of hogs as much as possible.

This then started a conversation around how we could merge that style into our little hog friend. (on another note can we please name him)

I thought he was called Horace? Or did I make that up?

[charlescook-ph]

Thank you for this excellent write up @lottiecoxon!

Much like @joethreepwood (classic marketing), I think having a bit of consistency at some point quite soon will help us to more effectively build the PostHog brand outside of our existing community. I'm not massively worried about at this stage though as a) all of these designs are still 'open source analytics with a hedgehog', and b) not that many people are aware of PostHog yet compared to our larger competitors, although that number is growing quickly.

We will ultimately defer to your and the design crew's judgement in terms of what meets your standards for great design here. In terms of purely personal preference, I like our current colourful fellow (vaporwave + analytics makes it feel quite chill) and the solution equally well.

For the solution, I think the first image looks a bit square-ish with a mullet bolted on or maybe a cactus standing behind it if that makes sense? The 'still writing SQL' hog is very cool though!

(And I hope also that the solution still leaves room for fun gestures and disguises, as they bring tons of personality).

[lottiecoxon]

@joethreepwood Concerning timelines, I am currently trying to create hog content for the homepage, generic blog posts, the first few christmas items and black friday by the end of this week with the new style and then the week after finish christmas, and transition fully on website /blog.

@charlescook-ph I can experiment with less mullet-y features + have no fear there will be lots of costumes

[lottiecoxon]

less mullet more corn

[jamesefhawkins]

It feels weird to iterate our aesthetics as fast as we are, but we are more iterative than most companies, to get to a higher standard. Exactly the same as we do engineering.

Swapping out some imagery (we actually don't use the purple images in many places) would be a trivial change to make. Hedgehogs meets open source analytics I think is distinct enough to be memorable. The logo we've kept consistent too, so I'm not that worried about brand confusion. This would be a bigger deal at a later stage.

Personally I prefer the square one (a bit more distinct as it's not as lifelike, which makes us able to "own" it as a mascot), so disagree with Charles. All subjective of course. Happy for you to pick as you see fit.