Discord Logo History: Make Your Own Logo + Start A Community

November 3, 2022

By:Emily Harper

Discord Logo History: Make Your Own Logo + Start A Community

What is that interesting logo for? It is for Discord, an approachable and free chat UI similar to Slack and Skype.

Key takeaways:

  • Discord is a free chatting app that allows users to communicate with one another through voice, video, and text.
  • Discord is known as a channel for gaming, but it’s been slowly transitioning into an all-purpose application.
  • The Discord brand proclaims itself to be a lighthearted and humorous company. The same can be said about its logo design.
  • The Discord logo design is a memorable and approachable mascot, making it easy for users to connect with it.
  • The design has no official explanation or meaning behind it. It is simply what users make of it that gives it relevance.
  • Discord has become so versatile that you can start a community channel to build and expand your brand.

What is Discord?

Discord allows its users to utilize its array of tools however they like, either joining large, semi-public, or public forum-style community platforms where they can meet groups of people with common interests; creating their own private servers with groups of friends, or merely using it as a direct text, voice, and video application.

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With a wide array of chat options and the ability to create chat rooms with designated roles and benefits for members, Discord allows for greater control over the forum’s culture by the creator. Discord’s efficient layout allows for messaging, voice calling, screen sharing, and video calling tools to be intuitively used and enjoyed.

The story of Discord

Discord was created by Jason Citron, founder of OpenFeint, another social platform targeted at mobile users. He discovered, while developing an iOS game named Fates Forever, the challenges of using the voice over IP software options at the time, despite it being the most convenient option for socializing with friends while in online games.

Some options required players to type in their IP addresses, and others had known security problems. These issues led him to begin the development of a chat service that was much more user-friendly, using modern technology. Discord quickly became popular among Twitch streamers, LAN tournament gamers, and esports.

Although initially focused on catering to the gaming community, in the past few months since the 2019-2020 COVID-19 outbreak, the Discord team has been implementing changes to make it a more all-purpose communication and chat client with an additional $100 million investment.

It was able to transition from being a smaller service to one that challenges Skype and Slack very quickly after being founded a mere five years ago due to what users say is vastly superior functionality and usability.

Of course, this shift to the mainstream has not come without complaint. The loyal customer base of gamers that Discord has built up since its inception in early 2015 has voiced their concerns over the “fun” of Discord being removed.

These claims are valid as they transition to being more user-friendly for those not in the gaming community has come at the cost of current users, with some saying that Discord is de-personalizing its services, forsaking its identity in order to conform with other mainstream, traditional chat services, and moving away from the witty and personal touch to have a more professional and monotone approach.

Of course, as a completely free platform, it is in Discord’s interest to appeal to a broader (and more profitable) audience.

Discord Logo
Discord Logo

The Discord brand is a self-proclaimed “playful and fun brand that doesn’t take ourselves too seriously,” which can be seen through its logo and gaming references throughout the application. Unfortunately, these references back to gaming are slowly being removed as the company transitions to focus on a broader audience. But what is the discord logo supposed to be?

The Discord icon can be seen as a play on a stylized gaming controller with the grips curled down, forming a smile, which can also be seen as a face. Dubbed Clyde by Discord, the logo has been the subject of much discussion on what it is and its purpose.

You may wonder what is the Discord logo all about, but there is no definite answer. Discord has never officially stated what it is meant to represent and it is left up to the interpretation of the community and the users. The community has suggested that the controller foundation is there to link the company back to its gaming roots, and the smiley face has the sole purpose of being fun and playful, just like the brand.

Discord has changed its logo multiple times. Any old Discord logo, however, still stuck to the brand story of the business, showing that the company as a whole understands its identity.

Wumpus
Wumpus

During the discussion of what the Discord logo represents, many alternative interpretations of the logo have surfaced. Some of the most common views are that it looks like a frog, Mickey Mouse’s pants, or even the face of Discord’s logo, named a Wumpus!

What brand color is the logo? As seen in the Discord logo png above, the most commonly seen version is a “Blurple” color (actually #7289DA) on a white background. However, the unique logo can be seen in many variations. The main changes are the combinations of colours used, ranging from Blurple, Greyple (#99AAB5), and various tones of dark grey.

These, as well as all Discord logos with transparent backgrounds, can be seen on their website along with sizing instructions. Discord’s logo is always placed within a chat bubble, emphasizing the purpose and role of the software.

The Discord logo’s font is a variation on Uni Sans Heavy and is very recognizable as an aspect of their branding. If you are interested in making your own Discord server, to make it look good and stand out, you want a good Discord logo.

What makes the Discord logo design work?

Few logo designs are truly impressive. For Discord, the mascot trademark is outstanding. Observe some of the most famous logos, and you'll notice that they all have some common traits that make them stand out from their competition. Though young, the mascot emblem is an award-winning one.

Discord users can relate to the mascot logo because it’s catchy and friendly. The smiling mascot makes the brand likable and its platform user–friendly. Such assurances encourage users to try out the platform.

With few graphic elements, the Discord trademark is clean and readable. Hence, users can recognize and understand it with no difficulty. More so, it’s versatile and scalable across all marketing mediums. And lastly, it has remained consistent over the last five years. Consistency pays off.

How to make a good Discord logo design?

Start by using a free Discord server logo maker. Just put in your server’s name and a catchy phrase, and you can view dozens of designs in seconds! The Discord server logo size is only 512 x 512 pixels. Good Discord logos exemplify excellence in gaming and community unity, and you can easy make one for yourself. All Discord logos share a common trait: they bring people together.

Here are some examples of cool Discord logos that were made using LOGO.com’s logo generator:

Click the image to customize this logo
Click the image to customize this logo
Click the image to customize this logo
Click the image to customize this logo

7 steps to build a Discord community for your brand

Creating a Discord community can become easy if you have a plan. Follow these steps to create a blueprint for your brand’s Discord community.

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Step 1: Have goals set for your Discord community

People use Discord for reasons ranging from having constructive discussions to listening to music together. Discord and its communities are versatile but can become directionless if not managed properly.

To avoid your Discord community becoming a mix of many things unnecessary, you need to decide what you want out of the platform, which will express to your target audience what to expect from you.

Use this as a guide to lay the blueprints for your community:

Turn it into a space for discussion about your industry

This can work if your company runs on a business-to-business model or if there is a lot of misinformation in your industry. For example, the fitness industry is rife with pseudo-gurus and quick fixes, which do more harm than good. Creating a discussion space for fitness education will get you an audience and an appreciation for your voice.

Make t a FAQs page for your brand

This can promote community troubleshooting with your products and services. Assign this to community-based experts and product enthusiasts who would want to chat with members and educate them about your brand.

Turn it into a content-sharing space

Content that goes hand in hand with your brand’s tonality can work well here. You can even post exclusive content for your members to give them the VIP feel.

Step 2: Set up the backend

Discord makes it effortless to set up a server. Head to your Discord server and click or tap on the ‘+’ button, either on your computer or smart device. Creating a Discord community is also easy but requires a few extra steps.

Set up your community

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With Discord open on your computer, go to your server settings and click Enable Community. Once done, you’ll be asked to follow a quick three-step process that makes you agree to a few criteria to ensure the community’s safety.

This includes solely letting in people with verified emails and sending notifications to members when they’re personally mentioned. Once you check all these rules, you’ll have set up your Discord community!

Create server rules

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Finally, set some rules for your Discord community by heading to the server settings page and clicking Membership Screening. You can set guidelines to protect users from bullying, foul language, and inappropriate content to make your community inclusive.

Step 3: Get people onboard

Alighting stakeholders in your Discord community can seem like a confusing task. Where do you get people from, and how do you get them on board? There are a few ways you can solve this.

Attracting members online

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The easiest way to build a Discord community on a new platform is to migrate members from a platform where you already have followers. It can seem like a chicken and egg situation, but it is the only organic way to get a large audience by yourself.

For instance, if you have a gaming community focused on superhero-themed games, introducing exclusive items like the "Catwoman Pickaxe" in discussions can create excitement and make the transition appealing.

Online advertisements can become your best friend if you don’t have a community on another platform. Google Adwords, Facebook, and Instagram ads are powerful ways to reach a new audience and build your brand.

As a third option, you can work with influencers and content creators whose audience is the same as yours. Creating collaborative posts with influencers and making their call to action about joining your community will get people on board.

Attracting members offline

A great way to build your Discord community is by telling your consumers about it at their point of sale. For example, you could include a QR code for your Discord community in your packaging and add a monetary incentive to it to get more scans.

Word of mouth is also a great way to expand your community. The best way to do this is by creating good content consistently, which can evoke genuine recommendations. While this is not the fastest way to a large membership, it is a surefire way to build a small but loyal community.

Step 4: Create responsibilities within your community

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Running a Discord community by yourself can get tiring, and you can assign roles to ease the burden of work. Simply head over to your server settings, and on the left-hand side, click or tap on Roles, which will allow you to create and assign responsibilities.

You can either get your employees to look after the community, hire a manager to handle your social media, or go the Wikipedia route and assign specific roles to active members.

💡 Pro Tip: To make things easy for yourself, color code roles on a gradient. It will make understanding roles and responsibilities much easier for you.

Step 5: Regularly update your Discord community

Keep your Discord community active by creating a content plan and continually updating your members about your brand and offerings. There are a few types of content you can add to your bucket:

  • Sharing Visual Content: Memes, videos, GIFs, and images can engage your members and keep them entertained and informed. People may skip long written posts, but visuals with compelling copywriting will grab and retain their attention.
  • Sharing Interactive Content: Quizzes and games can help your community interact with each other, and you can always add incentives like discounted prices for winners if participation becomes a problem.
  • Updates & Data: Data on how your business is doing, your products, and the industry can help your community members feel more in touch with the inner workings of your brand. It can be useful for a B2B Discord community because your members are more likely to understand and utilize the data.
  • Offers: You can reward your Discord community members by giving them access to exclusive sales and offers. Make these regular enough, and it will make your members want to regularly check the server and engage with your brand. It is like a surprise test, but better (much better).

Step 6: Automate your Discord community

Discord’s powerful bots can make it easy to run servers and communities by helping with functional tasks like monitoring member behavior and content curation like creating memes. Visit this list to see what bots work best for you.

Step 7: Add channels to expand your Discord community

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You get the #general channel by default when you set up your Discord server, which is your initial discussion space and can act as a town hall when you add more channels to your server.

Once there is an increasing demand for a certain kind of content, you can expand into a multi-channel community. If there are superfans of your products, you can make them feel special by creating a private space for them, and you can create a new voice channel if you want certain members to be able to vocally express themselves.

Discord gives you a lot to work with. The more members you get in your community, the more you can expand.

Frequently asked questions about the Discord logo design

What are some commonly asked questions about the cool Discord logo? Get your questions answered with these three FAQs.

1. What does the Discord logo mean?

The bright and airy elements in the Discord logo design stand for its openness to new ideas, the ease of expression, and the promotion of unity and transparency.

2. Can you use the Discord logo?

Unfortunately, you cannot. All Discord logos need to be completely independent from the original. According to Discord’s Branding Guidelines, no one is permitted to modify the Discord logo in any way.

3. Is Discord blue or purple?

It’s both. The official color of the Discord logo design is Blurple (yes, you read that right). Moreover, Discord's branding page mentions the color in its section dedicated to brand colors. Blurple is a hybrid color that combines blue and purple but appears more purple on paper.

Ready to design your own Discord logo? Use our free logo maker today!

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