Server Branding
The server has various pieces of branding, including banners, animations, logos and icons. Over time, these graphics have shifted in design.
For a few days before the server was given the 'cafe' theme and the 95 Degrees name, the server was named "Super Nice Awesome People". Due to Discord's server icon feature including the initials of the server if it hasn't been given an icon, the first server icon was technically the word 'SNAP'.
v1 (2016)
After the community was given the '95 Degrees' name and began to steadily grow, various pieces of branding were created for server logos, banners, emojis and bots. The first 95 Degrees logo consisted of a coffee cup with "95°" on the front, and three lines above to resemble heat (or the smell of coffee) on a blue rounded square.
The logo was often paired with the text "95 Degrees" on a grey background, the same grey used in Discord's UI. The font used in banners was FF4aKloe Bold.
v2 (2017-2018)
In February 2017, the 95 Degrees Podcast was being planned and teased with the "Crack the code" banner. This marked the first main departure from the bright blue "v1" server branding, and would be fully built on in September 2017.
"Crack the code" ARG
To build hype, Nath created an ARG-type game. A cryptic image was posted to the #updates channel on 13th February 2017, inviting users to "crack the code" in order to win 5000 Tatsumaki credits, the currency of the Tatsumaki bot - being used at the time for profiles. Credits allowed the user to purchase more background images for their profile and level-up banners.
"Crack the code. The first person to complete this maze of obscure clues will claim 5000 Tatsumaki credits, and will be the first to discover the next big feature of 95 Degrees. The first clue is in this image. Good luck."
The original image included a barely-visible morse code translating to "95Degrees.cf", the URL of the 95 Degrees website at the time, which was changed to a PNG of a QR code.
Scanning the QR code lead members to a YouTube video of a cassette tape being put inside a VHS player, with some flashes of random images. At 0:24, some binary code appears, translating to "keep looking."
A link appears in the video twice, linking to a password-protected .rar file containing a .txt file named "Next Step.txt".
In the video's description, the code "9q5rDgpkcrszt" could be found. Removing every other letter in the code reveals "95Dpcst", which is the password to unlock the .rar file and access the .txt file.
The .txt file includes a link to a Discord server, with the next clue:
You will need two separate numbers. DM them to me to continue. eg. 24917 and 81.
| How To Crack The 95 Degrees Code |
The resolution of the original image, 1447 and 404, were the numbers required to complete the puzzle. After members Emma and Ian completed the game, the 95 Degrees Podcast was announced and the full tutorial on how to solve the game was uploaded to the 95 Degrees YouTube channel.
@everyone @Emma and @ian have solved the puzzle! They win 2500 credits each from me, and however much everyone else is willing to chip in. Congratulations! The final numbers were 404 and 1447. Here’s how it was done, as well as the next big announcement.
The first 95 Degrees Podcast was recorded at 7:30pm on 17th February 2017, the day after the code was solved and the podcast was announced - and was uploaded to YouTube a few hours after the episode was recorded.
A teaser image reading "95 DEGREES ᵛ² - COMING SOON" was posted to the #updates channel on 25th August 2017.
Announcement
One week later, on 1st September, a post titled "95 Degrees is upgrading!" was posted to the #updates channel, paired with a new-look banner and the first appearance of the server's tagline, "Serving coffee and conversation 24/7".
95 Degrees is upgrading!
We’ve noticed that a few things needed to be reworked and improved. After reaching over a thousand members, we found that what our members really value about 95 Degrees is the core community that you won’t find in any other server.
First off, we’re refining our rules. 95 Degrees isn’t the place for shitposting and excessive memes - So we’re adding a completely separate channel for your memes. Still, no offensive memes, spam or anything like that. We just want to separate it from normal media content. That still goes in the media channel. For now, you’ll be able to see the updated rules in the #info channel.
We’re working to erase a lot of immaturity in our voice channels. We’re cutting down on mic spammers and immature jokes being thrown around.
The hierarchy and roles are also getting a refresh. We’ll slowly be picking out a few members that can speak in the podcast without needing to be an Intern. They’ll be called Podcasters, although this role really needs a better name.
Next, we’re renaming the channels to be more like a cafe! The general voice channels are becoming Lounges 1 and 2. We are also introducing smaller voice channels for a less crowded environment - Coffee tables 1, 2 and 3.
We’ll be walking our Regulars through how moderation works soon, keep an eye out for that.
There’s been some other things under the hood that are still being reworked - we’ve changed our Twitter banner, and we’re working on new Podcast YouTube thumbnails.
We've also changed the rules a little, please take a look.
Finally, the most important change - our staff team have been shuffled around. We’ve added more interns in the US to help with the later time zones.
We also added some really cool emojis thanks to @Grimᵒᵗʰʸhof.
Enjoy @everyone!
Notable changes
- New 95 Degrees branding using the "LEMON MILK" font and a mesh-type background
- #memes channel
- Increased moderation towards mic spam and immature jokes
- "Podcasters" role, for selected members eligible to speak in the 95 Degrees Podcast
- "General 1" and "General 2" voice channels renamed to "Lounge 1" and "Lounge 2"
- Added "Table" voice channels
- New YouTube thumbnails for the 95 Degrees Podcast
- More US-based staff members
- New coffee-related emojis
- Bar VC for "VIP" members (discontinued)
v3 (2019-2020)
After multiple core members abruptly leaving the server in February 2019, Nath decided to refresh the 95 Degrees branding and announce a completely new logo - the biggest logo change in the sever's history so far.
On 13th February 2019, Nath posted a link in #updates to an upcoming YouTube premiere titled "95 Degrees V3".
95 Degrees V3. Announcement in 24 hours. @everyone https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fkKjHs0itg
| 95 Degrees V3 |
At 8pm on 14th February 2019, the YouTube premiere unveiled the new 95 Degrees logo, along with a new font used in branding and new server features.
Notable changes
- Guardian v2
- 95 Degrees v2
- Updated radio playlists, levels, leaderboards, achievements and other features
Shortly after the YouTube premiere ended, a Medium article was posted detailing the new branding and server changes.
"Back when we began 95 Degrees in 2016, we were a small, slightly experimental home for a tiny yet extremely closely bonded community. Ever since we’ve tried to keep that homely feeling by keeping our community close and providing a unique experience. In 2017 we grew like crazy — we decided to buy premium ranks on Discord.me, which is our main source of members. We grew by 700 members in a month.
We clearly underestimated how many people we’d get all at once! However, we learned a lot from what happened, how we handled such a huge tidal wave of people, etc. Overall we had some good times and some bad times in 2017. We added the Table channels and leveled roles. We called this 95 Degrees V2."
[...]
"And so, in 2019 — it’s time for a fresh, modern start. We’ve given our logo a fresh, bold and modern look. Also, we’ve added a saucer. From a graphic design standpoint, it’s so much easier to use in branding such as banners and icons because it’s more rounded. Believe it or not, the “2017–2018” text is centered below the old 95 Degrees logo. The logo on the right looks so much neater compared to the centered text below it.
We think we’ve hit the target for what we wanted to bring to the table, and stand out from the extremely crowded Discord server lists. We’ve provided unique, new experiences that no other server could provide just like we do."
[...]
"We hope that Guardian V2, Radio V2 and 95 Degrees V3 overall bring even more fun experiences to the community! None of this would be possible without donations and of course your overall support. Thanks for sticking around during this difficult few weeks."
v4 (2021-now)
| 95 Degrees: Bringing People Together |
In order to brighten up and refesh 95 Degrees' branding, "95 Degrees v4" was worked on from January 2021.
Initial experiments
Initial work-in-progress branding ideas included a rainbow gradient to highlight key-words in branding. This was first tested with a banner for Saku being added to the Staff team on 13th January 2021, as well as for Josh and Roy's birthdays and other promotional banners in the future.
The first 95 Degrees v4 banners included italic text in the Roboto font, white backgrounds with a subtle static effect, slanted image cut-outs and small text in the bottom-right corner.
Future logo experiments involved the numbers "95" in a stencil, with a rainbow gradient behind it.
Announcement
At 8pm on 19th March 2021, the server icon and banner were changed and an announcement blog post was posted to #updates titled "A New Chapter":
It’s time for a new look. As we approach 5 years of our community, we’re turning up the brightness and introducing a cleaner, dynamic and animated new logo, full of colour.
For the past few months, we’ve been planning improvements to the general experience in our server, and today marks the first, biggest step — updating our branding.
Here’s what the future of 95 Degrees looks like.
Our new look is brighter, bolder, and more confident than ever. A fresh coat of paint over the dull grey branding we’ve used since 2017.
Our new branding is dynamic too — we can change the logo’s colours and effects as seasons change — such as dark orange hues for Halloween and bright reds for Christmas.
Our bright white/blue/purple gradients apply across the board, not just in the logo. We’re also debuting a new website, new join banners, icons for Guardian v1 and v2, Bannerista and 95 Degrees Radio, server banner templates, new Podcast overlays and thumbnails, templates for social media posts, a welcome screen banner, and new merch!
So, that’s what the future of 95 Degrees looks like. We’ve already got merch up on Redbubble, with a few designs and hundreds of different products.
We hope you like our changes! If you have any comments, questions or suggestions, let us know!
An animation was posted to #updates and the YouTube channel, visually explaining the difference in colour. 95 Degrees v4 focused primarily on appearance, with new branding across logos, icons, banners, bots and thumbnails.