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 sever 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)