diff --git a/_posts/2024-12-07-what-on-earth-are-octocats.md b/_posts/2024-12-07-what-on-earth-are-octocats.md index 81a8af6..895d97b 100644 --- a/_posts/2024-12-07-what-on-earth-are-octocats.md +++ b/_posts/2024-12-07-what-on-earth-are-octocats.md @@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ tags: - Design - Cats maxheader: 3 -last_modified_at: 2024-12-12 +last_modified_at: 2024-12-13 --- If you've used GitHub for any length of time, you've probably seen their odd "Octocat" logo. This cute little cat also has a _lot_ of bizarre variations, here's an explanation of them all! @@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ Mona (Lisa) the Octocat's story has been described [in absorbing, first-hand det To summarise, in 2011 illustrator Cameron McEfee was tasked with adapting GitHub's existing stock image mascot "Octopuss" (picked as a reference to git's "[octopus merge](https://git-scm.com/docs/git-merge#Documentation/git-merge.txt-octopus)") for use in GitHub's error pages, and he gave it costumes and personality. -These were so popular that "50% of GitHub’s lifetime Twitter traffic was generated by my first week’s work" ([source](https://cameronmcefee.com/work/the-octocat/#:~:text=50%25%20of%20GitHub%E2%80%99s%20lifetime%20Twitter%20traffic%20was%20generated%20by%20my%20first%20week%E2%80%99s%20work)), very impressive for an error page illustration! This then led to many, many, many more adaptations, and the creation of the [Octodex](https://octodex.github.com/). +These were so popular that "50% of GitHub's lifetime Twitter traffic was generated by my first week's work" ([source](https://cameronmcefee.com/work/the-octocat/#:~:text=50%25%20of%20GitHub%E2%80%99s%20lifetime%20Twitter%20traffic%20was%20generated%20by%20my%20first%20week%E2%80%99s%20work)), very impressive for an error page illustration! This then led to many, many, many more adaptations, and the creation of the [Octodex](https://octodex.github.com/). Since then, many artists have created octocats in evolving styles, and it continues to feature prominently in most of GitHub's communications. Some Octocat descriptions are only possible due to information from former employees, thanks! @@ -410,7 +410,7 @@ Towards the end of 2014, something unusual happened to Octocat! It gained more d Many of these images were used for temporary landing pages, promotional material, and other short-lived content. As such, finding the actual source or reason behind their creation can be tricky! -This era started in late 2014 and is still dominant, with minor changes along the way. +This era started in late 2014 (primarily due to Joao Ribeiro's work, his [many years of Octocat-related work are here](https://www.wodzgn.com/copy-2-of-today)) and is still dominant, with minor changes along the way. Internally this is called "Octocat 2.0" style. @@ -1083,7 +1083,11 @@ _Note: Tables in this section count [series](#series-octocats) as 1 each, and us ### Octocats By Artist -With the excellent artwork in this post, credit absolutely has to be given to the talented artists who created them. These are typically designers creating promotional octocats, but in the early days some designers clearly created them as a hobby (Cameron McEfee, James Kang)! They are responsible for many of the pop culture octocats, here's a summary of the octocats by artist: +With all the excellent artwork in this post, credit absolutely has to be given to the talented artists who created them. These are typically designers creating promotional octocats, but in the early days some designers clearly created them as a hobby hence all the pop culture references (Cameron McEfee, James Kang)! + +Later on, many octocats were created in formats not suitable for the Octodex (e.g. [these amazing pieces](https://www.artstation.com/artwork/WK8VdE) featuring 30+ in one!), so the totals here only cover those explicitly added to the Octodex. It's likely that the creators of the "[Extra Modern](#extra-modern-octocats)" style have probably created far more, they're just not documented. + +I've also heard rumours of an upcoming increased focus on Mona the Octocat, so there'll presumably be more names and numbers coming soon! | Artist | Count | | ---------------- | ----- |