The new face of HTML5

Recently W3C revealed a new HTML5 logo which managed to stir the old cauldron a bit. It is already appearing on tshirts where the orange badge on a blue background seems quite Superman-ish.

If this would have appeared five years ago, I’d probably feel better about it. Back then several of the web standards pioneers were regarded as superheroes and I remember the classic presentation How to be a Web Design Superhero given at SXSW in March 2006 by Andy Budd and Andy Clarke, featuring drawings by amazing artist Alex Ross.

Jeremy Keith with friends in London.

But it’s 2011 and this move feels a bit off. Also adding to my confusion is its purpose. Quote from the W3C Blog:

“We intend for it to be an all-purpose banner for HTML5, CSS, SVG, WOFF, and other technologies that constitute an open web platform.”

Why call it HTML when it is clearly a lot more than HTML? If you dare you may even read Ian Hickson declaring “The HTML specification will henceforth just be known as HTML”.

An interesting side effect is the awakening of the old guard, in a sort of “we’re not dead… yet” way. Read the reactions from Jeremy Keith, Roger Johansson and even the WaSP.

Hopefully we won’t be flooded with badges in the same way as ten years ago when lots of sites proudly displayed the ugly “W3C HTML 1.0” validation icons.