I have a hat pin with the naturist symbol … for over a year now and not a single person has asked about it. I also have it on the back of a T-shirt, but the front addresses naturism directly.
I think the symbol may serve a purpose for those hesitant to openly declare their interest in naturism. For my own purposes, I prefer messaging that isn't quite so discreet and coded.
I don’t have a problem with a symbol per se, but I question what purpose it serves. If it is to help naturists identify other naturists, it seems to have succeeded in that. If it is to help naturists identify to non-naturists, it hasn’t moved that needle at all. I don’t see recognition by the INF (another symbol that effectively only signifies naturism to other naturists, being more or less unknown in the clothed world) helping advance this symbol as anything other than a secret handshake of sorts among people who know what it means.
The symbols of naturism to the non-naturist public need to be naturists, ourselves. Know us by our deeds and all that.
I don't believe it's realistic to have one over-arching symbol. Naturism by its very nature is super diverse and it would be extremely unlikely to find an 'official' symbol that speaks for all of us and for all of what we should stand for. This current symbol that is being regarded certainly isn't it. It speaks to only a small aspect of naturism, sun worship and water. Not to mention the rather feminine lines in the waves that suggest a nude body that could be seen as a form of exclusion or preference. What about environmental naturists? Home naturists? Social naturists? Family naturists? The list is endless.
Perhaps I'm over thinking it, but I don't think so. I believe we are far better served by using whatever symbolism suits our needs when we need it other than some simple attempt at brute forcing a thin veneer of 'togetherness'.
I found that the decision of which would be the symbol to be used was very arbitrary and restricted to voters in Twitter back in the day. I proposed a couple of options myself that didn’t get chosen. One of the was intended as an evolution of Dutch jeweller one with a genderless figure from the back.
Personally, I wouldn't like to see this symbol adopted in any official way, at least not to globally signal naturism. That's not to take anything away from the creators or those who use it, but it just doesn't represent nudism for me. I understand it was designed to be low key, perhaps even covert but that doesn't represent my view of naturism in 2025. We should be putting the secret signals behind us and being more out there and direct. Being clandestine only perpetuates the stigma. This design does not instinctively give any clues to it's meaning except perhaps to those in the secret club.
Could I come up with something better? No, but I'm no expert with graphics. I recognise how difficult it is to signal nudity in a pictographic form but for me it really needs to be something more obvious, in the style of European road signage perhaps. I'm also not keen on the sun and beaches themes as this no longer represents the wider practice of nudism and conveys a very narrow and old fashioned message.
I confess to being a little disappointed how this particular design has been touted as 'the' official naturist symbol by online promotion, when it's far from that. Having said that. I'm sure this sign has value for those who want something more discreet. I know what it means should I encounter it but I just wouldn't use it myself. Maybe we need two versions?
I don't mind having a symbol that unites us under naturism, but dear god can we get one without eye-bleeding colors and something more than just a sun and waves? That doesn't represent naturism at all to me.
I'm not really sure if I'm a nudist or a naturist. I just know that if I don't have to wear clothes, I don't. I do fly a Grey, White, Green nudist flag on my hog. I think it's a little bolder tho it has only garnered two questions to which I simply said " it's a nudist flag ".
I agree with the other commenters that the "current" symbol is lacking. Sun and waves are enjoyed by textiles as much as naturists. Naturism is a lifestyle, but the sun and waves symbol only represents "free beaches", and only if you read somewhere that the waves are supposed to represent a bare buttocks. I always had the TNS big green "N" decal on my vehicle, which also had small print "The Naturist Society". One fellow thought I was supporting "naturalists" because I don't think he even heard of naturists, but it did start a conversation.
I’d definitely wear a nudist (skinny dipper)flag pin in public as a way to be identified by fellow nudist in a non-nudist setting and possibly make new friends. however, the current flag is too easily confused with a Ukraine 🇺🇦 flag (currently trending). I’m just saying. Can we come up with something more distinctive?
In 1977, the space probe Voyager was sent out of the solar system to communicate with any potential aliens with a Golden Record designed by Carl Sagan and others. There is an anatomically correct image of a nude male and a nude female. Please use that image.
Yes, I feel it should be universal across the world. It is very tasteful, yet non-offensive looking to even the most prudish of people. As with any symbol/insignia it does identify us as naturists and nudists as well to others of the same beliefs. I am a past state leader of a large veterans organization that displays the pin on my uniform hat. Those that know, know. Those that don't, generally don't question what it stands for.
I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who thinks the idea is fine, but the execution on this particular design is lacking. There's just too many lines, spaced too far apart, going in too many different directions in this design. It lacks a central focal point, and even though I know what it is it still takes a few seconds for my brain to assemble the component parts into a coherent whole. And I've looked at that design probably thousands of times. I'd like to see the same concept reworked into something a little more iconographic.
Howdy! I’m the rando that casually submitted the design to the contest without hardly an ounce of art/design training. It was offered as one idea, and it happened to resonate with the majority of those who voted. I agree with you! It could use some work! But I’m not the expert, and have never once suggested (publicly or privately) that it must remain exactly as I originally submitted it.
I’ve seen your work. Heck, I’ve bought some awesome stickers from your online store! Take a swing at an update! 🙂
Maybe you know another designer or two that can offer constructive feedback to dial it in to an even better version of what was originally submitted and recognized. (I’m thinking of all the different versions of the USA flag - it has evolved MANY times.)
Hi - apologies if I came off a little harsh there, I realize I had slipped back into art director mode and was giving notes as if I were looking at a design from an agency. Because I honestly thought this had originated with an agency. I missed the whole submission and voting phase, I don't spend much time of Twitter. So congratulations are definitely due - your design is genuinely much better than many designs I have seen from professionals. Also, thanks for buying stuff!
And honestly, as I said the concept is almost there. If I were giving feedback, I'd say give it a defined circular border to create visual focus. My suggestion would be to basically invert the colors on the sun. Have a yellow, circular background and let the lines of the sun be white, reaching out to the edge of the circle. I'd also think about making the yellow more orange, partly so it doesn't get confused with the now-ubiquitous Ukrainian flag, but also so the blue pops a little more. I think once you have that focus, the design will work really, really well.
I have a hat pin with the naturist symbol … for over a year now and not a single person has asked about it. I also have it on the back of a T-shirt, but the front addresses naturism directly.
I think the symbol may serve a purpose for those hesitant to openly declare their interest in naturism. For my own purposes, I prefer messaging that isn't quite so discreet and coded.
I really did not give this any thought. Very interesting.
I don’t have a problem with a symbol per se, but I question what purpose it serves. If it is to help naturists identify other naturists, it seems to have succeeded in that. If it is to help naturists identify to non-naturists, it hasn’t moved that needle at all. I don’t see recognition by the INF (another symbol that effectively only signifies naturism to other naturists, being more or less unknown in the clothed world) helping advance this symbol as anything other than a secret handshake of sorts among people who know what it means.
The symbols of naturism to the non-naturist public need to be naturists, ourselves. Know us by our deeds and all that.
Secret handshake for nudists sounds fun. Trying to picture what that would be.
I don't believe it's realistic to have one over-arching symbol. Naturism by its very nature is super diverse and it would be extremely unlikely to find an 'official' symbol that speaks for all of us and for all of what we should stand for. This current symbol that is being regarded certainly isn't it. It speaks to only a small aspect of naturism, sun worship and water. Not to mention the rather feminine lines in the waves that suggest a nude body that could be seen as a form of exclusion or preference. What about environmental naturists? Home naturists? Social naturists? Family naturists? The list is endless.
Perhaps I'm over thinking it, but I don't think so. I believe we are far better served by using whatever symbolism suits our needs when we need it other than some simple attempt at brute forcing a thin veneer of 'togetherness'.
I found that the decision of which would be the symbol to be used was very arbitrary and restricted to voters in Twitter back in the day. I proposed a couple of options myself that didn’t get chosen. One of the was intended as an evolution of Dutch jeweller one with a genderless figure from the back.
Many governments already recognize the FKK family beach sign, which I can't seem to attach.
Personally, I wouldn't like to see this symbol adopted in any official way, at least not to globally signal naturism. That's not to take anything away from the creators or those who use it, but it just doesn't represent nudism for me. I understand it was designed to be low key, perhaps even covert but that doesn't represent my view of naturism in 2025. We should be putting the secret signals behind us and being more out there and direct. Being clandestine only perpetuates the stigma. This design does not instinctively give any clues to it's meaning except perhaps to those in the secret club.
Could I come up with something better? No, but I'm no expert with graphics. I recognise how difficult it is to signal nudity in a pictographic form but for me it really needs to be something more obvious, in the style of European road signage perhaps. I'm also not keen on the sun and beaches themes as this no longer represents the wider practice of nudism and conveys a very narrow and old fashioned message.
I confess to being a little disappointed how this particular design has been touted as 'the' official naturist symbol by online promotion, when it's far from that. Having said that. I'm sure this sign has value for those who want something more discreet. I know what it means should I encounter it but I just wouldn't use it myself. Maybe we need two versions?
I don't mind having a symbol that unites us under naturism, but dear god can we get one without eye-bleeding colors and something more than just a sun and waves? That doesn't represent naturism at all to me.
I'm not really sure if I'm a nudist or a naturist. I just know that if I don't have to wear clothes, I don't. I do fly a Grey, White, Green nudist flag on my hog. I think it's a little bolder tho it has only garnered two questions to which I simply said " it's a nudist flag ".
I agree with the other commenters that the "current" symbol is lacking. Sun and waves are enjoyed by textiles as much as naturists. Naturism is a lifestyle, but the sun and waves symbol only represents "free beaches", and only if you read somewhere that the waves are supposed to represent a bare buttocks. I always had the TNS big green "N" decal on my vehicle, which also had small print "The Naturist Society". One fellow thought I was supporting "naturalists" because I don't think he even heard of naturists, but it did start a conversation.
how can i get a t-shirt and sticker
I’d definitely wear a nudist (skinny dipper)flag pin in public as a way to be identified by fellow nudist in a non-nudist setting and possibly make new friends. however, the current flag is too easily confused with a Ukraine 🇺🇦 flag (currently trending). I’m just saying. Can we come up with something more distinctive?
In 1977, the space probe Voyager was sent out of the solar system to communicate with any potential aliens with a Golden Record designed by Carl Sagan and others. There is an anatomically correct image of a nude male and a nude female. Please use that image.
Yes, I feel it should be universal across the world. It is very tasteful, yet non-offensive looking to even the most prudish of people. As with any symbol/insignia it does identify us as naturists and nudists as well to others of the same beliefs. I am a past state leader of a large veterans organization that displays the pin on my uniform hat. Those that know, know. Those that don't, generally don't question what it stands for.
I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who thinks the idea is fine, but the execution on this particular design is lacking. There's just too many lines, spaced too far apart, going in too many different directions in this design. It lacks a central focal point, and even though I know what it is it still takes a few seconds for my brain to assemble the component parts into a coherent whole. And I've looked at that design probably thousands of times. I'd like to see the same concept reworked into something a little more iconographic.
Howdy! I’m the rando that casually submitted the design to the contest without hardly an ounce of art/design training. It was offered as one idea, and it happened to resonate with the majority of those who voted. I agree with you! It could use some work! But I’m not the expert, and have never once suggested (publicly or privately) that it must remain exactly as I originally submitted it.
I’ve seen your work. Heck, I’ve bought some awesome stickers from your online store! Take a swing at an update! 🙂
Maybe you know another designer or two that can offer constructive feedback to dial it in to an even better version of what was originally submitted and recognized. (I’m thinking of all the different versions of the USA flag - it has evolved MANY times.)
Hi - apologies if I came off a little harsh there, I realize I had slipped back into art director mode and was giving notes as if I were looking at a design from an agency. Because I honestly thought this had originated with an agency. I missed the whole submission and voting phase, I don't spend much time of Twitter. So congratulations are definitely due - your design is genuinely much better than many designs I have seen from professionals. Also, thanks for buying stuff!
And honestly, as I said the concept is almost there. If I were giving feedback, I'd say give it a defined circular border to create visual focus. My suggestion would be to basically invert the colors on the sun. Have a yellow, circular background and let the lines of the sun be white, reaching out to the edge of the circle. I'd also think about making the yellow more orange, partly so it doesn't get confused with the now-ubiquitous Ukrainian flag, but also so the blue pops a little more. I think once you have that focus, the design will work really, really well.
Thanks again!