Mascot
Tan is this site’s mascot, a beaver. It builds systems like a dam, hunts down bugs with a flashlight, and ties the claim to a number.
In nature, the beaver is the "ecosystem engineer": it builds dams, holds back the water, and reshapes everything around it. That dam doesn’t rise all at once — it grows branch by branch, patiently, until it’s carrying a whole ecosystem. That’s why Tan carries the brand’s system architect identity in a single image.
Tan takes its name from "tan yeri ağarması" — the moment the sky begins to lighten, marking the end of night. It shares the same habit: instead of waiting around, it researches, tries, learns, and doesn’t keep what it finds to itself — it writes it down and shares it. You’ll see it on post covers, share cards, and videos, each time at work on something new.
Four scenes come from the site’s four surfaces: I chase architecture and bugs in Labs, carry what I measure to Research, and write what I learn on the blog.
01
It builds a system piece by piece, patiently — just like a beaver’s dam. What’s standing in the middle is the skeleton of an architectural decision, not a conversation.
02
It patiently hunts down the bug hiding in the dark with a flashlight — no skipping steps, no panic. What it finds is usually smaller than expected.
03
It measures before making a claim; it doesn’t write down what it can’t measure. If the result is surprising, it doesn’t hide it — it shows it as it is.
04
It patiently explains what it has learned, step by step — and says so when it doesn’t know something. What it teaches has always gone through its own experience.
Tan was designed to be the visual counterpart of the editorial voice.
Explains with a pointing hand and an open posture, never rushing.
When it doesn’t know, it thinks with a paw on its chin instead of making up a guess.
Nods, gives a thumbs-up — approves without condescension.
Its stance is relaxed; it never strikes a shouting or hyperactive pose.
It has four standard expressions:
Happy
Standing in a relaxed moment, its smile understated.
Curious
Paw on chin, working something out.
Surprised
Just ran into an unexpected result.
Approving
Nodding or giving a thumbs-up.
Today you’ll run into it on share cards; it’ll appear with the same palette and the same character on new blog and Labs covers too.
You’ll find the palette, the dos and don’ts, and the usage contexts in the brand guide.