this is probably too revolutionary, in terms of "oh shit, where are the 'd' and 'A' letters?!".
But I think i should be giving this a try.

Explanations:
* The asterisk represents dA members.
since all members are marked with a '*' - there's no other community uses this sign as a trademark for it's members - it belongs only to dA. Also, it might bring more
members to relate with the logo.

* Takes less space than any other concept.
Since the designated place for the logo is very, very small, I thought would be only appropriate for a logo that's recognizable and small in terms of size.

* Simple to recognize, easy to relate to.

* Follows similar popular communities in terms of branding style
Communities such as Facebook,
Digg, Youtube and others - They have only typeface, not a
logo, but still they are the biggest e-communities
in the world (besides dA).

* Problem & solution: deviantWear
I know dA has it's deviantWear, so a logo next to a typeface can be useful and probably better.
But, you also have the fella which fits just for that, right? Also, an asterisk is very fashionable, check out [link] .

* No d and A letters, why?
So what if deviantART is referred to as dA. I think it revolutionary not to place dA next to the typeface.
liquisoft, you used the word
'Familiar' about 20 times in your article. Why? I think a great community like dA needs something fresh to bring it alongside other great communities in terms of identity.

I'm all for "reinvent the wheel" you objected, and these where my reasons.

Everyone has it's own way of relating to dA. a heart, a devil, a crown, but eventually, the easiest to relate to is the core, the name, and nothing else.


That's it, and good luck to everyone in the contest.