feat: refresh Hermes WebUI logo

[Michaelyklam]

Thinking Path

• The issue asked for a selected logo direction before changing default branding.
• The reporter clarified the first pass should be a modern, geometric caduceus and should cover both favicon and in-app logo surfaces.
• A tight slice can update the static brand mark assets without introducing a build step, theming change, or broader branding system.

What Changed

• Replaced the default SVG favicon with a modern geometric wing-and-staff caduceus mark.
• Regenerated the PNG favicon/PWA/touch assets and ICO from the same SVG source.
• Updated the titlebar and empty-state inline logos to use the same simplified mark.
• Added source/asset regression coverage for the new logo shape and raster dimensions.
• Added a changelog entry for the visible branding refresh.

Why It Matters

• Browser tabs, install icons, the mobile/PWA surface, the titlebar, and the initial empty chat state now present one consistent Hermes WebUI mark.
• The new mark follows the requested clean, geometric caduceus direction while keeping the existing Hermes gold palette.

Verification

• python -m pytest tests/test_issue2467_logo_refresh.py tests/test_pwa_manifest_sw.py::TestBaseHrefOrdering::test_base_href_script_before_favicon_links tests/test_session_static_assets.py::test_session_static_favicon_512_returns_png -q — 4 passed
• env -u HERMES_CONFIG_PATH -u HERMES_WEBUI_HOST python -m pytest tests/ -q — 5861 passed, 6 skipped, 3 xpassed, 8 subtests passed
• node --check static/boot.js
• git diff --check
• Raw media URLs verified HTTP 200.

UI Media

Before/after logo comparison:

Individual assets:

Risks / Follow-ups

• This is intentionally limited to the default mark/favicon surfaces; it does not attempt a larger branding/theme redesign.
• The specific geometric styling is subjective and may need design iteration from maintainers.

Model Used

AI-assisted change with repository inspection, targeted editing, generated asset verification, and shell-based test verification.

Closes #2467

[nesquena-hermes]

Thanks for this — logo refresh is a major brand-mark change with broad visibility (favicon, PWA install icon, mobile touch icon, titlebar, empty-state). Putting on UX hold for Aron's review before merge.

The diff shape is right (single SVG source regenerated to PNG/ICO, no build step, no theme change, 4-test regression coverage), but the bar for any change that touches every browser-tab icon + install icon + titlebar is: ship one stable mark, not two.

A few things to confirm in the PR body before UX review:

1. Light + dark mode rendering. The new caduceus SVG — does the mark render legibly against both light and dark sidebar/titlebar backgrounds? Please attach screenshots showing the titlebar in both modes plus the empty-chat-state with the inline logo.
2. Browser tab + PWA install. Screenshots of the favicon in Chrome and Safari tab strips, plus the installed PWA icon on iOS and Android. The current Hermes gold should read correctly at 16px tab size and 192px install size.
3. Empty-state composition. The inline empty-state logo sits above the welcome text — please show the full empty state at desktop (1280) and mobile (390) so we can verify spacing/scale.

Once the visual evidence is attached I'll tag @aronprins for UX sign-off. CI is green; no rebase needed.

[Michaelyklam]

Rebased this on current master after the changelog release-batch conflict. I kept the logo entry under [Unreleased] and preserved the upstream v0.51.85 release notes.

Verification on the rebased head:

• env -u HERMES_CONFIG_PATH -u HERMES_WEBUI_HOST /home/michael/.hermes/hermes-agent/venv/bin/python -m pytest tests/test_issue2467_logo_refresh.py -q — 2 passed
• /home/michael/.hermes/hermes-agent/venv/bin/python -m py_compile server.py
• git diff --check origin/master...HEAD
• git merge-tree --write-tree origin/master HEAD

GitHub Actions are now green on the rebased head.

[Michaelyklam]

Rebased this again on current master after the latest changelog release-batch conflict.

Verification on the rebased head:

• env -u HERMES_CONFIG_PATH -u HERMES_WEBUI_HOST /home/michael/.hermes/hermes-agent/venv/bin/python -m pytest tests/test_issue2467_logo_refresh.py -q — 2 passed
• git diff --check origin/master...HEAD — passed
• git merge-tree --write-tree origin/master HEAD — passed
• GitHub Actions test (3.11), test (3.12), and test (3.13) — passed

The PR is mergeable again at 8babecca963f7d574fff99fc9e33d8e26a429d04.

[Michaelyklam]

Rebased this on current master again after the latest release/changelog batch.

Verification on the rebased head:

• env -u HERMES_CONFIG_PATH -u HERMES_WEBUI_HOST /home/michael/.hermes/hermes-agent/venv/bin/python -m pytest tests/test_issue2467_logo_refresh.py -q — 2 passed
• git diff --check origin/master...HEAD — passed
• git merge-tree --write-tree origin/master HEAD — passed
• GitHub Actions test (3.11), test (3.12), and test (3.13) — passed

Current head is 13fa28e7208ab2f85aa39d774a9a9247866860a5; GitHub reports the PR as mergeable/clean.

[Michaelyklam]

Rebased this PR onto the latest master after the new release-batch changelog conflict. The logo refresh changelog entry is back under [Unreleased], with the upstream release section preserved.

Verification on the rebased head:

• env -u HERMES_CONFIG_PATH -u HERMES_WEBUI_HOST /home/michael/.hermes/hermes-agent/venv/bin/python -m pytest tests/test_issue2467_logo_refresh.py -q
• git diff --check origin/master...HEAD
• git merge-tree --write-tree origin/master HEAD

GitHub Actions are now green on the new head and the PR is mergeable.

[nesquena]

@Michaelyklam I don't think the new logo looks quite right... can you take a look

[Michaelyklam]

Rebased this again onto current master after the latest changelog release batch. The PR is mergeable/clean again at a4f03f57..., and GitHub Actions are green on that head.

Verification on the rebased head:

• env -u HERMES_CONFIG_PATH -u HERMES_WEBUI_HOST /home/michael/.hermes/hermes-agent/venv/bin/python -m pytest tests/test_issue2467_logo_refresh.py -q — 2 passed
• git diff --check origin/master...HEAD — passed
• git merge-tree --write-tree origin/master HEAD — passed
• GitHub Actions test (3.11), test (3.12), and test (3.13) — passed

On the logo direction: I have not changed the mark yet because the current feedback is still broad. If the concern is mainly the shape, line weight, color/contrast, favicon legibility, or in-app sizing, could you point to the part that feels off? I can tune that in a focused follow-up.

[Michaelyklam]

Rebased this onto current master after the latest changelog release-batch conflict. The logo refresh changelog entry is back under [Unreleased], with the upstream release section preserved.

Verification on the rebased head:

• env -u HERMES_CONFIG_PATH -u HERMES_WEBUI_HOST /home/michael/.hermes/hermes-agent/venv/bin/python -m pytest tests/test_issue2467_logo_refresh.py -q — 2 passed
• git diff --check — passed
• git diff --check origin/master...HEAD — passed
• git merge-tree --write-tree origin/master HEAD — passed
• GitHub Actions test (3.11), test (3.12), and test (3.13) — passed

Current head is 0520331a...; the PR is mergeable/clean again.

[EiomSirius]

Hey @nesquena, thanks for the honest feedback — the previous caduceus mark wasn't hitting the mark, so we went back to the drawing board.

Here are two refined logo directions we've been working on, both keeping the modern geometric caduceus approach but with adjusted proportions, line weight, and detail level:

---

Variación 1 — Perfil más esbelto, serpientes estilizadas

A cleaner, more minimalist take. The caduceus keeps the classic dual-snake + winged structure but with thinner, more refined serpent curves and a taller, sleeker staff proportion. The wings are angular and segmented, giving it a tech-forward feel while staying legible at small sizes.

Variación 2 — Más presencia, serpientes envolventes más marcadas

A bolder expression of the same concept. The snakes wrap more tightly around a slightly wider staff, with more pronounced wing segments. The metallic gold depth is stronger here, giving it more visual weight for use as a primary app icon or PWA install icon.

---

Both retain the Hermes gold palette, scale cleanly to favicon size, and follow the existing no-build-step constraint (single SVG source → PNG/ICO regeneration).

Would love to hear which direction resonates better — or if there's a specific aspect (line weight, wing shape, snake curvature) you'd like us to push further on.