I've given it another go. See Version C in my personal album.

I understand the ideas about not making it look like a sword pin to make it unique, but it is possible to make it unique and recognizable without changing the formula for a kilt pin too much.

Using the car analogy again, someone might say, "Lets make it unique from other cars, instead of having wheels lets put an airbag and a fan underneath it!" Yeah, that would be cool and unique, but now we are talking about a hovercraft, not a car.

At the same time there are hundreds of instantly recongnisable, unique cars which stick to the formula of what a car is.

Bear, you say the circle with an X is nice because it is unique, but at the same time you say it looks like the Texas Ranger badge. I also thought it is reminicent of the X-Men mark. Is that really unique?

Also you used the example of Howard Nicolsby's lightening bolt. I haven't seen it, but usually lightening bolts are long and thin. Again bringing back my question of whether a pin that is not long and skinny might look gaudy or disrupt the pattern of the kilt.

I know that I probably sound like I am being anal, but I think if are really going to go through with designing and producing a kilt pin, we should do it right. What right is, I don't know, but the only way we can figure that out is through discussion and debate.