Inspired by this discussion on Branch, I thought I'd throw in my opinion.

The challenge:

The Save symbol is years overdue for a rethink. How can this immensely
vital symbol be communicated in a timeless form so we never have to go
through this again?

My submission:

• A: State saved
• B: State changed / Changes not synced
• C: Error saving / syncing

The idea here is that the "saved" icon looks at first glance like an 5.25" floppy disk, helping to make the transition easier from the existing icon, loosely based on a 3.5" disk. As the user makes changes that are not saved, the "branch" on the right slides out, and the central section of the circle falls away, leaving an empty container.

The central section can then be used with modifiers, as in the final graphic. For instance, it might be used in a web applicaiton to show that the connection is no longer there and changes can't be synced back to the server.

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