Anarian Consortium

Super Diplomat (though more often than not I play with abilities disabled)

Populist Party

+30% Diplomacy (10% from party)
+20% Economics
+30% Morale (10% from party)
+1 Speed

Starting Techs:
Hyperdrive
Planetary Improvements
Xeno Engineering

For the logo I use the blue circle with a tall white triangle inside it (because it's like an "A", joy). My ships use the same color scheme of blue on silver.

I usually don't play on any difficulty above Painful. I basically start out rapidly developing my infrastructure, keeping par with the technology levels of the other races (but researching different techs so I can trade around and earn some money), and ignoring military for as long as my superior diplomacy will allow. Eventually go neutral for the NLCs (and other perks), outstrip my enemies' tech, and build superior warships for defense (quality not quantity). After that it's just a matter of how you would like to win.